peak oil Archive

  • David Clendon

    Frack No! Sign the Petition - by David Clendon



    A lot of New Zealanders  have not yet heard about hydraulic fracturing (fracking), but many of those who do know something about it are worried, and rightly so! The technique is used to extract ‘unconventional’ oil and gas – that’s industry speak for sources of hydrocarbons that until recently were deemed too expensive or difficult to [...] read more
    September 29, 2011 11:01 am - 16 Comments
  • David Clendon

    Boom times for oil and gas? - by David Clendon



    This morning’s  Dominion article about ‘boom times’ for the gas and oil exploration industry is an intriguing, even slightly funny, mix of boosterism, drum beating and dissimulation. The Chair of PEPANZ appears almost breathless with excitement as he seeks to fulfil the primary objective of his organisation, “to publicise, promote and advance the interests of [...] read more
    September 7, 2011 9:59 am - 6 Comments
  • David Clendon

    Leave oil before oil leaves us - by David Clendon



    ‘Auckland Unleashed’ is the catchy title of the draft discussion document that will inform the proposed Auckland Spatial plan.  In an earlier blog post I indicated the political battle looming between Auckland’s elected councillors and central Government, who have very different visions for the city’s future. Auckland City’s discussion document makes the case for a compact city, [...] read more
    March 28, 2011 2:34 pm - 29 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Where’s the plan? - by Gareth Hughes



    Today the UK Government released its draft Carbon Plan containing some 130 actions and targets to reduce emissions. With petrol prices nearing record highs, UK Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne, said Britain had no option but to speed up efforts to move away from oil. “Getting off the oil hook is made all the more urgent [...] read more
    March 9, 2011 6:12 pm - 13 Comments
  • frog

    August 13 2011: Nice day for a ***** ******* - by frog



    August 13 is apparently the only day Her Britannic Majesty has free next year. So I suppose that is the date. It’s a pity this will be such a distraction from the real issues half a world away here in Aotearoa / New Zealand, where we desperately need to address climate change, peak oil, social [...] read more
    November 18, 2010 7:37 pm - 23 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Flight tax vs oil price - by Russel Norman



    I have posted earlier about the PM’s short sightedness when it comes to considering the potential impacts of oil price increases on tourism, versus his loud complaining about the potential impacts of flight taxes being imposed by the UK govt. But I wondered if it was possible to quantify the comparison between the departure tax [...] read more
    November 9, 2010 7:29 pm - 41 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Key in denial about inevitable impact of carbon charges and oil shocks - by Russel Norman



    John Key’s reaction to the distance-based UK departure tax shows just how out of touch he is about our economic future. This Government is deeply in denial. There is no question that climate change and rising fossil fuel prices will change travel patterns, and we should be taking this future into account in our tourism [...] read more
    November 3, 2010 2:45 pm - 16 Comments
  • Gareth Hughes

    Giving the three-fingered salute to oil - by Gareth Hughes



    They say the human body is about 60% water. What percentage of New Zealand’s economy would be oil? Oil is the grease that lubricates our modern society. It’s given us tremendous power and freedom but now we’re hooked on it. One of the most serious yet ignored issues of our age is the end of [...] read more
    October 14, 2010 3:15 pm - 40 Comments
  • frog

    Key Government hides from the truth about oil - by frog



    Make your submission on the draft Energy Strategy by 5pm on 2 September read more
    August 29, 2010 6:47 am - 78 Comments
  • frog

    Lloyd’s 2 Business: oil crunch coming fast - by frog



    One of the world’s biggest insurers is telling business that the two biggest risks they face are peak oil and climate change. It seems Lloyd’s has gone a bit green, or has started reading frogblog. read more
    June 17, 2010 6:49 am - 25 Comments
  • frog

    Visualising the BP oil disaster - by frog



    Use this handy tool to compare the size of the BP oil spill by placing an overlay on top of where you live: Needless to say, if a spill that spanned from the East Cape to Taranaki happened here, we would not cope well. Maritime New Zealand has just $12 million worth of oil spill [...] read more
    June 8, 2010 1:02 pm - 47 Comments
  • frog

    Petrobras comes to NZ - by frog



    It seemed strange to have Minister Brownlee fawning all over Russel Norman during question time in the House yesterday, eager to stress how much he cares about oil drilling safety. read more
    June 2, 2010 1:51 pm - 44 Comments
  • frog

    Is oil too expensive right now? - by frog



    I know the idea of oil being too dear is not a normal question canvassed here on frogblog, but I am left scratching my head as to why the price is staying stubbornly high when the data suggest it should be drifting downwards. read more
    May 18, 2010 11:13 am - 19 Comments
  • frog

    Shell declares an end to cheap oil - by frog



    Shell has been an increasingly vocal supporter of the need to plan for peak oil. Shell’s future energy scenarios paint a stark future – one where we plan for the demise of cheap oil and one where we scramble incoherently and nature decides for us. This week, in the Wall Street Journal, Shell’s CEO Peter [...] read more
    March 7, 2010 7:41 am - 31 Comments
  • frog

    Submit to save the Stratford to Okahukura Rail Line - by frog



    Kiwirail is considering closing the Stratford to Okahukura Rail Line because of damage to the tracks after a derailment last year. Kiwirail has told the media they are asking for submissions from the public before making a decision. Although, in practice, I can’t see any mention of the submission process on their website… Anyway, if [...] read more
    February 10, 2010 5:36 pm - 15 Comments
  • frog

    Thoughts on the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2009 - by frog



    The latest from the IEA is hot of the press. I’m curious to see what they have to say this time around, because their stance on oil supplies has shifted quite a lot recently. They used to believe oil supplies would last for a long long time, but are now saying 2020 will be the [...] read more
    November 11, 2009 4:21 pm - 10 Comments
  • frog

    Green shoots or growing rot? - by frog



    Everyone agrees that we’re in a crisis. Officials and politicians point everywhere and say – Hey look! Green shoots! The worst is over. Others urge us to ignore the green shoots, the worst is yet to come. read more
    August 31, 2009 9:55 am - 22 Comments
  • frog

    Test drive the new Tesla Model S - by frog



    I confess, I haven’t owned a car in almost eight years. I was weaned from my V8 days decades ago, but my head has been turned by a simple four door sedan. It’s the Tesla Model S. It’s electric. It’s cool. The Model S can make the sprint from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 [...] read more
    August 25, 2009 7:59 pm - 70 Comments
  • Russel Norman

    Compulsory minimum parking requirements - by Russel Norman



    Interesting video about the absurdity of minimum parking requirements for commercial and residential developments. These requirements subsidize driving and encourage urban sprawl. read more
    August 16, 2009 10:00 pm - 33 Comments
  • frog

    Oil touches US $70/bbl - by frog



    It seems like a very strange deja vu.  It wasn’t that long ago that we were witnessing a steep and steady increase in the price of oil. I don’t think that today’s price – US$71.89/bbl has any longevity. Whether up or down, it will keep moving, as I predicted last October: If I get out [...] read more
    June 11, 2009 3:22 pm - 41 Comments
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