Petrol at $3 a litre
- Thread starter Aceyducey
- Start date
Duncan, you should join the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement!
http://www.vhemt.org
Cheers,
Aceyducey
PS: Asteroid might be a more serious threat. There is one passing by in 2029 that might get us on the next pass.
http://www.vhemt.org
Cheers,
Aceyducey
PS: Asteroid might be a more serious threat. There is one passing by in 2029 that might get us on the next pass.
duncan_m said:
Well said Duncan. I agree it is a sad state of affairs...
Glebe said:
Because we've lost sooo many plants, animals, eco-systems and we've irreparably polluted the planet, its almost impossible to buy ocean fish that dont have mercury and other heavy metals, the ice caps are melting, glaciers are collapsing, the atmosphere has radically changed... and we're fiddling at the edges by introducing "hybrid motor vehicles" and virtually useless protocols for reducing emissions.. All this thanks to about the last 50 yrs of habitation.
As a species we're utterly addicted to energy consumption and the most frightening aspect is that now China and India are following suite, the number of motor-vehicles is going to explode, electricity consumption is going to sky rocket, consumption is going to go into overdrive, all of the things that caused us to get to where we are today are now beginning to massively accelerate. One wonders whether the next say 10 years? aren't going to be equal in consumption to the past 50 years?
I see no opportunity for repair I therefore contend we're beyond repair.
It's extremely ironic I think, that our "intelligence" which I suppose was meant to ensure our survival in prehistoric times, will eventually lead to our extinction. The planet will survive, but us humans will eventually destroy ourselves.
Even if a volcano wiped out the majority of the human race and left the others living as subsistence farmers, history will repeat and those people will eventually again live as we do now - polluting and destroying the environment to fulfill their desire to improve their lives. Maybe we are genetically programmed to destroy ourselves like lemmings?
Anyway, petrol is E1.31 a litre in Amsterdam at the moment which is over $2.00AUD a litre, so compared to some we still have it good!
Cheers
Nat
Even if a volcano wiped out the majority of the human race and left the others living as subsistence farmers, history will repeat and those people will eventually again live as we do now - polluting and destroying the environment to fulfill their desire to improve their lives. Maybe we are genetically programmed to destroy ourselves like lemmings?
Anyway, petrol is E1.31 a litre in Amsterdam at the moment which is over $2.00AUD a litre, so compared to some we still have it good!
Cheers
Nat
Aceyducey said:
Prediction: Next IP Bust 2028
Peter 147
duncan_m said:
With regards to the China/India thing, that's a third of the world's population, and that will be a HUGE increase in worldwide power consumption.
Did anyone see that SBS "Cutting Edge" program a few weeks ago on this topic? It was done by a German(?) journalist, and was an eye opener to say the least.
He concluded the documentary with nuclear power. He believes that nuclear power is the ONLY solution we have as humans, to make any step forward with respect to the environment. And I agree with him 100%.
He went inside the Chernobyl reactor's control room in this documentary, which was most certainly chilling, but even with the possibility of a nuclear meltdown, the downside is still miniscule as to the alternative — more fossil fuels; environment worsens; etc... The risk of dying in a car accident is much more than dying because of a nearby nuclear fallout, even if we had nuclear power stations in every major city on the planet.
Sure, we would have to deal with nuclear waste, but it is still outweighed by the positives...
It's quite obvious why NSW Premier Bob Carr proposed a debate on the issue a month or so ago...
natmarie73 said:
Well I personally believe that the word "intelligence" hasn't been defined properly.
The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills...
Sure, we're intelligent in that respect, but this definition does not take into account things like creativity, and common sense. Plus, emotions can get in the way, and change the way people make decisions, which can give the overall effect lesser intelligence...
natmarie73 said:
Not only ourselves, but plants, mammals, birds, marine life, insects...
We are such an arrogant species.
What gets me is the current cost of trying to be more environmentally friendly.
Solar panels to power the house $25k
Decent rain water system $14k (average block so don't want to cover too much of it in tanks.)
Quality long lasting goods 3x the price of cheap sh!^
Transport ????
I need to be wealthy so I can be more green.
The cheaper option is more to the country and live in a tin shed on acreage.
Cheers
quoll
Solar panels to power the house $25k
Decent rain water system $14k (average block so don't want to cover too much of it in tanks.)
Quality long lasting goods 3x the price of cheap sh!^
Transport ????
I need to be wealthy so I can be more green.
The cheaper option is more to the country and live in a tin shed on acreage.
Cheers
quoll
quoll said:
Thats my plan. Peter 147
No-one will forget the 'oil wars' a series of small engagements between China and Japan that grew into a conflagration that saw many countries sink to levels of barbarity that all of us had thought long forgotten.
