Peak Oil: Why Drilling Solves Nothing

Peak oil is a heavily contested topic - no one really knows how much of the black gunk is down there, below the earth, except that there is a lot. It means the point where we have exhausted half of a natural resource and have hit our production peak - from there, production has only one way to go, down. We do know one thing about oil - we're using it far faster than it can ever be produced. 50 million years of natural decomposition went into the amount of oil we've already burned.

But I read this interesting tidbit the other day - and it reminded me again why the oil economy isn't sustainable, no matter how much we drill.

The world currently produces about 310 billion barrels of oil per decade. That amounts to about three times the current discovery rate of 100 billion barrels per decade.

Sorry, drilling advocates. That includes that's already in ANWR, and on our coastlines. We're producing far more than we are discovering.

Peak oil isn't merely the top of a mountain and beginning of a slow decline. It's more like a cliff, and if we get too close, us, our economy, and our livelihoods will all go tumbling down.

How can we avert this disaster? One way - investing in renewable, clean energy technologies and increased efficiency before we hit peak oil, so that our economy can transition before feeling the real bite.

Want to learn more about peak oil? See this fantastic PDF presentation from the good folks at the Oil Drum.

Rejecting Dirty Coal - A Global Trend

Though there is a still a lot more that needs to be done, the success of the Sierra Club Coal Campaign in stopping the constructions of over 60 dirty coal-fired power plants and the conversion of numerous others to more renewable forms of energy, is starting to get some notice overseas.

Juliette Jowit of the Guardian, based in the United Kingdom, writes about how Europe can take a lesson from American activists in tackling it's own climate issues.

Four years ago, campaigners in the US raised concerns over plans to build 150 coal-fired power stations nationwide. Today, nearly half those plans have been defeated in the courts or abandoned, while half of the remaining proposals are being actively opposed. Just 14 of the 150 plants are being developed, and environmental lawyers are all still pursuing them.

"The enormity of what they were proposing to do provided a platform to have that whole debate about pollution, including global-warming pollution, " says Bruce Nilles , director of the national coal campaign for the Sierra Club, America's biggest grassroots environment group.

Take notice, people are paying attention to what we're doing here. Read the entire article here.

The Pickens Plan

Hope that everyone had a great labor day weekend! I certainly did.

One of the biggest stories in the blogosphere from last weeks Democratic Convention was when Sierra Club Executive director Carl Pope, Center for American Progress head John Podesta, and oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens sat down to discuss our energy future.

Carl put it best in his post about the event.

When an oilman and environmentalists agree -- you know the momentum for real change is building.

Pickens plan - titled, fittingly, the "Pickens Plans" calls for massive investments in wind energy and for the use of natural gas as a transition fuel to the clean energy economy. While we don't agree with Pickens on everything -- we do agree with the elements of his plan and his overarching goals.

You can help - send a letter to the editor to you local paper calling for action towards a Clean Energy Economy, following the example of Pickens. The tide is growing for action.

Beyond the Speeches and the Parties

As I write this, Gustav is barreling towards the Gulf Coast. It may hit landfall concurrent with the start of the Republican Convention next week. No matter how carefully choreographed the pageantry, we can never be certain that anything will turn out as planned – or that our elected officials of either party will develop or implement sound public policies addressing climate change or any of the other critical issues facing the United States.

Yesterday, I attended a panel on the “Pickens Plan”, with T. Boone Pickens and Carl Pope. John Podesta of the Center for American Progress moderated, and also enumerated the unfortunately all-too-familiar signs of climate change. Carl laid out his vision of what America needs to do – “repower, refuel, and rebuild” – and the role that our government must play. 

But it was Mr. Pickens’ words that really stood out to me. He readily acknowledged that his wealth and prominence in the corporate world give him access to the ears of any number of public officials. But, he noted, access doesn’t equal action – and he pressed everyone in the audience to get involved and exert the necessary pressure to get things done, at every level of government. Whatever progressives may think of the Pickens Plan, and there’s been loads of analysis in lots of places, we can’t argue with that exhortation. (Mr. Pickens also previewed an ad that he said the traditional media wouldn’t play over the airwaves, in which he claimed that Iran is converting its vehicles to natural gas – one of his main goals here, too. By the time you read this, it may have been uploaded to You Tube or other blogs.)

Thank You Nancy

Another post from Emanuel Figueroa.

