petrol Archive

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  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
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  Preparing for peak oil - by frog

  
  
  
  In amongst the flurry about what happens in the next three weeks this news story about what happens in the next 15 years caught me eye: Senior North Shore City transport strategist Archer Davis, speaking on behalf of Engineers for Social Responsibility, said a conservative estimate of a 4 per cent annual decline in oil [...] read more
  October 21, 2008 2:50 pm - 25 Comments
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  Oil spikes $25, then retreats - by frog

  
  
  
  Oil took a violent swing upwards at the close of business yesterday, as a collapsing US Dollar and an expiring long-term crude oil contract led the market to believe that one of the big fund managers was being caught short. To translate – the market smelled blood and everyone jumped in. Despite spiking to $130, [...] read more
  September 23, 2008 10:51 am - No Comments
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  Study: As petrol prices rise, auto deaths fall - by frog

  
  
  
  Today’s high gasoline prices could cut auto deaths by nearly a third as driving decreases, particularly among price-sensitive teenage drivers, the authors of a new study say. Professors Michael Morrisey of the University of Alabama and David Grabowski of Harvard Medical School found that for every 10% increase in gas prices there was a 2.3% [...] read more
  July 17, 2008 9:25 am - 10 Comments
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  Government needs to give people choices as prices rise - by frog

  
  
  
  There have been some interesting statistics from StatsNZ over the last couple of days. Seasonally adjusted motor vehicle retail sales are down nearly 15% between April and May this year.  Total retail sales fell for the month by $69 million but that can mostly be attributed to people buying less cars (down by over $100 [...] read more
  July 15, 2008 12:39 pm - 21 Comments
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  Mercedes to stop building petrol cars - by frog

  
  
  
  Rich petrol heads, beware. This could be the beginning of the end of the automobile as we know it. Jaymi Heimbuch at EcoGeek reports on the Mercedes makeover: In less than 7 years, Mercedes-Benz plans to ditch petroleum-powered vehicles from its lineup. Focusing on electric, fuel cell, and biofuels, the company is revving up research [...] read more
  July 12, 2008 2:17 pm - 50 Comments
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  Fuel for thought – the future of transport fuels: challenges and opportunities - by frog

  
  
  
  Such is the name of a report released today by the Future Fuels Forum, an initiative led by the Australia’s CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship. The Age summarises the bad news: PETROL prices could reach $8 a litre [~NZ$10 per litre] within a decade if oil production peaks and Australia is not ready to shift to [...] read more
  July 11, 2008 2:07 pm - 61 Comments
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  The oil diet - by frog

  
  
  
  Richard Heinberg, world renowned Peak Oilologist, has, as you would expect, been worrying about rising oil prices.  (Luckily world oil prices dropped significantly yesterday but don’t expect that to start a trend just yet). Anyway, Heinberg reckons he has a solution: an oil diet. Reducing demand will reduce the price: But there’s a problem to [...] read more
  July 9, 2008 9:25 am - 5 Comments
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  US drivers cut back by 30 billion miles (48 billion km) - by frog

  
  
  
  Labour has used the excuse that high oil prices are curbing demand, so we don’t have to bring transport into the ETS just yet. New figures released in the States support the claim of reduced car travel. From a USA Today article: Americans drove 22 billion fewer miles from November through April than during the [...] read more
  June 23, 2008 10:33 am - 52 Comments
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  Poll affirms Family Party GST policy - by frog

  
  
  
  This media release is just out from the Family Party. A research company says four out of five New Zealanders think the Government should consider lowering taxes on food and petrol. The Government has again ruled out cutting GST on petrol saying it wouldn’t make any difference, but Research New Zealand said a poll showed the [...] read more
  June 18, 2008 9:52 am - 39 Comments
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  Peak oil - by frog

  
  
  
  Joe Bennett receives a lesson in the economics of oil this morning in the Dominion Post. Tell me, I shouted above the din of hooves, why the price of petrol is soaring like the lark. Why, every time I stop at the pumps, someone is up a ladder changing the price. It’s killing me, Mr [...] read more
  May 28, 2008 8:57 am - 14 Comments
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  Ralston huffily tells us how to live - by frog

  
  
  
  Grumpy ol’ Bill Ralston is dispensing style advice from the Listener this week (full article on line in a couple of week’s time).  Now I know that Ralston fancies himself as a Mercedes-driving satirist, skewering the occasional humourless environmentalist, but look at this grouchy list of dislikes.  It seems to me that this week’s whine [...] read more
  May 20, 2008 2:17 pm - 16 Comments
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  Peak oil rescues the Prime Minister - by frog

  
  
  
  The Prime Minister is defending her flip flop on the Emissions Trading Scheme on the basis that oil prices are rising and thus having the same effect on motorists’ behaviour as the ETS would have done anyway.  This, as Jeanette has pointed out on The Panel this afternoon, ignores the fact that taxpayers are subsidising [...] read more
  May 6, 2008 9:35 pm - 12 Comments
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  Carbon emitters please queue here - by frog

  
  
  
  If there are any other sectors of the economy that have not taken much action in the last few years to cut your carbon emissions and would like a last minute reprieve would you please form an orderly queue outside the 9th floor of the Beehive and await your turn to receive your government climate [...] read more
  May 6, 2008 9:14 am - 27 Comments
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  Oil US$118 per barrel - by frog

  
  
  
  Petrol prices are going up so, rather than responding as the market says we should by buying less petrol and finding an alternative, we have the petrol burning lobby asking for government intervention. Gaah! Interestingly the same debate is occurring in the US where a totally different government with a somewhat more brutal approach to [...] read more
  April 24, 2008 9:46 am - 43 Comments
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  Oil reachs new record $112 a barrel - by frog

  
  
  
  Those of you who just started paying 3 cents a litre more for petrol will not be surprised to hear oil has gone up again. Luckily this problem may be quickly solved according to the conservative newspaper American Daily, which brings us the happy news that the world’s oil fields are self replenishing! read more
  April 10, 2008 10:46 am - 29 Comments
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  The price of oil - by frog

  
  
  
  Here’s our semi regular oil price update: US$109 per barrel today. But maybe I’m making too much of a fuss about this issue? I just went to an online supermarket to see what the going rate for liquid was. It seems petrol is still incredibly cheap at only about $1.75 per litre: Meadow Fresh blue [...] read more
  March 12, 2008 12:07 pm - 13 Comments