Infographics !
Tracks
COMMENT: ‘Is Romney a Climate Change Denier?’ – Doesn’t matter…
“Until Americans ‘care’ enough to take climate change seriously, it is unlikely the political arena will change much. The curious thing to watch is how the US, collectively or individually, ends up interpreting relevant information. Each energy industry will naturally compete to prove why it is the best, the right choice for America’s future. But what are American’s going to believe, or use as a method to discern what is right? […]“
Q&A Is scientific certainty enough to move the public and policy makers on climate change?
“I don’t think we’ll have the luxury of a clear, compelling, obvious directive to follow – at least in terms of taking significant action on climate change. In part of how the argument is mentioned today, it’s basically an argument against a theoretically bad outcome, which is not exactly the most motivating thing for human beings. If something ‘could’ go wrong, but ‘maybe isn’t going to’, then why bother – why not let someone else take the fall and see where it goes, before you have to do anything about it? In many ways I see the climate change ‘debate’ as having some motivation along those lines. The problem is that if we do collect all of the evidence necessary, and use planet earth as an actual ‘case study’ — and the case study turns out that we royally messed up our planet, we don’t get another try, or ‘restart’. There is no reset button…”
Energy independence = energy security?
We hear these terms used frequently, often interchangeably, when we here talk of energy - especially during political discourse. But what do they really get at?
See also - http://jpinfluence.com
COMMENT: ‘Does energy independence = energy security?’ – No
Sparked from a discussion on the great energy discussion site, OurEnergyPolicy.org | Does Energy Independence = Energy Security?, I share my comment here. I set out to essentially trounce the idea of “energy independence”, but eventually find my way, as usual, into the big picture of energy. “Energy security” is inherently connected to society; it must account for both addressing the supply – how supply feeds demand, but there is the unavoidable question of what should demand actually be, and what is the best way to pursue such demand? Serious strategic discussion of energy has to account for what has led to our current expectations about energy consumption, and how those expectations and understandings may change in the future.
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Does energy independence = energy security?
I think one of the best ways to think about this topic is by thinking about an investment portfolio, and diversifying risk. In its most simplistic terms, it’s whether or not you have all your eggs in one basket – if you do, and something happens to that basket, then you certainly won’t be able to make any omelets.
More to the point, though – ‘energy security’ is essentially a matter of how many options you have to meet your energy needs. You are more insecure the less options you have, and more secure the more options you have, so it’s a direct relationships.
“Energy Independence” is essentially a campaign slogan or otherwise simplistic form of propaganda – in the case of the US, that is untenable, at least currently. (And no, it will not become tenable if Keystone XL is completed, and all federal lands are opened for hydraulic fracturing, and offshore drilling). Fossil fuels, combined, make up about 80% of the current US energy portfolio, in terms of sources. 37% Petrol, 25% Natural Gas, 21% Coal – as per 2010 Energy Information Administration data. The US cannot supply all of those resources itself, and since the 1970s has been declining steadily (Hubbert’s Peak) in domestic oil production, and while there has been a recent break of that trend, it will not bring about “energy independence”.
continued —
http://jpinfluence.com/2012/07/11/comment-%E2%80%8Bdoes-energy-independence-energy-security-no/
N. American Oil – ‘Caught Between The Sands And The Pipelines’
The two biggest sources of oil in North America produce significantly different types of oil, and the lack infrastructure to link those sources to proper refineries results in higher costs and less competitiveness on the global oil market.
A great piece from ZeroHedge, Oil Price Differentials: Caught Between The Sands And The Pipelines, will provides useful background to US energy infrastructure, and how it is impacting (impeding) the vast flow of Canadian oil. I give a brief summary of the article below, and will likely reference this post in the future.
A “range of oil qualities and a raft of infrastructure issues are creating record price differentials. And with no solution in sight, [the authors] think those differentials are here to stay.” Historically, United States oil infrastructure has been built to refine large quantities of imported oil – essentially from the perimeter of the lower 48 states, and shipping it towards the interior – but this is the opposite of present day needs, which require oil from the interior of the country to be moved to outlying refineries.
http://jpinfluence.com/2012/06/28/news-n-american-oil-caught-between-the-sands-and-the-pipelines/
Infrastructure Obstacles in North American Oil Development
One of my posts got picked up by The Energy Collective! Check it out
The two biggest sources of oil in North America produce significantly different types of oil, and the lack of infrastructure to link those sources to proper refineries results in higher costs and less competitiveness on the global oil market.
A great piece from ZeroHedge, Oil Price Differentials: Caught Between The Sands And The Pipelines, provides a useful background to US energy infrastructure, and how it is impacting (impeding) the vast flow of Canadian oil.
A “range of oil qualities and a raft of infrastructure issues are creating record price differentials. And with no solution in sight, [the authors] think those differentials are here to stay.” Historically, United States oil infrastructure has been built to refine large quantities of imported oil – essentially from the perimeter of the lower 48 states, and shipping it towards the interior – but this is the opposite of present day needs, which require oil from the interior of the country to be moved to outlying refineries.
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(Source: jpinfluence.com)
energy reality. consumerism. sustainability. mhm.
We’ve got along way to go.
join the discussion jpinfluence.com
Join the dialogue at OurEnergyPolicy.org - good stuff
http://www.ourenergypolicy.org/video-experts-discuss-gas-prices-national-security/
EDITORIAL: The Sublimation of American Energy: An Unexpected Transition to a New Global Energy Paradigm
Hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas. Tight oil. Boom-Time. Golden Era.
There is a growing excitement about this moment, and the potential future, of energy coming out of the United States. Natural gas and oil production in the US are experiencing significant increase, and the global energy system receives a new layer and new potential.
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