County Policy

Kaua'i's Unprepared Water-Energy Situation

kauaibrad — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:42:58 -0800

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Kaua'i's Unprepared Water-Energy Situation David Ward has done much research on the Water situation on Kauai. This is his most recent summary report from http://www.islandbreath.org/:

"Kauai Water and Power"
INDEX: Agriculture, Energy, Sustainability
POSTED: 1/05/2009
EDITOR: David Ward

Hawaii's Place in The National Intelligence Council's 2025 Global Trends Report

kauaibrad — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:09:45 -0800

Monday, January 5, 2009

Comment on Highlights of The National Intelligence Council's 2025 Report Highlight of a good report carried by Hawaii Reporter today. Below link to the report worth reading directly. My comments to Dr. Prevedouros' highlights at bottom:

From: Hawaii Reporter
"National Intelligence Council’s Global Trends 2025:
Highlights and Some Lessons for Hawaii" 1/5/2009
By Panos D. Prevedouros, PhD, UH

SOURCE: The National Intelligence Council's Global Trends 2025 Final Report (See: http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_2025_project.html)

Dr. Wirth Presents Good Evidence of Peak Oil 2008

kauaibrad — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:24:51 -0800

Monday, January 5, 2009

Dr. Wirth Presents Good Evidence of Peak Oil 2008 In a comment to this blog Clifford J. Wirth, Ph.D. said...

"The top story of the year is that global crude oil production peaked in 2008.

The media, governments, world leaders, and public should focus on this issue.

Global crude oil production had been rising briskly until 2004, then plateaued for four years. Because oil producers were extracting at maximum effort to profit from high oil prices, this plateau is a clear indication of Peak Oil.

Matt Simmons Powerpoint: Hawaii and Peak Oil

kauaibrad — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:19:36 -0800

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Matt Simmons Powerpoint:

Click on: CAN HAWAII ADJUST TO A POST-PEAK OIL WORLD?

Towns and Cities Should Prepare for Peak Oil...NOW

kauaibrad — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:10:40 -0800

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Liquid Fuels and Heating Oil Crises

The U.S. is highly dependent on oil for transportation, food production, industry, manufacturing, and residential and institutional heating. Oil is unique in providing gasoline and diesel, which are relatively inexpensive and portable. Oil also provides heating for many of the nation’s homes, institutions, and businesses. Despite advances in battery technology, battery powered tractors/combines and trucks do not provide a range that is practical. The so-called electric economy is not even in a planning stage of development. There are no alternatives that will replace oil.

Peak Oil is the term given for the point of maximum global production of oil, after which oil production will decline over a period of years until all recoverable oil is depleted. Peak Oil is a geological reality that is recognized by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, General Accountability Office, Congressional Research Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Petroleum Council.

Future oil production from off shore locations, Brazil, the Arctic, and the Gulf of Mexico etc., as well as future oil discoveries, will not provide enough new production to offset declining production in the largest oil fields.

Kauai No Time to Waste: Oil supply will have peaked by 2020, says authority IEA

kauaibrad — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:13:20 -0800

When will the oil run out?
George Monbiot interviews Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency - (Video: George Monbiot meets Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency, See: Link to this video)

"...In the report on peak oil commissioned by the US department of energy, the oil analyst Robert L Hirsch concluded that "without timely mitigation, the economic, social and political costs" of world oil supplies peaking "will be unprecedented". He went on to explain what "timely mitigation" meant. Even a worldwide emergency response "10 years before world oil peaking", he wrote, would leave "a liquid-fuels shortfall roughly a decade after the time that oil would have peaked". To avoid global economic collapse, we need to begin "a mitigation crash programme 20 years before peaking". If Hirsch is right, and if oil supplies peak before 2028, we're in deep ****.

Simmons on IEA: "Current 73 million barrels of oil a day to 25 million b/d by 2030"

kauaibrad — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:59:31 -0800

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Simmons on IEA: "Current 73 million barrels of oil a day to 25 million b/d by 2030" David Ward of Kauai's notes from the below audio link interview of December 13, 2008:

"Matthew Simmons says that the IEA's actual position as stated by Dr. Fatih Birol, (IEA Cheif Economist) in 'quiet' briefings to world governments is that:

'Basically the game is over.... Based on the most optimistic assumptions they can make (using their access to the best raw data in the world - 798 fields) current crude oil production of 73 million barrels a day will be down to 25 million barrels a day by 2030.'

And that's absolutely the best possible case. The IEA's worst case is 9 million barrels per day by 2030 according to Simmons (although he thinks even that could be optimistic).

Malama Kaua'i: Harvesting ideas from the Garden Isle

kauaibrad — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 09:04:39 -0800

Rob Report
Malama Kaua'i
Harvesting ideas from the Garden Isle
by Rob Parsons

December 04, 2008
Travel always provides the gift of a differing point of view. Five days on the island of Kauai over the Thanksgiving holiday offered ample perspective on opportunities for community sustainability and ways to support traditional approaches to modern issues.

Apart from the big box stores and malls of Lihue, Kauai has, for the most part, retained its rural character and small town charm. Years after pulling together to rebuild after Hurricane Iniki, there is still a perceptible spirit of cooperation and community. Posters announced an upcoming book-signing event for The Superferry Chronicles, which offers a recent example of Kauaians striving to keep hold of natural and cultural resources and to maintain a simple way of life that would be jeopardized by an influx of Oahu residents.

Two years ago, in June 2006, Kauai hosted a two-day sustainability conference, conceived by a group of community futurists, including former Mayor and current Councilmember Jo Ann Yukimura. A cross-section of attendees included Princeville owner Jeff Stone, Angela Vento of the Sheraton, most of the Kauai County Councilmembers, Sen. Russell Kokubun of the Big Island, who spearheaded the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Master Plan, and the Kauai Chamber of Commerce.

"Re-localization" is an opportunity to unite the community around common goals of a healthy environment, respect for culture and a high quality of life.

'Hawaii: Peak Oil Canary in a Coal Mine'

kauaibrad — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:29:36 -0800

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

'Hawaii: Peak Oil Canary in a Coal Mine'

Also, recently came across the following related outstanding post on The Oil Drum about Hawaii:

See: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4192
"Hawaii: Peak Oil Canary in a Coal Mine"
Posted by Gail the Actuary on June 22, 2008

Powerpoints from the Hawaii Energy Challenge 2008

kauaibrad — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:23:43 -0800

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Powerpoints from the Hawaii Energy Challenge 2008 Today, Ken Stokes reviewed the Hawaii Energy Challenge 2008 that took place late last month on the Big Island. Matt Simmons spoke at that and here is a report on his comments.

Here are the Powerpoints from that conference, only slightly different than the one on Kauai last September:

From http://www.hec08.com/followup.html:

PRESENTATIONS & FOLLOW-UP