Why Dems and Republicans Are Afraid of Two Words….Peak Oil
QuestionGirl May 22nd, 2008 - 10:54 amIn 1956, M. King Hubbert, a petroleum geologist with Shell Oil, presented a paper to the American Petroleum Institute that predicted US oil production would peak in the early 1970s and then follow a declining curve, now known as Hubbert’s curve. But Hubbert almost didn’t get to give his paper. He got a call from his bosses at Shell, who asked him to “tone it down.” His reply was that there was nothing to tone down. It was just straightforward analysis. He presented the paper, unedited. You can read the whole story here.
Since that time, the oil industry and its political supporters have done everything they can to tone down the message that oil is a finite resource and that we will run out of it some day. Why would they do that? To further the short’sighted, short-term pursuit of profit. In 2004, Shell finally got caught in a lie about the size of its oil reserves. The company had inflated the stated size of its oil reserves to keep stock share prices high because who wants to invest in a company — or an industry — that is going the way of the dinosaurs?
Full article at Alternet
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Record profits since 2002? I guess it’s safe to say it’s no longer a secret what Cheney’s ‘energy task force’ was all about.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Like anyone with eyes couldn’t see that one coming, Bro. Even old reviled Jimmy Carter tried to warn of this impending national disaster, but no one wanted to hear it because they’d prefer to shoot the messinger rather than adapt to the inevitable before the pain becomes unbearable — and debilitating.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
My problem with believing in this “peak oil” bullshit is exactly that, it is bullshit. It is simply more propaganda to be used to manipulate the public into paying higher and higher prices for a shrinking commodity. The people that work as oil seeking geoligists for the US oil giant consortiums are using flawed science to locate pools of oil according to scientists in Russia. Russian geoligists claim that the US and others are looking in the wrong places for oil. Little reported in US media otherwise known as news is the fact that Russia is now the second largest oil producer in the world. It is the main source of Russian money now days. (Besides heroin and cocaine)
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Buck, really?
Because of greed and stupidity, this country has taken a backseat to everyone.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Russia is also becoming a large producer of NG (natural gas) if IRC.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Bullshit? I hardly think so. Oil is a finite resource and we have empowered India and China into becoming major competitors for the world’s oil reserves - with China potentially exceeding our own consumption at this point. Whether we are or are not past “peak oil” is not as germane as the fact that, eventually, the supplies will come to an end. We ain’t makin’ any more oil - which is essentially solar energy deposited and stored over a half-million years. Will we wait until the eleventh hour to deal with it or continue to consume at record rates. As they deplete, the prices will rise higher and higher - supply and demand - until your average consumer cannot afford oil products. And don’t forget this includes gasoline, almost all plastics, many industrial chemicals, paints, fertilizers, and of course, all heating oils and aviation fuels.
Don’t mistake this as an apology for Big Oil and Gas and its history of profiteering, however. The current adminstration, coupled with financial speculators, have a vested interest in keeping prices high, and is complicit in allowing this to occur. Simply because the use the term “peak oil” to facilitate such bullshit doesn’t negate the reality. Brazil has an ongoing store of cane ethanol they could sell the US, but the administration doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge this, instead opting to funnel money into farcicle pipe-dreams of corn and soy based agri-corp fuels. They are too inefficient and barely show a net energy gain after processing. Monsanto, ConAgra, McDaniells, etc. have more to gain the we do from these subsidies. Big surprise…
Incidentally, no one “produces” oil or natural gas, they simply pump fixed natural reserves into the economic engine. Until we learn (and that’s a big if) to bust that H2O covalent bond, we’re fuckin’ tied to these maggots - who would sell you rainwater and air if they could. (Bechtel)
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Dr. Know, I’ve read about Brazil’s situation, and it’s pretty sad. They have so much land dedicated to sugar cane that ethanol production is well suited to them.
Problem is, this whacked out administration refuses to look in their direction. I guess their oil overlords would get a bit peeved at them.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Much forest land has been cleared for sugar cane production, as well as other crops, but what is done is done. Hell, look what we’ve done to the dustbowl midwest - now THAT is sad…