An apology is in order for the following subject matter. This is an energy-focused website, and energy alone is a fiendishly hard topic to explain properly to the general public. The energy world is complicated and frankly not that interesting to most, made up of pipes and tanks and tankers, all central to the industry known as “utilities”. Who in history was ever interested in the word “utilities”? Unfortunately, the problem of disinterest is compounded by folding in an interest rate … [Read more...]
Column: India’s infrastructure requirements are an eye-opening reminder of the world’s staggering demand for all energy sources
I’ve recently succumbed to an infatuation, much like a grade-school crush. Mind you, what is appealing at my current age is markedly different than what was back then; having traversed a generation's worth of the realities of adulthood, and with the prospect of hoping to retire someday, the subject matter of my admiration has shifted. Monumentally. Sadly, and weirdly, my current crush is on a company, or more specifically their stock: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. This is disturbing in … [Read more...]
Column: Bernie Sanders, prostitution, and fossil fuels – three things that will never go away
“Hello, this is 9-1-1, how may I assist you?” “I’d like to report a major criminal enterprise and see the perpetrators thrown in jail.” “…is someone in imminent danger? Because this is an emergency line and perhaps you want to speak with the police to launch an investigation.” “No, this is indeed an emergency, caused entirely by these criminals. It was just in the news. A front-running US presidential candidate said that the fossil fuel industry is conducting criminal activity that is … [Read more...]
Sympathy for politicians? Maybe – consider their tool kit, the electoral freak show, and the stupefying demands and realities they face
Multi-election years are trying times for those that don't enjoy the game of politics. If one is immune to the charms of glad-handing and full-frontal bullshitting, exposure to the black art of politics at a minimum leads to dry heaves, and, in high enough concentrations, a stay in a hospital. Some feel otherwise; a university friend and I once debated the merits of choosing the political life. He defended the career path on the grounds that working for the public interest was a noble … [Read more...]
Please forward everywhere – a succinct, poetic, perfect, iron-fist salute to unknowledgeable petroleum assailants
Sometimes, for people with a propensity to use many words to describe something properly, it is annoying and frustrating to read short and overly-simplistic analyses. It seems impossible to capture complex issues in a few words, and efforts often fall short. As a rule of thumb, I sneer at the paltry word counts, muttering that the feeble authors probably like Haiku to boot. For example, I’ve been trying for a long time to properly articulate the views of the petroleum industry to the world, … [Read more...]
Sometimes stupidity rules, and we have no choice but to watch in horror as consequences unfold
This isn’t going to sound very nice, but think of all the stupidity in the world. I’m not trying to be mean, and no, this isn’t some sort of political diatribe. Sorry to break it to everyone but Trudeau isn’t stupid – he is just wildly out of his element. He has no ability or inclination for the finesse required to run a massive organization. Had he stayed in the drama classroom, we might all be marvelling at his brilliant productions. But just because someone isn’t stupid doesn’t mean they … [Read more...]
An amateur, natural gas-defaming propaganda “report” by six motley Rockefeller-backed researchers captures global media attention – how does this happen?
You find the craziest sh*t on the internet. And I do mean sh*t. Consider the following group: Aiqun Yu from California worked for 18 years with China Central Television focusing on environmental and social issues. Bob Burton from Australia is an anti-coal activist and co-author of “Secrets and Likes - The Anatomy of an Anti-Environmental PR Campaign". Christine Shearer from California has a “background in interdisciplinary climate change and energy research” – backed by a PhD in Sociology. … [Read more...]
Celebrating Federal Environment Minister McKenna’s contributions to Canada
“Hello, this is 9-1-1, how may we help you?” “I’d like to report an emergency.” “Can you tell me what’s happened and where? Are there any injuries?” “Certainly. What’s happened is that hundreds of years ago people started burning coal, which made things better, so they burned more, and then there were a lot more people, then they discovered oil, which caused a lot of development and then there were a lot more people, and now they are using so much of it that the world might warm up 2 … [Read more...]
Diversify the economy? Thanks tips, but it’s far harder than armchair quarterbacks think
Have you ever heard of the Dutch disease? No, it isn't a product of Amsterdam’s legendary red-light district; the concept originates with economists, who are in every imaginable way the opposite of a red-light district. One could even imagine the red light district going dark for the duration of an economists' conference; some things just aren't worth it. The term Dutch disease refers to an economic condition that can confound nations when an abnormally successful industry tilts the table … [Read more...]
Reducing GHG emissions is abstract, reducing comfort levels is not, and don’t even think about the latter
I once volunteered to help administer a prize of some sort for an organization I can’t remember the name of (there are good reasons for the hazy memory, some sort of repression I think). The prize on offer was for an organic yard weeding – to whip someone’s yard into shape without the use of herbicides. The contest winner lived on the edge of the city on an oversized lot, and we arrived one fine evening to see an ocean of dandelions in bloom, for (what seemed like) as far as the eye could see … [Read more...]
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