It started long before the shooting, when Japan used financial muscle and diplomacy to ensure that the Siberian oil pipelines were linked to a new pipeline under the sea to Japan.
At the same time Japan upscaled drilling in the offshore oil fields it shared with China.
China responded by beating the drum against Japan, blocking their UN Permanent Seat, supporting a wave of anti-Japanese protests and launching a wave of billion dollar oil investments throughout Africa, the Americas and the Middle-east.
However Japan began remilitarising and with US backing made it clear that the country would not compromise it's own economic security under Chinese threats.
China was left struggling to find sufficient strategic oil reserves, cut out from the huge Russian reserves and with it's own reserves in rapid decline.
The country began upping it's efforts to purchase oil companies and fields across the globe, making significant investments in Africa and the Americas.
The US was already struggling to come to grips with the earlier actions the Chinese National Oil Company had taken to buy billion dollar US companies to secure oil resources.
The President began drafting legislation banning foreign companies from investing in US oil companies to protect it's own strategic base. The legislation was passed with a strong majority as Americans realised that their Humvees and air travel was under threat.
European nations followed suit for defensive purposes. They did not want China to look towards the strong european oil majors, or for the Americans to do the same.
This launched a wave of protectionist legislation around the globe, leaving many countries with laws proscribing or limiting direct foreign investment into oil companies and fields in fifty countries.
Economically isolated from the reserves it needed, China resorted to military pressure, launching missile tests and incursions into Japanese waters in the hope of intimidating Japan into backing down and granting China access to the Siberian fields.
However the US, still committed to it's support of Japan, shifted the resources no longer required in a politically more stable middle-east to South Korea and the Japanese islands.
China still lacked the political will and military muscle to engage America in an open conflict and was forced to backdown. This left the country with one other option to maintain economic strength and political control. China's eyes began to turn west, to the vast and poorly secured Russian oil fields.
India was in a similar situation, with the richer European nations, the US and Japan able to out-buy and out-muscle the Indian state over energy resources. Similarly cut out from investing in oil companies and fields around the world, the Indian state had seen the conflict with Pakistan cool and it's well-trained and exerienced military machine was running on idle but had not yet reduced. The country was militarily ready for further adventurism.
When the first Saudi field stuttered and died, shrinking over two years to less than 60% of peak production the world began to panic.
The shift to alternate fuels had begun but had not advanced far enough to adequately replace the needs of the west and free the declining oil resources for large developing nations who had not yet begun to changeover.
China and India found themselves pushed even closer politically as the West divided the world's remaining oil reserves amongst themselves.
These two countries had always had more similarities than differences, both were Asian nations with huge populations. Both needed strong controls to maintain internal stability and political order. and balance the separation between state and military.
Both had and were developing quickly, with waves of economic reform sweeping out across the countryside from their capitals.
Both had a love/hate relationship with the west and global political power disproportionately small compared to their military and economic might.
And, critically, both countries faced a Russian empire declining into a patchwork feudalism loosely held together from Moscow. A russian empire with some of the world's largest remaining oil reserves and a military that had been in decline for decades.
So then the shooting started.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/GG02Dh01.html
Food for thought!
Cheers,
Aceyducey
It started long before the shooting, when Japan used financial muscle and diplomacy to ensure that the Siberian oil pipelines were linked to a new pipeline under the sea to Japan.
At the same time Japan upscaled drilling in the offshore oil fields it shared with China.
China responded by beating the drum against Japan, blocking their UN Permanent Seat, supporting a wave of anti-Japanese protests and launching a wave of billion dollar oil investments throughout Africa, the Americas and the Middle-east.
However Japan began remilitarising and with US backing made it clear that the country would not compromise it's own economic security under Chinese threats.
China was left struggling to find sufficient strategic oil reserves, cut out from the huge Russian reserves and with it's own reserves in rapid decline.
The country began upping it's efforts to purchase oil companies and fields across the globe, making significant investments in Africa and the Americas.
The US was already struggling to come to grips with the earlier actions the Chinese National Oil Company had taken to buy billion dollar US companies to secure oil resources.
The President began drafting legislation banning foreign companies from investing in US oil companies to protect it's own strategic base. The legislation was passed with a strong majority as Americans realised that their Humvees and air travel was under threat.
European nations followed suit for defensive purposes. They did not want China to look towards the strong european oil majors, or for the Americans to do the same.
This launched a wave of protectionist legislation around the globe, leaving many countries with laws proscribing or limiting direct foreign investment into oil companies and fields in fifty countries.
Economically isolated from the reserves it needed, China resorted to military pressure, launching missile tests and incursions into Japanese waters in the hope of intimidating Japan into backing down and granting China access to the Siberian fields.
However the US, still committed to it's support of Japan, shifted the resources no longer required in a politically more stable middle-east to South Korea and the Japanese islands.
