Online Opinion - The developing scandal around the International Energy Agency and peak oil

Apparently, the USA has been pressuring the IEA to use the data from its own “Energy Information Agency” (EIA), the reliability of which has been questioned in the past. According to The Guardian article:

A second senior IEA source, who has now left but was also unwilling to give his name, said a key rule at the organisation was that it was "imperative not to anger the Americans" but the fact was that there was not as much oil in the world as had been admitted. "We have [already] entered the 'peak oil' zone. I think that the situation is really bad," he added.

Coincidentally (?) on the same day, the research group of Professor Aleklett (president of the international arm of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas) of Uppsala University, Sweden, published a peer-reviewed paper in the scientific journal Energy Bulletin that uses the IEA’s own data to show that it is comprehensively wrong in its estimates of future oil production.

An interview with Dmitri Orlov. About 20 minute audio file:
Radio NZ - Interview, Dmitry Orlov, 15/11/2009

The Economist - Explosive growth

Australia is becoming one of the world’s biggest exporters of gas

WALLAROOS, bandicoots and other marsupials on Barrow Island off the north-west coast of Australia will watch curiously over coming months as workers start building a huge plant to liquefy natural gas there. The project, called Gorgon after the group of gasfields lying under the seabed nearby, had been on the drawing board for 30 years before a surge in demand for gas from booming Asian countries finally got things moving. Jon Chadwick, an executive vice-president at Royal Dutch Shell, which is involved in Gorgon and several other liquefied natural gas (LNG) schemes nearby, predicts that by 2020 Australia could become the world’s second-biggest exporter of LNG (it is now fifth), surpassed only by Qatar.

SMH - The case for higher oil prices

In the first two instalments of this three-part series we considered peak oil theory, the importance of the marginal cost of production and the clear trend towards higher-cost oil discoveries. Using US Department of Energy figures, we also revealed that global oil demand exceeds current production rates.

It’s now time to consider what this tells us about future oil prices. In the short term, the answer is not much. Over the long term though, the price of oil should equal the marginal cost of production.

Online Opinion - Coal at what price?

Are politicians and business serious about effectively addressing climate change? Australia has significant raw resource availability, it drives the nation’s economy, but who would have imagined, in the face of peak oil and the damaging effects of fossil fuels, the Victorian government would be entering a minerals extraction boom with a major focus on coal.

My Sunshine Coast - Building a resilient future for the Sunshine Coast

Evidence suggests that our climate is changing, with predictions indicating we can expect more severe storms, higher temperatures and rising sea levels.

Combine this with mounting financial pressure from increasing oil prices, and you begin to see the enormous impact climate change and peak oil will have on our community, our environment and our lifestyle.

That is why we need to act now.

The Draft Sunshine Coast Climate Change Strategy aims to guide the transition to a low carbon, low oil, resilient future for the Sunshine Coast

Bloomberg - Australian Firefighters Urge Passage of Climate Bill

Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Australian firefighters, spurred on by what they say are record temperatures contributing to “catastrophic code red” fire-danger warning, urged lawmakers to pass climate change legislation under debate by Senators.

Politicians threatening to block or weaken the proposed carbon reduction scheme are putting lives and properties at risk, Peter Marshall, national secretary of the United Firefighters Union, said in a statement today.

NZ Herald - Kupe SOE would boost NZ oil sector, says new report

A partially privatised, government-backed oil and gas exploration business emerges as a practical option for kick-starting a higher level of activity in the New Zealand oil and gas sector, says a report prepared for Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee by broking firm McDouall Stuart.

ABC - Wong coy on more carbon compensation

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong will not say whether the coal and electricity industry are in line to get more compensation under the Government's emissions trading scheme (ETS).

The Australian - Iran rejects nuclear fuel deal

MANILA: Iran says it is open to more talks but offered no concessions after rejecting a Western proposal for it to send most of its stocks of low-enriched uranium abroad in return for nuclear fuel.

National Business Review NZ - ETS cost weighing on energy investment decisions

Major investment decisions in the oil, gas and mining industry are at risk of being stalled until ETS legislation allows carbon costs to be passed on under long-term contracts.

Scoop.co.nz - Recovery Depends on Rebalancing Global Demand

Geithner said U.S. measures to advance energy and climate security are only part of the solution, because global agreement with significant action by all major economies is needed. That includes, he said, financial support for developing countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and create new markets for clean energy technologies.

And in other climate news....

News.com.au - Catastrophic climate change 'inevitable', scientists warn

- Temperatures likley to rise 6C in 90 years
- Would render parts of globe uninhabitable
- Earth's ability to absorb CO2 declining

SMH - Jump in coal use pushes emissions to all-time high

A JUMP in the use of coal to produce electricity, especially in China and India, has contributed to carbon emissions from human activities reaching an all-time record high, a study published today finds.

With the faltering climate change talks set to open in Copenhagen next month, the latest figures from the Global Carbon Project show carbon dioxide emissions rising another 2 per cent last year as coal became the dominant source of fossil fuel emissions, taking over from oil for the first time in 40 years.

Herald Sun - World temperatures to rise by 6C by end of the century, scientists say

THE world is spinning toward a catastrophic worst case climate change scenario with temperatures now certain to rise by 6 degrees by the end of the century.