Official forecasts may be underestimating the future demand for oil by 30 million barrels a day, according to a research paper by Joyce Dargay of the University of Leeds and Dermot Gately of New York University. If so, the next oil crisis is going to be a whopper.Dargay and Gately base their logic on the observation that the demand for oil no longer appears to respond to price. While price increases in the 1970s hammered worldwide demand for the fuel, the heftier oil prices we've witnessed over the past decade had no such effect. Instead, worldwide demand for oil increased by 4% during that time.
Dargay and Gately base their logic ...
Ms. Heaven (the author) needs to look-up the word "logic" in a dictionary.
...the demand for oil no longer appears to respond to price.
Well boil my buttons. I don't want to be some kind of pinko-commie DFH but doesn't that imply Demand Inelasticity?
(A situation, we are assured by NCE, is Unpossible.)
I think demand elasticity should be measured from the volatility of price and demand data and not from the levels or both. The brainless should not be in banking -- Willem Buiter
A group of Japanese vehicle manufacturers have joined forces with a major utility to standardise how electric vehicles are charged to speed-up the adoption of the clean energy cars around the world. Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors, Fuji Heavy Industries and The Tokyo Electric Power Company have each become executive members of the CHAdeMO Association to aid the further diffusion of electric vehicles, the companies said in a joint statement. More than 150 companies and government bodies, including 20 foreign companies, are expected to join CHAdeMO, an abbreviation for `charge for moving'. The companies expected to join include automakers, electric utilities, charger manufacturers, charging service providers and other supporting groups, the group said.
A group of Japanese vehicle manufacturers have joined forces with a major utility to standardise how electric vehicles are charged to speed-up the adoption of the clean energy cars around the world.
Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi Motors, Fuji Heavy Industries and The Tokyo Electric Power Company have each become executive members of the CHAdeMO Association to aid the further diffusion of electric vehicles, the companies said in a joint statement.
More than 150 companies and government bodies, including 20 foreign companies, are expected to join CHAdeMO, an abbreviation for `charge for moving'.
The companies expected to join include automakers, electric utilities, charger manufacturers, charging service providers and other supporting groups, the group said.
2009 will go down as one of the worst years in economic history. Overall venture capital spending fell to its lowest level in more than a decade. Initial public offerings (IPOs) in the U.S. continued at historic lows, with just 13 venture-backed IPOs in 2009 (up only slightly from a meager six venturebacked IPOs in 2008), according to Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. Once stalwart financial and market leaders crumbled under new harsh economic realities, with many shuttering their operations or surviving as a mere shell of their former selves. Governments around the world, working to stave off a global depression, announced unprecedented commitments to stimulus programs to keep the global economy on life support. But signs of hope have begun to emerge for the clean-tech sector. From Beijing to Seoul, and Washington, D.C. to Brussels, clean energy has become a driving force for economic recovery. Approximately $100 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package in the U.S. will go to clean-tech investments and activities; South Korea's "Green New Deal" is estimated to commit $84 billion to clean-tech investments by 2013; and China, by some estimates, could end up spending $440 billion to $660 billion toward its clean-energy build out over the next ten years. And while total venture activity was down, clean energy's percent of the total continued to increase, to 12.5 percent of total venture activity in 2009 in the U.S. alone. Against this backdrop, combined global revenue in 2009 for solar photovoltaics (PV), wind power, and biofuels expanded by 11.4 percent over the prior year, reaching $139.1 billion.
2009 will go down as one of the worst years in economic history. Overall venture capital spending fell to its lowest level in more than a decade. Initial public offerings (IPOs) in the U.S. continued at historic lows, with just 13 venture-backed IPOs in 2009 (up only slightly from a meager six venturebacked IPOs in 2008), according to Thomson Reuters and the National Venture Capital Association. Once stalwart financial and market leaders crumbled under new harsh economic realities, with many shuttering their operations or surviving as a mere shell of their former selves. Governments around the world, working to stave off a global depression, announced unprecedented commitments to stimulus programs to keep the global economy on life support.
But signs of hope have begun to emerge for the clean-tech sector. From Beijing to Seoul, and Washington, D.C. to Brussels, clean energy has become a driving force for economic recovery. Approximately $100 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package in the U.S. will go to clean-tech investments and activities; South Korea's "Green New Deal" is estimated to commit $84 billion to clean-tech investments by 2013; and China, by some estimates, could end up spending $440 billion to $660 billion toward its clean-energy build out over the next ten years. And while total venture activity was down, clean energy's percent of the total continued to increase, to 12.5 percent of total venture activity in 2009 in the U.S. alone.
Against this backdrop, combined global revenue in 2009 for solar photovoltaics (PV), wind power, and biofuels expanded by 11.4 percent over the prior year, reaching $139.1 billion.