China still lacked the political will and military muscle to engage America in an open conflict and was forced to backdown. This left the country with one other option to maintain economic strength and political control. China's eyes began to turn west, to the vast and poorly secured Russian oil fields.
India was in a similar situation, with the richer European nations, the US and Japan able to out-buy and out-muscle the Indian state over energy resources. Similarly cut out from investing in oil companies and fields around the world, the Indian state had seen the conflict with Pakistan cool and it's well-trained and exerienced military machine was running on idle but had not yet reduced. The country was militarily ready for further adventurism.
When the first Saudi field stuttered and died, shrinking over two years to less than 60% of peak production the world began to panic.
The shift to alternate fuels had begun but had not advanced far enough to adequately replace the needs of the west and free the declining oil resources for large developing nations who had not yet begun to changeover.
China and India found themselves pushed even closer politically as the West divided the world's remaining oil reserves amongst themselves.
These two countries had always had more similarities than differences, both were Asian nations with huge populations. Both needed strong controls to maintain internal stability and political order. and balance the separation between state and military.
Both had and were developing quickly, with waves of economic reform sweeping out across the countryside from their capitals.
Both had a love/hate relationship with the west and global political power disproportionately small compared to their military and economic might.
And, critically, both countries faced a Russian empire declining into a patchwork feudalism loosely held together from Moscow. A russian empire with some of the world's largest remaining oil reserves and a military that had been in decline for decades.
So then the shooting started.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/GG02Dh01.html
Food for thought!
Cheers,
Aceyducey
quoll said:
We have some family friends who live over on the Eyre Peninsula who live on a few acres of 'coastal' land. Over there they don't have access to power and water. They spent a fortune on a solar array mounted on the top of a shed/tower pointing towards the celestial equator, (the path on which the Sun travels). They have four solar panels connected to a bunch of batteries inside this shed, woth some other equipment which I don't even know what they are, but keeps everything running smoothly. This power system, while expensive to maintain, is highly effective, and obviously produces no emissions, (ignoring the spent battery cells that inevitably die).
Only recently, (within the last two years), they had to replace/upgrade their battery array to something better and this was quite expensive. If I remember correctly, 4 batteries at $6,000 each, (or something like that — I may be way out here — could be $6,000 for all of the batteries in total
). Still, they never have power and water bills each quarter.
Needless to say, it works like a charm, and is quite nifty, really... They still have to be careful when they want to use a vacuum cleaner or clothes iron, for example, using them in the morning, where the cells can recharge to maximum capacity for the rest of the day.
On the water front, they have 4 large rainwater tanks, each about 15,000 litres, for memory. The toilet is the biggest user, (apart from the washing machine when used). You just have to do number ones behind a tree — no shame in that!
If there was a dry season, they would have to be more careful about water consumption, but quite simply, it works well.
I didnt hear about this 13 years ago..
Some 1,700 of the world's leading scientists, including the majority of Nobel laureates in the sciences, issued this appeal in November 1992. The Warning was written and spearheaded by UCS Chair Henry Kendall.
Link : http://deoxy.org/sciwarn.htm
Some 1,700 of the world's leading scientists, including the majority of Nobel laureates in the sciences, issued this appeal in November 1992. The Warning was written and spearheaded by UCS Chair Henry Kendall.
Link : http://deoxy.org/sciwarn.htm
Oil: $80 is next call
From todays AGE newspaper....
Oil: $80 is next call
By Alejandro Barbajosa
London
July 5, 2005
A confrontation with Iran could add a great deal of worry, strategists say.
Oil prices may increase to $US80 a barrel this year, options contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange show.
Investors are speculating that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will not produce enough oil to compensate for any disruption to supplies.
New York Mercantile Exchange data show 6900 options contracts outstanding that allow buyers to buy oil for December delivery at $US80 a barrel, compared with an average of $US77 in January. There is a 21 per cent chance that oil will top $US75 when the December contract expires, according to Adam Sieminski and Michael Lewis, strategists at Deutsche Bank.
Not the entire article shown, Peter 147
From todays AGE newspaper....
Oil: $80 is next call
By Alejandro Barbajosa
London
July 5, 2005
A confrontation with Iran could add a great deal of worry, strategists say.
Oil prices may increase to $US80 a barrel this year, options contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange show.
Investors are speculating that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will not produce enough oil to compensate for any disruption to supplies.
New York Mercantile Exchange data show 6900 options contracts outstanding that allow buyers to buy oil for December delivery at $US80 a barrel, compared with an average of $US77 in January. There is a 21 per cent chance that oil will top $US75 when the December contract expires, according to Adam Sieminski and Michael Lewis, strategists at Deutsche Bank.
Not the entire article shown, Peter 147
