Science and other News August 27 2010
Posted on 27 August 2010 by e-news
In this post read about
US military warns oil output may dip, causing massive shortages by 2015
• Shortfall could reach 10m barrels a day, report says
• Cost of crude oil is predicted to top $100 a barrel
Surplus oil production capacity could disappear by 2012 a report from US Joint Forces Command and there could be serious shortages by 2015 with a significant economic and political impact.
The energy crisis outlined in a Joint Operating Environment report from the US Joint Forces Command, comes as the price of petrol in Britain reaches record levels and the cost of crude is predicted to soon top $100 a barrel.
“By 2012, surplus oil production capacity could entirely disappear, and as early as 2015, the shortfall in output could reach nearly 10 million barrels per day,” says the report, which has a foreword by a senior commander, General James N Mattis.
It adds: “While it is difficult to predict precisely what economic, political, and strategic effects such a shortfall might produce, it surely would reduce the prospects for growth in both the developing and developed worlds. Such an economic slowdown would exacerbate other unresolved tensions, push fragile and failing states further down the path toward collapse, and perhaps have serious economic impact on both China and India.”
For more see the Guardian or Treehugger website
Australian Academy of Science publication on the science of climate change
The Academy has produced this excellent online guide to explain the science around climate change. Click here.
And it is not without loads of irony that this great resource is produced at the same time that the University of Queensland surveys our politicians and finds out that many of them don’t understand the science….maybe you could forward them the link…!
Survey of politicians on Climate change demonstrates the great political divide
The survey of more than 300 federal, state and local government political leaders highlights that the political debate around climate change is based on significantly different levels of knowledge and understanding of the issue.
The inaugural Political Leaders and Climate Change Index (PLCCI) – co-sponsored by the Global Change Institute and the Institute for Social Science Research, both at The University of Queensland – demonstrate that beliefs about climate change diverge dramatically along political lines.
The planet is warming because of human activity producing greenhouse gases
Labor > 88%
Greens >97%
Liberal/National 39%
The survey also showed that Labor and Liberal political leaders are also influenced by different sources with 85 per cent of Labor politicians highly influenced by scientists compared to 44 per cent of Liberal/National politicians. Click here to download the full survey.
Comments are closed.