Last week the Garrison Institute, a retreat center just a few miles down the Hudson River from my home, hosted an impressive symposium on "Climate, Mind and Behavior." An organizer made the mistake of inviting me to the meeting's wrap-up session Friday. As a brochure put it, the symposium brought together 75 "thought leaders and practitioners from the fields of neuro, behavioral and evolutionary economics, psychology, policy, investing and social media to explore how to integrate emerging knowledge on the key drivers of behavior into solutions for solving the world's most pressing problem: climate change." Basically, this was a brainstorming session on how to market "solutions" to global warming more effectively. The emphasis on packaging reminded me of the controversial proposal by journalist Chris Mooney and communication professor Matt Nisbet of American University that scientists need to become more adept at "framing" issues such as global warming to win the debate. The Garrison meeting explored whether neuroscience and other fields that probe the physiological underpinnings of human belief and behavior can help environmentalists frame issues more persuasively. Let's call it "neuroframing."
Last week the Garrison Institute, a retreat center just a few miles down the Hudson River from my home, hosted an impressive symposium on "Climate, Mind and Behavior." An organizer made the mistake of inviting me to the meeting's wrap-up session Friday.
As a brochure put it, the symposium brought together 75 "thought leaders and practitioners from the fields of neuro, behavioral and evolutionary economics, psychology, policy, investing and social media to explore how to integrate emerging knowledge on the key drivers of behavior into solutions for solving the world's most pressing problem: climate change."
Basically, this was a brainstorming session on how to market "solutions" to global warming more effectively. The emphasis on packaging reminded me of the controversial proposal by journalist Chris Mooney and communication professor Matt Nisbet of American University that scientists need to become more adept at "framing" issues such as global warming to win the debate. The Garrison meeting explored whether neuroscience and other fields that probe the physiological underpinnings of human belief and behavior can help environmentalists frame issues more persuasively. Let's call it "neuroframing."
Foolish global climate change believers... framing is our (skeptics) tool and that's how we like it...
The heavy Atlantic swell and some of the world's strongest tides are to be harnessed by a breakthrough scheme to generate clean marine energy off northern Scotland, with predictions it will rival the output of a nuclear power station.The crown estate and Scottish government today unveiled a £4bn project to build 10 wave and tidal power sites around the Orkney islands and the Pentland Firth, with the potential to power up to 750,000 homes.The devices deployed will include the Pelamis "sea snake", which uses the undulations of the sea surface to generate power, and the SeaGen tidal machine, which looks like an underwater wind turbine. In total, the machines will be able to produce up to 1.2GW of "green" energy, more than Dungeness B nuclear station in Kent.
The heavy Atlantic swell and some of the world's strongest tides are to be harnessed by a breakthrough scheme to generate clean marine energy off northern Scotland, with predictions it will rival the output of a nuclear power station.
The crown estate and Scottish government today unveiled a £4bn project to build 10 wave and tidal power sites around the Orkney islands and the Pentland Firth, with the potential to power up to 750,000 homes.
The devices deployed will include the Pelamis "sea snake", which uses the undulations of the sea surface to generate power, and the SeaGen tidal machine, which looks like an underwater wind turbine. In total, the machines will be able to produce up to 1.2GW of "green" energy, more than Dungeness B nuclear station in Kent.
FirstEnergy employees have found cracks in the nozzles of the reactor head at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant, which was closed from 2002 to 2004 because of a corrosion hole. Company spokesman Todd Schneider said Monday that the current problems are ''not nearly as significant as our 2002 event'' and that the company was working on repairs to the affected nozzles. Schneider said there was no public safety issue associated with the small amount of boric acid that had leaked, but caused no corrosion to the reactor. Schneider said if there was corrosion on the vessel head, company employees would have found it by now.
FirstEnergy employees have found cracks in the nozzles of the reactor head at the Davis-Besse nuclear plant, which was closed from 2002 to 2004 because of a corrosion hole.
Company spokesman Todd Schneider said Monday that the current problems are ''not nearly as significant as our 2002 event'' and that the company was working on repairs to the affected nozzles.
Schneider said there was no public safety issue associated with the small amount of boric acid that had leaked, but caused no corrosion to the reactor.
Schneider said if there was corrosion on the vessel head, company employees would have found it by now.
Two environmental activists appeared in court today accused of terrorism-related offences during the Copenhagen climate summit in December.Natasha Verco, an Australian honours student, and Noah Weiss, an American citizen who lives in Denmark, will face similar charges in a trial which is due to last all week.Verco, who has organised non-violent direct action in her native country and who has been part of the Climate Justice Action (CJA) network in the lead-up to the summit in Copenhagen, has been charged with organising violence, organising public disorder, significant damage to property, and organising disorder during the international talks on climate change which took place in Copenhagen last year. If found guilty, Verco faces a maximum of twelve and a half years in prison.
Two environmental activists appeared in court today accused of terrorism-related offences during the Copenhagen climate summit in December.
Natasha Verco, an Australian honours student, and Noah Weiss, an American citizen who lives in Denmark, will face similar charges in a trial which is due to last all week.
Verco, who has organised non-violent direct action in her native country and who has been part of the Climate Justice Action (CJA) network in the lead-up to the summit in Copenhagen, has been charged with organising violence, organising public disorder, significant damage to property, and organising disorder during the international talks on climate change which took place in Copenhagen last year. If found guilty, Verco faces a maximum of twelve and a half years in prison.
