[M_B_S]

EU Facing Severe Fossil Fuel & Natural Resource Shortages In Near Future

The UK has, apparently, only 5.2 years left of oil, 4.5 years of coal, and 3 years of gas. To put that another way, if the UK was put in the position where it could no longer import its fuels (much of which currently come from Russia and the Middle East), the country would more or less come to a complete halt 5 years from now......


http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/18/eu- ... ort-warns/
*******************

Do you f... ignorants think fracking to hell will help you to save you from hell?

Fracking this planet more and more is a direct the path to climate hell.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asi ... 42476.html
Its as useless as praying for gods help.

God will not help you that must you do by your own .

http://www.anglia.ac.uk/ruskin/en/home/ ... Report.pdf

Nothing new:

PEAK OIL GAS COAL URANIUM

M_B_S

[ROCKMAN]

"Fracking this planet more and more is a direct the path to climate hell." Frac'ng, per se, has no direct impact on the climate. Burning fossil fuels has a direct impact on the climate. As oil/NG become less available/more expensive economies will turn to greater coal consumption to compensate IMHO. In that sense the shale frac'ng surge delays the increase in coal consumption but probably by an insignificant amount of time in the grand scheme of things.

[Paulo1]

Tragic European wars have been started over less. They won't give up and/or go quietly into the dustbin of history. Somebody will pull a trigger, somewhere.

Look for a scapegoat. Russia? Who knows?

Paulo

[Subjectivist]

Tragic European wars have been started over less. They won't give up and/or go quietly into the dustbin of history. Somebody will pull a trigger, somewhere.

Look for a scapegoat. Russia? Who knows?

Paulo

That is a scary thought considering that both the UK and France are nuclear weapon states with long histories of design and construction of such weapons.

Americans often think of The US and Russia as nuclear powers with an occasional thought for China and tendto forget a half dozen other countries are also nuclear capable and competent.

[Quinny]

The response of the UK government is to 'frack' ourselves to hell and back. They just don't do their fracking sums! Fracking won't meet more than a small fraction of our needed energy usage even with a massive shift to renewables (which BTW isn't happening and needs an effort greater than the creation of the rebuilding of the nation after WWII and the creation of the NHS to stand a chance of alleviating the problem).

Added to this we've also decided to heavily antagonise our major supplier of NG by playing stupid power games involving Nazi's on their doorstep (and BTW pressurising Bulgaria to stop work on the Southern pipeline making Ukraine even more key to the distribution network. What's their response sign biggest supply deal ever with China, cutting out the dollar as well. I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the build up to justifying a war against Russia but surely Western governments can't be that stupid?

Meanwhile jingoism and racism seems to be raising it's ugly head back at home, with divide and rule being the electoral solution of the moment.

The mainstream political parties (including Labour) meanwhile rely on growth as a solution to or problems. I actually believe people aren't stupid enough (unlike the political parties) to think that we can continue to 'grow' the economy without the physical resources to back it up.

What we need is a transition plan to move to a post industrial society and it cannot be based on consumerism. Our current roles as consumers of products (what do most of us actually produce anymore) is a dead end road to nowhere.

Such a plan is impossible under the current system as it's not in the interest of the financial/military/industrial complex that runs the world. We also need to recognise the problem of population growth, but targeting immigration is not the way to approach it. Causing division gives 'the powers that be' the Orwellian way to control us and stop us concentrating on meeting our needs rather than being distracted by the candy floss economy we live in.

The challenge is in some ways overwhelming, and I certainly view the situation as an predicament rather than a problem. A major change is inevitable, and the choice is most likely to be between between working together as a community and fighting fellow workers both abroad and at home. I only hope enough people recognise that co-operation on all levels is the only way forward and we avoid a descent into racial conflict and war!

[M_B_S]

Great post Quinny

Time for transition is maybe out.


alea iacta est

M_B_S

http://www.catholic.org/news/green/story.php?id=55560

[ROCKMAN]

Quinny - And what's the worst aspect of thinking the shales will save your ass (assuming you have some shales that are economic to develop)? Those high initial flow rates. Wells coming in at 1200 bopd gets everyone dreaming. Everyone except those of us that have produced fractured reservoirs for the last 70+ years. Early on some US folks expressed shock over those high decline rates. The only shock for me et al would have been if they didn't decline so fast. The phenomenon isn't a function of which reservoir it is or what state (or country) the rocks are in or how they are drilled/frac'd). It the physical dynamics of fluids flowing through fracture planes vs. the pore spaces of a conventional reservoir. One would hope that the Brits have seen enough Yank fantasies arising from those high initial flow rates dashed so as to keep their expectations in check.

[BobInget]

I believe Quinny may be too pessimistic on renewables. While there is no overnight solution, five years might be enough. PROVIDED we doubled production every year while there is still 'affordable' energy
around. Throw tax incentives at renewables and liabilities at fossil fuels and watch the magic.

Okay, presuming none of those measures will happen---- Until AGW reality sets in with a tipping point of voting populations.. Even then, the fossil fuel industry will fight tooth and nail to keep prominence.
No, the UK will follow the Australian political model, abdicating government responsibility to private interests.
However...I detect a gradual awareness particularly among younger and minority voters.

Island nation Japan,the world's third biggest economy has always imported energy.
"So" (as folks are starting to begin sentences) Japan embraced nuclear, what could go wrong?

Another country, Argentina, is just beginning its H drilling shale fraccing experiment.
I believe Argentinians are deeply invested in their shale dream. When those first wells come in there will surly be dancing in the streets. Time enough to sell YPF.

[vtsnowedin]

I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the build up to justifying a war against Russia but surely Western governments can't be that stupid?

Skipped a history class or two did we?

[dissident]

I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the build up to justifying a war against Russia but surely Western governments can't be that stupid?

Skipped a history class or two did we?

Please enlighten everyone with your historical knowledge.

[Quinny]

I think VT meant the '....surely Western Governments can't be that stupid?'

[vtsnowedin]

Napoleon and Hitler come to mind.

[alokin]

As for Climate Change, gas fracking has an impact as Methane leeks.
Our governments won't do a thing so it is up to everyone to do a thing.
1.) Your bank account, what is done with your money? You have a choice
2.) Electricity and gas, were do you buy? Green electricity still gives the big companies to invest money in the wrong places (but it can be very hard to find something else)
3.) Your superannuation and other investment.
These are links for Australia:
http://www.marketforces.org.au/banks/compare/
http://gofossilfree.org/australia/

[ROCKMAN]

Alokin - Frac'ng has no direct impact on the amount of methane leaked. A frac'd well has no more potential to leak NG to the atmosphere than any other type of reservoir: conventional, Deep Water, old heritage fields, etc. And the sad reality is that the majority of NG leaked comes from the distribution system especially the residential pipeline systems. Which makes sense: leaks originate at the various connections in the piping. In the US there are hundreds of thousands of such potential leak points at the well head but there are hundreds of MILLIONS of such potential methane sources in the NG distribution systems. It's similar to the huge COLLECTIVE amount of motor oil spilled into the environment. But at the rate of a few drops at a time it's not noticeable. The difference is this oil doesn't accumulate in one setting. Methane, OTOH, does eventually accumulate in the atmosphere.

And if that doesn't make you feel bad enough do a little online research regarding the various biological sources of methane inject into the atmosphere. I won't spoil the punch line but you might worry as much or more about animal farts, LOL.