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6 Comments
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Re: Costs of manufacturing Hybrid vehicles
2006-07-13 20:02:37 UTC
I would like to reinforce Carol's cautionary note. If you ask any engineer they will tell you that there is no standard methodology for net energy analysis, and changing the boundaries of what is included can significantly change the results. Before making any sense of results like these, we need to understand the specifics of the methodology.
Cheers
Jack
The Sustainable Scale Project -
Re: Costs of manufacturing Hybrid vehicles
2006-07-13 09:06:45 UTC
Nancy,
I think your engineer friend is right. It takes about 90 barrels of oil energy equivalent to mfg a car. Each barrel contains the energy equivalent of over 12 years of an average person's energy output. So waiting to you really need one makes sense. If your circumstances allow it you might even consider joining/ starting a car sharing cooperative.
Cheers
Jack -
Re: Costs of manufacturing Hybrid vehicles
2006-07-13 07:09:22 UTC
Hi Cate
Sorry I cannot contribute any data to your question, but it is one I find myself asking about many products and activities. The whole issue of net energy, or energy return on energy invested, is one we all need to pay much more attention to. There is a Kiwi website devoted to this issue you may already be aware of ( www.eroei.org ). If you do get useful info on the hybirds, I would appreciate a copy.
Cheers
Jack ( Canada) -
Re: Long Emergency Round II
2006-05-31 22:11:08 UTC
Dear Richard
thanks for starting this most important disucssion. I have been looking at the energy issue for several years now and fit very much into the camp that sees it as the key issues to which most others are related. Clearly, climate and energy issues are intimately related and how we attempt to solve either of these will have a huge impact on the other. G-8 nations are already talking about a multi trillion dollar energy program that will inevitably increase GHG emission over the coming decades - " solutions" such as clean coal technologies, nuclear, ethanol and hydrogen - all have the potential to make other problems considerably worse. Without a global energy plan, I believe environmental degradation will not only worsen, but will trigger multiple tipping points. Kunstler is only one of many writing on this issue. I will include a brief biblo at the end of this note. See especially Heinberg, . Energy is also intimately connected to issues of peace and violent conflict. See the biblo below. See especially Clarke and Klare Energy is also intimately connected to issues of equity and development. We in the developed world use more than twice the energy we need for high levels of happiness and well being, while almost a third of humanity does not have access to energy for basic needs.Their needs will not be met simply by generating more energy. For those who dont think there is any real concern, I can only point to the bankers, military planners, oil companies, oil producing nations, and geologists who very clearly state that peak oil is imminent. Most folks do not appreciate what a unique resource oil is. The energy equivalent of one barrel is some 12.5 years of continuous human labor. Oil not only has a high energy density, but also the highest energy return on energy invested of any fuel available. This means that as oil declines whenever the peak production is reached, more of our energy will go into bringing energy to market - the amount left to actually do work will continue to decline.(see www.eroei.com ) For those who think that technology will come up with a solution, I can only point out that none of the alternatives on the drawing board have anything like the energy return on energy invested of oil. In addition, most of the alternatives have serious environmental consequences. Even if we make a total transition to renewable energy ( which I believe is essential), we must understand that even renewable energy can be used unsustainably. With annual use currently at some 430 E Joules we have done a pretty good job of disrupting several major global ecosystems, as well as many more regional and local ones. Think of what we will do with twice or three times that amount of energy - as some governments would like to achieve. I believe we are approaching one of those transition points in history and how we collectively deal with the energy issue is central. The work of Tainer and Diamond clearly show that how civilizations deal with energy is a major determinant of whether they survive or whither. I believe we must learn to live comfortably with considerably less energy if we are to preserve the natural capital upon which we depend. Regarding your original question about leadership from the environmental/sustainability communities - I fear there is far too little. Some examples are included in the biblio below ( Post Carbon Institute; The Community Solution; The International Sustainable Energy Agency), but most NGOs are missing the boat. I was involved in organizing a recent conference in Washington DC on Energy and the Environment ( see www.beyondpeak.org for the presentations and good background materials ). It was aimed at the NGO community - most had not made the peak oil - environment connection - but by the end of the conference, I think the point got across. Another initiative is the Energy Future Campaign which I am involved in. It is based on the principles of 1. ecological sustainability ( defined in strong terms of remaining within biophysical limits); 2 social equity ( basic energy needs should be met for all humanity); and 3 non- violent conflict resolution ( fighting over remaining resources will only hasten the decline); Net energy ( or energy return on energy invested) also plays a central role. If anyone is interested I would be happy to provide more information about this intiative. The need for leadership on these matters is great and urgent, and I find it disappointing that some many in the environmental and sustainability movements do not seem to appreciate these realities.