I have signed numerous petitions asking the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to protect the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, raise fuel economy standards and invest in clean and renewable energy. Today, I want to take some time before Congress is back in session to thank her for all her work because sometimes it is not easy being green...

Schweitzer Electrifies Convention with Energy Speech

This post is from Sierra Club Deputy Press Secretary Josh Dorner, who is also in Denver for the Democratic National Convention.

While most of the excitement last night was focused on Senator Clinton's speech, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer gave an electrifying (and highly animated) speech outlining a strong, clear vision for a new energy future. Given his strong performance, it came as no surprise that Schweitzer was mobbed by bloggers and camera crews this morning as he strode through the Big Tent. Here's some excerpts from his speech: On the crises we face:

Right now, the United States imports about 70 percent of its oil from overseas. At the same time, billions of dollars that we spend on all that foreign oil seems to end up in the bank accounts of those around the world who are openly hostile to American values and our way of life. This costly reliance on fossil fuels threatens America and the world in other ways, too. CO2 emissions are increasing global temperatures, sea levels are rising and storms are getting worse.

Denver Dispatch: August 27, 2008

There are thousands of stories happening in this city right now.

I was at the Pepsi Center last night, way up high, sitting with folks from New York, Montana, Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts.  I've been on buses with folks from Colorado, California, Washington D.C.  I've visited with the Alabama and New York delegations.  And I've attended events with folks from Pennsylvania and Arizona.

What's the overriding message?   That our country really does need to change course, on issue after issue after issue.

Denver Dispatch—August 26, 2008

I’m taking a short break from panels this morning, catching my breath, and hanging out in the Hyatt Regency lobby (the main DNC hotel). 

It’s hard to believe I’ve only been here for two days.  But here are some of my observations/experiences so far:

• I’ve seen lots of political bold-faced names; it’s unavoidable.  It was great to be able to ask Van Jones about his new baby, to talk Brooklyn politics with E.J. Dionne, and to introduce myself to Gov. Don Siegelman (who said he thinks he remembers my uncle!)
• Apart from those folks, I’ve been able to get together with old friends from distant cities, which would be great regardless of the occasion.  But being among a diverse, humongous group of progressives definitely creates a buzz that would be hard to replicate.
• Souvenirs abound, both official and unofficial.  I managed to kill two birds with one stone by buying an official DNCC ’08 water bottle – now I know I won’t get dehydrated in the Mile High City! 
• There are simply too many parties, concerts and other events to keep track of.  But the Democrats really planned this right, since convention-goers will have a 3-day weekend to recuperate!
• The Kennedy and Obama speeches last night were incredible.  Period.  I watched the speeches along with other bloggers and assorted guests at the Big Tent, a structure near the Pepsi Center that gives bloggers a place to eat, work, and play and which is also hosting several panels and discussions.   Thanks, Google, for providing great smoothies!
• And finally for now:  If Denver has such low humidity, how come my hair is still frizzy?

Til later,
Claire

Denver Dispatch, Aug. 25 pt. 2

"How do Democrats and other proponents of reform show that environmentalism is a solution to energy problems, not an anathema?"

That was the question that The New Republic editor Franklin Foer posed to Rep. George Miller, Rep. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, David Sandlow (energy advisor to Barack Obama), Matt Bennett (Third Way), Cass Sunstein (Harvard Law School), and Carl Pope at a panel that was also subtitled "The Politics of Green."

Energy Idiocy Seen on the Streets of Denver

This post is from Sierra Club Deputy Press Secretary Josh Dorner, who is also in Denver for the Democratic National Convention.

As has been reported by ThinkProgress and others, ExxonMobil has paid for a significant portion of the convention's media coverage and the energy industry (and most others) are lavishing sponsorships on events, parties, and receptions from dusk 'til dawn. But the entrenched dirty energy interests seem particularly intent on using the convention to push their issues.

Upon arriving at the swirling maelstrom that was Denver International Airport, I was immediately greeted by ads from the American Coalition Clean Coal Electricity (nee Americans for Balanced Energy Choices), the coal industry front group. (Their ads were even more prominent at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport where I had flown in from and where thousands of Republicans will pass through during their own convention next week.) A stroll down and around the 16th Street Mall, Denver's main drag, revealed even more energy idiocy.  For those less ambulatory (or less willing to walk around in wool on a 90-degree day), clean coal even brings the message to you (click here to see the full photo):

And, everyone's favorite slogan from the Newt Gingrich crew (click here if you can't see the full photo):