Comments on: World Energy Outlook 2009 Report Released, as Senior IEA Employees Blow Whistle

By: Craig Mackintosh

Craig Mackintosh — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:10:33 +0000

Hi Greg - you don't have to go far to find the Bartlett presentation. I have to agree with you re how much cushioning we'll get of things like wind and solar. Firstly, people forget that both are used to create electricity, not liquid fuels. You can't run a plane on electricity, and for cars and trucks to do so would take a major infrastructure development that it now looks like we don't have time for. Ethanol is a frightening suggestion, as it means even more monocrop farming, more soil loss, more chemical use, water use and contamination, and more competition between land to feed people and to feed vehicles (vehicles win every time, as people with money have vehicles, but people who simply need food often don't). Yes, we need to recycle, reuse, car pool, etc., but the present consumption rate of fossil fuels and projected increases of that consumption over the next twenty years is so immense (it's estimated we've used about 1 trillion barrels of oil since we first started drilling in 1859, but that we'll use that much again within the next 30 years...), and the energy harvest we get from oil so dense, that I don't believe we understand how reliant we are on it and how difficult/impossible it will be to replace.

By: greg

greg — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:40:48 +0000

Paul,

Everybody’s got different opinions about what the downslope of the oil production curve will look like (ie. how steep) and what, if any, mitigation strategies will work.

Apologies, but you’re not the first to suggest what you suggest. They’re quite obvious, and they’re all quite seriously flawed. They’re unlikely to provide reasonable adjustment and cushion on the downslope.

I’ll leave you to google Bartlett’s lecture on exponential growth (the full hour, not the 9 minute extract), EROEI, and topsoil depletion issues.

By: Paul Dore

Paul Dore — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:42:10 +0000

What about ethanol? present combustion engines can run on it with non-major (excuse the vagueness) modification. In addition, everyone changing to solar and wind power for domestic uses, car pooling / public transport options, buying most or all of their calorific intake from their local community, revaluating energy consumption habits, the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle), building cooperatives for labour exchange and bartering within their communities, and including nuts and bolts practical resource management and sustainable environment education in school curriculums can all go a long way to help societies through the imminent “petro-chemical” withdrawls. In light of the looming doom and gloom, there are many positive changes for our environment, communities and economies.
There are so many things everyone can do now (as well as keeping abreast of further developments from energy agencies) to start preparing. Remember the story of the little red rooster and become productive and proactive.

By: Hamish

Hamish — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:16:36 +0000

Are you kidding???? Hydrogen-powered cars???? Do a little research on them and you will see they are fiction and will never be a reality – unless they can work out a very easy way to make hydrogen from water on the fly in the car. The stuff is just impossible to store in enough quantity and safely enough to make it a viable fuel at this point in time. More likely we will see a lot more people riding horses and bicycles for transport and burning wood to stay warm in the future. SOrry to burst your hydrogen bubble.

By: AC

AC — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:21:52 +0000

Time for hydrogen-powered cars – that will help at least a little bit. Not sure how we’ll power the rest of our lives or stay warm – we can’t all burn wood.