When most of us think of cartels, we think of Colombian drug gangs rather than multi-national businesses. But not any more; if European regulators are to be believed, a cartel has been operating much closer…
The land under Coober Pedy is home to vast reserves of shale oil. Perhaps not $20 trillion worth though. edenink/Flickr.
Earlier this week, Linc Energy released two reports estimating the amount of oil in the Arckaringa Basin near Coober Pedy in South Australia. Independent reports from Gustavson Associates and DeGolyer…
If you don’t deal with road transport, you’re really not dealing with emissions.
Rachel Wray
Much of the recent debate over Australia’s new Energy White Paper deals with climate change, the planned growth of Australia’s coal and gas exports, and the future of electricity sector. And although when…
The IEA has made a sketchy prediction that the United States is to be the world’s biggest oil producer within five years.
Zoe52/Flickr
The United States will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s leading oil producer by about 2017 and will become a net oil exporter by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently predicted.
According…
Our lives and lifestyles depend on mobility of people and freight; are we ready to lose that?
Martin Wurt
Over the next 50 years the world will increasingly confront a dilemma. On the one hand, the global economy and local lifestyles depend on the mobility of people and goods. On the other, that mobility depends…
The American people have spoken in favour of climate change by re-electing Barack Obama to a second presidential term.
Flickr/350.org
In his acceptance speech of November 6, Barack Obama at long last reaffirmed the need to address global warming.
But unfortunately he also reaffirmed the spurious goal of US oil independence, which can…
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney share the goal of US “energy independence”.
Neil Kremer/Flickr
Energy policy featured only briefly in the first debate between President Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney. As became evident in the second debate, Romney’s case for restoring strong economic growth…
Republicans have dragged the US energy policy debate, on issues like foreign oil independence, far to the right.
micheleoneill/Flickr
That Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is locked into such an unalloyed pro-oil stance is not so surprising, given the alignment of the core Republican states with oil producers' interests…
It’s the dawning of a new day for South Sudan, but there is much to be done.
EPA/Paul Banks/Unmis
When I arrived in South Sudan in November 2005, the scars of war were everywhere.
Intermittent power came from generators, there was no clean drinking water, schools were little more than benches under…
Plentiful carbon-based fuel and falling world energy prices are a mixed blessing.
Adrian Bradshaw/AAP
Since the middle of the last decade, well before the worldwide run-up in fuel prices during 2008, it has been widely believed that we are entering a new era of scarcity in carbon-based fuels such as oil…
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir addresses troops and supporters during a public appearance in April 2012.
EPA/str
Khartoum has resumed its bombardment of South Sudan despite the passing of a UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ceasefire.
With military action escalating over the past few days, the two nations…
Many Argentinians are in favour of President Kirchner’s expropriation of oil company YPF, but what impact will it have on the beleaguered nation’s economic growth?
AAP
In mid-April, in the largest nationalisation since Russia’s acquisition of Yukos in 2003, Argentina’s President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, seized a majority stake in the oil company Yacimientos Petrol…
Facing the music: Australia is losing its capacity to refine oil.
AAP/Andrew Brownbill
The looming closure of three Australian refineries will affect the security of liquid fuel supplies in Australia. This is particularly so if the government and the oil industry do not devise a joint strategy…
Celebrating: after being seen as a basket case for so long, Brazil’s economy is now powering.
AAP
Few countries have been left unscathed by the global financial crisis and it seems that they are all situated in the southern hemisphere. Brazil and Australia are some of them. Recently, their economies…
Running an economy on oil is a risky business.
behang/Flickr
When you’re complaining about the price at the bowser next time, consider this. Australia’s oil imports amount to a little over 1% of GDP. In Fiji, the oil import bill was around 14% in 2010. It’s probably…
More fossil fuel is out there, but if policy doesn’t stop us, physics will.
EvolveLove/Flickr
In his recent Quarterly Essay, Man-made world: choosing between progress and planet, economist Andrew Charlton presents technological innovation as the solution to climate change and the route to unbounded…
Future freeways could be very different places.
johnsnape
Car travel is becoming a victim of its own success. If we in the West had only kept cars for ourselves, automobility could have survived much longer. But we shared them with the rest of the world, and…
Nigeria’s troubles are fuelled by ethnic and religious tensions.
EPA/Stringer
The coming of the new year was not auspicious for Nigeria. Despite being rich in oil, the country is overwhelmed by corruption and violence.
The north of the country has been torn apart by terrorist attacks…
Partial boycotts don’t work; it’s too easy to secure new buyers and sellers.
AAP
The European Union (EU) voted last week to ban oil imports from Iran. The EU will immediately ban the signing of any new oil contracts with Iran, while the existing ones will be fulfilled up to 1 July…
A proposed EU oil embargo may push Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad closer to China and Venezuela.
AAP
Last week the European Union indicated that it is likely to enact an oil embargo on Iran. The move is aimed at damaging Iran’s crucial oil export business enough so the country’s regime curtails its nuclear…
Do recent falls in commodities suggest more severe conditions in the future?
AAP/AFP
Commodity prices have see-sawed in the last few weeks amid ongoing turmoil in Europe and concerns over China.
Should we view recent falls in commodity prices with concern? Do these movements suggest more…
Oil gets into the ocean in all sorts of ways, but oil spills are the most visible.
AAP
Responding to oil spills, like that in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, is a very complex, high pressure situation. Decisions must be made based on whatever data are available at the time.
One of the difficulties…
Peace and stability will be crucial for Libya’s post-revolution development.
AAP
With the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi’s autocratic regime, the transitional government in Libya is prompting hopes for a new era of democracy in the country.
While a swift transition to democracy is certainly…
Future fuels will be made from a range of raw materials, including algae.
SandiaLabs
By Ian O'Hara, Queensland University of Technology
It’s one of the key challenges of our generation: transforming our global energy use from emissions-intensive, non-renewable fossil fuels to low-carbon, sustainable energy technologies.
The challenge…
With the release of the US Government’s “Report regarding the causes of the Macondo Well blowout”, it may be time to take another look at whether Australian legislation can prevent a Deepwater Horizon…
OPEC president Mohammad Aliabadi believes speculation in futures is inflating oil prices. He is wrong.
AAP
OPEC Conference president Mohammad Aliabadi recently joined a chorus of international observers to blame speculation as the source of ongoing volatility in the global oil market.
Speaking at an OPEC Conference…
Our old-fashioned addiction will be hard to kick.
JD Hancock/flickr
Oil is a finite and non-renewable resource. Its production is going to peak.
“Peak oil” is the point at which half of the world’s original endowment of oil has been extracted.
This is the point at which…
