Comments on: Are we entering an age of reverse-globalization?

By: Des

Des — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 10:52:47 +0000

I agree with Cian
to see a load of videos on the subject in one place check out
http://westwalestransition.org/youtube/

there is some on peak oil – others on transition all third party from you tube but in one place so easy to find them.

By: Cian Duggan

Cian Duggan — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:15:59 +0000

This sounds remarkably similar to what we have been saying for a while now in the Transition movement – that with the dual hits of climate change and peak oil globalisation as we know it, based as it is upon a cheap and easily transportable fuel (oil), is in jeopardy.
In my own town, Farnham in Surrey, United Kingdom we are looking at creating an energy descent plan, like many other transition towns around the globe. To become more locally sustainable from both an economic and an energy point of view.
It’s working – check out http://transitionfarnham.wordpress.com/ for what we are doing in my locale, and http://transitiontowns.org/ for info on the overall movement. It’s good.
Cian

By: Clean Future Energy

Clean Future Energy — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:58:34 +0000

I think such visions of the future miss out on a very important issue, feedback loops. Oil can never be $20 a gallon, noone would pay that.

Last year we had a little preview of what happens when oil prices start to rocket. Two very important things happened.
Firstly, consumption started to fall, as consumers found ways to use less.
Secondly, alternatives became much more attractive. Corn ethanol (a horrible fuel) production boomed.

Finally, the massively high oil prices were at least a factor in the crash (some claim the major factor). High oil prices lead to lower consumption, thus lower prices.

All we need to do is make oil prices artificially higher, through taxes, and we will stave off any of these scary scenarios even easier.

By: Milan

Milan — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:36:45 +0000

During the next few years, Canada is more likely to be a target of carbon tariffs than an imposer of them, given our complete inability to field an effective climate change policy.

Indeed, the best we can hope for is that tariffs from the Obama administration will finally force us to make an effective move on the issue.

By: Paul C from Austin

Paul C from Austin — Sun, 24 May 2009 22:21:29 +0000

So- it seems to me it is a race- do we ween ourselves off of Oil and Coal quickly enough to offset the coming, higher energy prices. As encouraged as I am by recent progress in the Obama administration, I fear we are moving too slow- if we cannot move more quickly to the electrification of transportation, to renewable energy generation- and even to more nuclear power generation- and to updating our power infrastructure- we are going to get caught in a vicious cycle of Oil prices going up and down, our economy following this energy yo-yo, and a fickle electorate not staying the course through the coming storm, causing our policies to to also oscillate between a new energy future and the status quo, effectively moving us…nowhere.

Not to seem so pessimistic, but it sure seems like we are walking on a knifes edge that is getting narrower all the time. It seems like everything in the world has sped up, with cause and effect occurring more rapidly and more widespread- oh well- at least the future will be anything but boring!