Thanks for stimulating this discussion.
Jack Santa-Barbara
The Sustainable Scale Project
Lynden, ON
Some Peak Oil REFERENCES
1.. Bacher, J. Petrotyranny, Dundurn Press, Toronto, 2000
2.. Berdal, M. and Malone, D,M. (eds) Greed and Grievances: Economic Agendas in Civil Wars, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000
3.. Butler, S. D. War Is A Racket, viewed on-line at http://lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm on December, 28, 2005.
4.. Campbell, C. J. "Forecasting Global Oil Supply 2000-2050." Hubbert Center Newsletter 2002/03. M. King Hubbert Center for Petroleum Supply Studies.
5.. Campbell, C. J. and Laherrere, J.H. The End of Cheap Oil, Scientific American, March, 1989, 78-83.
6.. Clark, W.R. Petrodollar Warfare: Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollar, Gabriola Island: New Society, 2005
7.. Galtung, J. Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and Civilization, London: Sage Publications, 1996.
8.. Galtung, J. Violence, Peace and Peace Research, Journal of Peace Research, vol. 6, no. 3, 1969, pp. 167-191.
9.. Heinberg, R. Powerdown : Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World, Gabriola Island: New Society, 2004.
10. Heinberg, R. The Party's Over : Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, Gabriola Island, New Society, 2005.
11.. Hirsch, R., Bezdek, R. and Wendling, R. "Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation & Risk Management." United States, Department of Energy, February 2005.
12. Klare, M. T. Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict, New York: Henry Holt, 2001.
13. Klare, M.T. Blood and Oil : The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum (The American Empire Project), New York, Henry Holt, 2004.
14.. Leggett, J. The Carbon War: Dispatches from the End of the Oil Century, London: The Penguin Press, 1999.
15. Mc Quaig, L. It's the Crude, Dude: War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet, Toronto: Random House, 2004.
16.. Odum, H. and Odum E. A Prosperous Way Down. Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado, 2001.
17.. Renner, M. The Anatomy of Resource Wars, Worldwatch Paper (162), 2002
18. Smil,V. Energy at the Crossroads. Boston: MIT Press, 2004: pp. 97-105.
19.. Wackernagel, M. "Tracking the Ecological Overshoot of the Human Economy." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99.14 (July): 9266-9271, 2002.
20. Wackernagel, M. and Rees, W. Our Ecological Footprint. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 1996. (See also - http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=global_footprint )
LINKS
1. PEAK OIL ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER http://www.peakoil.ie/newsletters/aspo59
2. Four Biggest Oil Fields in Decline http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/26/9229/79300
3. Energy Bulletin http://www.energybulletin.net/index.php
4. Energy Return on Energy Invested website http://www.eroei.com/
5. How To Avoid Oil Wars, Terrorism and Economic Collapse Richard Heinberg http://www.museletter.com/archive/160.html
6. Oil Crash. Com http://www.oilcrash.com/index.htm
7. Global Public Media peak oil and related topics website http://www.globalpublicmedia.com
8. Peak Oil Debunked http://www.peakoildebunked.blogspot.com
9. Post Carbon Institute http://www.postcarbon.org
10. Sweden's Plan to go fossil free by 2020 http://www.oecd.org/speaker/0,2879,en_21571361_34225293_34581581_1_1_1_1,00.html
11. Tradable Energy Quotas http://www.teqs.net
12. The Community Solution http://www.communitysolution.org/problem.html
13. The Oil Drum ( information and discussion site) http://www.theoildrum.com
14. World Renewable Energy Assembly http://www.wrea2005.org
15. From the Wilderness site http://www.fromthewilderness.com/index.html
16. Make Affluence History site http://www.globalaware.net/affluence
17. International Sustainable Energy Agency http://www.gracelinks.org/energy
18. World Council for Renewable Energy http://www.wcre.org -
Reducing Consumption
2006-02-05 22:23:57 UTC
Is anyone familiar with data regarding effective programs for reducing consumption (in general, or discretionary items in particular)?
Thanks
Jack Santa Barbara
The Sustainable Scale Project
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Re: Procurement weightings.
2005-11-15 14:02:52 UTC
I believe Rumi Shammin [[email protected]] is engaged in a project to look at the net energy status of various products.
cheers
Jack Santa Barbara
The Sustainable Scale Project
www.sustainablescale.org
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