Even the AA understands oil prices will keep rising
Over the years the Automobile Association (AA) has often been a fairly strong advocate of spending more and more money on roads – while being blind to bigger changes in the world like rising oil prices, and blind to local issues like the impact of new and widened motorways on their surrounding communities.…
29 Comments Petrol back above $2 per litre
The price of 91 octane petrol had been sitting at $1.99.9 – effectively $2 a litre – for quite a few weeks until I noticed on Friday afternoon that the psychological barrier of $2 had been broken, with the stations around where I live showing a price of effectively $2.03 a litre.…
150m public transport trips by 2021?
Some interesting public transport announcements today by Len Brown – probably best encapsulated in this article from Stuff:
Aucklanders could soon be taking ferries to many different areas of the city, catching a train on the CBD rail loop or cycling to work under a plan by mayor Len Brown to more than double the patronage on public transport within 10 years.…
The Uncertain Future
A number of international stories have caught my attention recently. I’ve been thinking about how they relate to NZ and Auckland in particular. The more I’ve reflected on them the more I’ve become convinced that the future is very uncertain technologically (more than anytime previously) and of critical importance will be our need for a flexible, efficient, transport system.…
Bill English on transport & peak oil
An interesting question and answer session in parliament today between Russel Norman and Finance Minister Bill English. A transcript of the questions and answers can be read here. The first thing that I noted was how hesitant Mr English was in answering these questions.…
Peak Oil and the UK
An interesting report on the likely effects of Peak Oil on the UK has been released by the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil and Energy Security. Here’s a summary from Going Solar:If the UK’s transport system is considered at risk of being seriously impacted by higher oil prices, I’d hate to even think what the risk is to New Zealand’s highly car dependent transport system.…
Statistics show we are driving less
As I have noted before, there is a giant assumption behind just about every proposed transport project – particularly behind every proposed roading project. That giant assumption is that people will continue to drive more and that traffic will continue to increase and congestion worsen.…
Memo To The Government
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The Last Oil Shock: GFC and Resource Inequality
A major spike in the oil price is recessionary not only because of its direct effects on the global economy, but also because it is likely to cause stock markets around the world to crash, further reinforcing the recessionary pressures. This in turn will lead to second order effects, such as the deepening insolvency of many pension funds, which hold the bulk of their investments in stocks and shares… As the crisis deepens, pension payments may be slashed to derisory levels in both money purchase and the supposedly more secure final salary schemes.…
The future for oil…
The graph below shows a comparison between the world’s likely demand for liquid fuels (including oil) over the next 20 years (the blue line) and the various components that will make up the supply of liquid fuels over that time. The emerging gap is alarming, as “Unidentified Projects” would actually be more accurately described as “unfulfilled demand” – meaning quite literally a demand for oil that will not be able to be met.…
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