News from March 2008

UK: Norfolk Broads ‘could be lost to sea in a year’

The Norfolk Broads will be lost to the sea, the head of the Environment Agency has said Lady Young warned that the one metre of sea level rise predicted by climate change scientists this century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise would put “I think the Norfolk Broads will go. They will definitely salinate,” [...]

British Airways profits slashed by Goldman Sachs

British Airways flew into more trouble this morning after investment bank Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock from a “buy” to a “sell” saying lower revenue and oil prices would cut profits by up to 46 per cent. British Airways is already reeling from the chaos in the opening days of its The fiasco has resulted [...]

Rx: Canned goods and ammunition

But real assets will help provide diversification, inflation protection and a wager on growth …Without going overboard When financial assets disappear, real assets still have real value. You can eat food and live in a house. Growing populations, rising standards of living and a finite planet argue for resource prices to rise. Chinese demand for [...]

Australia: NASA scientist asks Rudd to halt coal exports

A NASA scientist has asked Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to halt all coal exports from Australia, claiming they are causing irreparable damage to the planet. Mr Rudd, who is currently on a world tour that takes in the United States, Europe and Asia, also at the weekend spoke with US President George W. Bush about [...]

Setbacks cast pall on Saudi gas fields

Saudi Arabia If that happens, and the kingdom has less gas than expected, it will be forced to divert more of the oil it produces for its own use, leaving less to fuel the rest of the world

Visiting editors’ parting shots: Oil, vouchers and volunteering

There’s a topic to be discussed at the intersection of economics and the environment that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The topic is “peak oil.” “Peak oil refers to the time when humanity is no longer able to produce more oil globally than we did the year before,” according to www.seattleoil.com, a Web site [...]

As Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise, Food Stamp Use Nears Record

Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year, the highest level since the aid program began in the 1960s. …Because they spend a higher share of their incomes on basic needs like food [...]

Ghawar Numerology: Drilling in Uthmaniyah

NOW SHOWING: a movie on the drilling of Uthmaniyah. Using a set of wells in a productive (but now rather depleted) slice of this part of the Saudi oil field of Ghawar, it is possible to deduce to drilling sequence of these wells using the identifiers assigned to the wells as they are drilled. Given [...]

World’s phosphorus situation scares some scientists

As production of biofuels increase to counter dependence on foreign oil and high fuel prices, some scientists worry that the world’s phosphorus supply will slowly diminish, limiting our ability to grow crops and forcing fertilizer prices through the roof. Phosphorous is essential to plant growth. Mined out of phosphate rocks, it is one of the [...]

Gore to unveil $300 million warming campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nobel prize winner and former Vice President Al Gore plans to launch a three-year, $300 million advocacy campaign calling for the United States to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The Alliance for Climate Protection’s “We Campaign” will combine advertising and online organizing and advertising with grassroots groups. It is aimed at educating [...]