The Scottish government has been accused of failing to tackle wildlife crime after the latest figures disclosed that 2009 was one of the worst years on record for bird of prey poisonings.The Scottish environment minister, Roseanna Cunningham, said that 27 protected birds of prey were proven to have been poisoned last year, including two golden eagles, 19 buzzards and four red kites, in 22 separate incidents.An updated map of persecution "hotspots" confirmed that the Angus glens in the southern Cairngorms, the Borders south of Edinburgh and Perthshire remained areas where the greatest number of confirmed incidents took place.Cunningham admitted that after only 16 poisoning cases were detected in 2006, these "appalling crimes" marked a return to the high levelrecorded in 2007, when 27 birds of prey were also poisoned, and close to the record figure of 34 in 2006.
The Scottish government has been accused of failing to tackle wildlife crime after the latest figures disclosed that 2009 was one of the worst years on record for bird of prey poisonings.
The Scottish environment minister, Roseanna Cunningham, said that 27 protected birds of prey were proven to have been poisoned last year, including two golden eagles, 19 buzzards and four red kites, in 22 separate incidents.
An updated map of persecution "hotspots" confirmed that the Angus glens in the southern Cairngorms, the Borders south of Edinburgh and Perthshire remained areas where the greatest number of confirmed incidents took place.
Cunningham admitted that after only 16 poisoning cases were detected in 2006, these "appalling crimes" marked a return to the high level
recorded in 2007, when 27 birds of prey were also poisoned, and close to the record figure of 34 in 2006.
When Al Gore was caught running up huge energy bills at home at the same time as lecturing on the need to save electricity, it turns out that he was only reverting to "green" type.According to a study, when people feel they have been morally virtuous by saving the planet through their purchases of organic baby food, for example, it leads to the "licensing [of] selfish and morally questionable behaviour", otherwise known as "moral balancing" or "compensatory ethics".Do Green Products Make Us Better People is published in the latest edition of the journal Psychological Science. Its authors, Canadian psychologists Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong, argue that people who wear what they call the "halo of green consumerism" are less likely to be kind to others, and more likely to cheat and steal. "Virtuous acts can license subsequent asocial and unethical behaviours," they write
When Al Gore was caught running up huge energy bills at home at the same time as lecturing on the need to save electricity, it turns out that he was only reverting to "green" type.
According to a study, when people feel they have been morally virtuous by saving the planet through their purchases of organic baby food, for example, it leads to the "licensing [of] selfish and morally questionable behaviour", otherwise known as "moral balancing" or "compensatory ethics".
Do Green Products Make Us Better People is published in the latest edition of the journal Psychological Science. Its authors, Canadian psychologists Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong, argue that people who wear what they call the "halo of green consumerism" are less likely to be kind to others, and more likely to cheat and steal. "Virtuous acts can license subsequent asocial and unethical behaviours," they write
The CDC was able to find the source of a salmonella outbreak by tracing sales through shopper cards.
This document was submitted to the UK's High Court by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in September 2009, as a Defence against a libel claim brought against them by the oil company Trafigura. A May 2009 BBC Newsnight feature suggested that 16 deaths and many other injuries were caused by the dumping in the Ivory Coast of a large quantity of toxic waste originating with Trafigura. A September 2009 UN report into the matter stated that 108,000 people were driven to seek medical attention. This Defence, which has never been previously published online, outlines in detail the evidence which the BBC believed justified its coverage. In December 2009 the BBC settled out of court amid reports that fighting the case could have cost as much as 3 million pounds. The BBC removed its original Newsnight footage and associated articles from its on-line archives. The detailed claims contained in this document were never aired publicly, and never had a chance to be tested in court. Commenting on the BBC's climbdown, John Kampfner, CEO of Index on Censorship said: "Sadly, the BBC has once again buckled in the face of authority or wealthy corporate interests. It has cut a secret deal. This is a black day for British journalism and once more strengthens our resolve to reform our unjust libel laws." Jonathan Heawood, Director of English PEN, said: "Forced to choose between a responsible broadcaster and an oil company which shipped hundreds of tons of toxic waste to a developing country, English libel law has once again allowed the wrong side to claim victory. The law is an ass and needs urgent reform." Now that this document is in the public domain, the global public will be able to make their own judgement about the strength of the BBC's case.
Two government press adverts which used nursery rhymes to raise awareness of climate change have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).It said the advertisements went beyond mainstream scientific consensus in asserting that climate change would cause flooding and drought. A total of 939 people complained to the ASA about the "Act on CO2" campaign. But three other advertisements, including a TV commercial, were cleared by the advertising watchdog.
Two government press adverts which used nursery rhymes to raise awareness of climate change have been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
It said the advertisements went beyond mainstream scientific consensus in asserting that climate change would cause flooding and drought.
A total of 939 people complained to the ASA about the "Act on CO2" campaign.
But three other advertisements, including a TV commercial, were cleared by the advertising watchdog.
