Section » Commentary
Businessweek Gets it Wrong - Everything You Know about Peak Oil is NOT Wrong
On January 26, Bloomberg Businessweek printed an editorial by Charles Kenny titled, “Everything You Know About Peak Oil Is Wrong“. This editorial reflects several common misunderstandings. According to Kenny: Titled Limits to Growth, their report suggested the world was heading toward
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Peak Oil: Yes, Still a Serious Issue
By Ray Long, ASPO-USA Assistant Director The director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will be delivering a lecture titled “U.S. Energy Outlook: Whatever Happened to ‘Peak Oil’” at Indiana University on February 6. The description of the lecture provides some background: “Not long ago, the public heard
Fossil Fuels vs. Renewables: The Key Argument That Environmentalists are Missing
(Note: The following article first appeared in the Winter 2011 edition of Sierra Atlantic, a publication of the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club serving New York state. Permission is hereby granted to reprint this piece with attribution. Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) By Kurt Cobb Which of the following can we count on to act as a “bridge fuel”
Integrating Energy Resources
(Note: Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) By Suzanne Sayer, PhD During the first Arab oil embargo President Nixon put price controls on petroleum. The next administration successfully launched the first round of energy conservation measures and promoted the development of alternative and renewable energy resources. By the early 1980s oil prices had stabilized, and
Energy Differentiation
(Note: Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) By Robert L. Hirsch, Ph.D Many people fail to properly differentiate between energy forms and related energy systems. One result is that they can be misled regarding solutions to such concerns as “the energy crisis,” “energy security,” or “dependence on foreign oil.” This not only leads
2012 Predictions
(Note: Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) Last year ASPO-USA brought together a host of leading thinkers and their predictions for what to expect in 2011. While not all the predictions were on target, last year’s thinkers and leaders on energy issues were remarkably prescient, accurately anticipating among other things Arab Spring, the flow of energy prices,
Bakken Shale and U.S. Oil Production
(Note: Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) By Roger Blanchard On Sept. 25, 2011 National Public Radio’s All Things Considered program had a segment consisting of what I considered highly questionable information concerning oil production in the Bakken Shale region of North Dakota and U.S. oil production in general. The segment indicated that U.S. oil production
OPEC says, ‘Don’t Count on Us’ for More Oil Supply
(Note: Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) By Gail Tverberg The results of OPEC’s latest meeting to set oil production quotas were announced last week. Instead of production targets for individual countries, a group production ceiling of 30 million barrels a day was set. This amount is a bit less than OPEC produced in November 2011 (actual 30.367 mbd), according
Oil, Climate, Agriculture and Learning to Love Limits
(Note: Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) “New technology is almost as alluring as sex. Once humans have experienced any invention that eases physical effort, they will not give it up. That is the behavioral characteristic that may destroy us as a species. Curiously, only in sports do we agree to eschew technological advances, making rules, for example, to limit
Saudi Arabia - Headed for a Downfall?
(Note: Commentaries do not necessarily represent the position of ASPO-USA.) Saudi Arabia recently announced that it had halted a $100 billion oil production expansion plan to raise capacity to 15 million barrels a day by 2020. At this point, the country claims to have capacity of 12 million

