Sat Aug 12th 2006
Jan 24th 2007
Worldwide per-capita oil consumption is closely correlated with the standard of living. In developing nations like China and India increasing prosperity therefore requires increased per-capita oil consumption. However, oil is a finite resource whose production globally is about to begin to decline irreversibly. Consequently the growing demand for oil is leading to a growing global conflict in which the Gulf War, the 9/11 attack, and the war in Iraq are just the first three skirmishes. These skirmishes pale in comparison with the looming potential conflict over oil with China.
June 6th 2006
Oil shales are one such unconventional resource that has emerged as a possible means to supplement declining conventional oil production. While it has long been known that oil shale can yield substantial quantities of petroleum, high operating costs and adverse environmental effects have prevented significant commercial exploitation. Recently, however, rising oil prices and growing demand have made oil shale development more economically attractive, drawing renewed interest from commercial and government entities. Yet, the local and global environmental implications of oil shale development remain daunting. If we are driven to use such an inefficient resource, we will likely pay dearly though a degraded environment and increased global climate change potential.
June 06th 2006
Rising demand for oil has fuelled a boom in the tar sands of Northern Alberta. This has placed a strain on another fossil fuel: natural gas. Natural gas is currently necessary in the production of heavy oil - creating heat for steam, electricity for machinery, and hydrogen for upgrading. However, Alberta, and perhaps Canada, has reached a peak in production of conventional gas. Alternatives are emerging to reduce its need. Heat and power can be generated by coal, nuclear energy or raw bitumen, whereas techniques of extraction are being developed to be more energy efficient. Another solution to the shortage is importing natural gas using LNG Terminals, creating a dependency of the area on the resources of other nations.
June 6th 2006
Many sources of alternative energy have been proposed due to increasing prices of fossil fuels and the international call for cleaner electricity production. The most important of these are solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric. Geothermal is included with the caveat that it is only feasible in geothermally active areas. Promising technologies in both solar and wind power coupled with their low environmental impact make them an attractive option for rural parts of undeveloped and developing countries where no 'grid' exists, but are not viable for industrial scale or large urban areas. Using these self sufficient technologies will save countries the immense costs of building rural grid. For industrial and urban areas where demand for electricity is great, nuclear and hydroelectric power are the best options, assuming they are used safely and regulated for environmental and social reasons. For alternative options to succeed, countries need to focus on long term benefits because the overhead costs may be higher than fossil fuels.
June 06th 2006
There is increasing evidence that reinforces the view that climate and greenhouse gas cycles are intimately related. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main anthropogenic gas contributing to the greenhouse effect and global warming, and there is no evidence at any time in the past 650,000 years of levels of carbon dioxide as high as the current atmospheric concentrations (Brook, 2005). Current atmospheric concentrations are one third higher than in pre-industrial times, and are projected to increase at 0.4% per year.
June 06th 2006
Hurricane Katrina had been a category five while in the Gulf of Mexico but was downgraded to a category 3 by the time she made landfall. She had sustained winds of 128 mph. Hurricane force winds extended over 120 miles from the center or the eye of the storm. This was the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. She was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. It flooded over 80% of the city of New Orleans and caused over $75 billion in damage. This makes it the most expensive hurricane in history in US history. It also killed 1,836 people making it the deadliest hurricane since 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane.