Will PEAK OIL devour Vancouver’s Politicians?
Or, will our politicians battle INERTIA and defeat the monstrous status quo?

Wed. Oct. 15, 2008, 7 - 9:30 PM
BCIT Downtown Campus
555 Seymour St., Vancouver

WATCH WITH FASCINATION as our panelists reveal their plans for addressing these critical issues!

• Is the Lower Mainland ready for a LOW-ENERGY FUTURE?

• Is GATEWAY a solution to our future transportation needs, and – if not – what is?

• Is there a plan to make sure we’ll all have enough FOOD to eat next year and 20 years from now?

• How do we reshape our pattern of community for a world with less and LESS OIL?

• How do we ensure an adequate ENERGY SUPPLY for the Lower Mainland?

Before you cast a vote in the next city election…
FIND OUT what these candidates plan to do.

Introducing Mayoral Candidates:
Gregor ROBERTSON - candidate Mayor Vision Party
Councillor Peter LADNER - candidate Mayor NPA
Betty KRAWCZYK - candidate Mayor Work Less Party

With:
Councillor Suzanne ANTON - candidate Vancouver City Council
Mayor Derek CORRIGAN - candidate Mayor Burnaby
Council Candidate Andrea REIMER – candidate Vancouver City Council

JOIN US for a rousing panel discussion and SEE FOR YOURSELF how some of the Lower Mainland’s top politicians PERSONALLY plan to address the many problems posed by PEAK OIL.

YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS.

Wednesday October 15, 2008
7 - 9:30 PM
BCIT Downtown Campus
555 Seymour St., Vancouver
(a few blocks up from Waterfront station)
Tickets $7 in advance, $10 at the door.

Advanced Tickets:

http://vancouverpeakoil.org
Brought to you by Vancouver Peak Oil and The Great Bear Pub, and sponsored by:
The Cooperative Auto Network

Opposition to the provincial government’s Gateway Project is heating up. But it may be too late.

Michael McCarthy
Vancouver Courier
Original article
Friday, September 26, 2008

From Anthony Perl’s condo in Coal Harbour you can see small commuter planes, cruise ships, freighters loaded with containers and the Seabus trundling towards North Vancouver. At writer Richard Gilbert’s Gastown apartment, you can view the CPR yards, the West Coast Express, a helipad, tourist buses, a car rental company and heavy trucks working the port. What they all have in common is their dependence on fossil fuels, a resource rapidly escalating in price as it diminishes in supply. It’s also a resource that the B.C. government has picked as the backbone of its multi-billion dollar Gateway Project.

Perl, professor of political science and director of the urban studies program at Simon Fraser University, predicts the days of fossil-fuelled transportation are coming to an end. In his new book Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight without Oil, co-authored with Gilbert, Perl says that any urban planning centred around the use of fossil fuels is extremely shortsighted and bound to fail. Many other local urban planners, neighbourhood groups and activists also see Gateway as a politically motivated quick fix that is bound to have negative ramifications on the Lower Mainland in the future.

“I’m not suggesting any sort of conspiracy,” says Perl, “or that selected people are getting together in back rooms to plan this, but obviously some people stand to make an awful lot of money from building low-density, unclustered, single-family developments throughout the Fraser Valley.” Read the complete Post.

Commodity Online
2008-08-20 17:50:00
By Rex Weyler
Original article

As the era of cheap liquid fuels draws to an end, everything about modern consumer society will change. Likewise, developing societies pursuing the benefits of globalization will struggle to grow economies in an era of scarce liquid fuels. The most localized, self-reliant communities will experience the least disruption.

Oil is a fixed asset of the planet, representing stored sunlight accumulated over a billion years as early marine algae, and other marine organisms (not dinosaurs) captured solar energy, formed carbon bonds, gathered nutrients, died, sank to the ocean floors, and lay buried under eons of sediment. Like any fixed non-renewable resource, oil is limited, and its consumption will rise, peak, and decline.

World oil production increased for 150 years until the spring of 2005, when world crude oil production reached about 74.3 million barrels per day (mb/d), and total liquid fuels, including tar sands, liquefied gas, and biofuels reached about 85 mb/d. In spite of the efforts since, and tales of “trillions of barrels” of oil in undiscovered fields, liquid fuel production has remained at about 85.5 mb/d for three years, the longest sustained plateau in modern petroleum history. Discoveries of new fields peaked 40 years ago. Read the complete Post.

The Vancouverpeakoil.org panel discussion from July 12th is now available for download, courtest of Alex Smith at Radio Ecoshock.

The CD quality version (56 MB) is at:
http://www.ecoshock.net/eshock08/ES_080829_Show.mp3

The lower quality Lo-Fi version (mono, faster download, 14 MB) is at:
http://www.ecoshock.net/eshock08/ES_080829_Show_LoFi.mp3

There is no copyright on this work, feel free to use it as you like.

Visit the conference website now.
Hold these dates for the Fifth U.S. Conference
on Peak Oil and Community Solutions:
October 31- November 2, 2008
Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan

Why Attend This Conference?

Skyrocketing oil prices, mounting geopolitical tensions, grave economic realities, and dangerous climate changes are threatening our lives and communities like never before.

The age of cheap, abundant fossil fuels is coming to an end, and urgent action is required to transform our over-consumptive society into one that uses far less energy.

By acting now to reduce household energy use and re-localize economic production, we can create resilient, sustainable communities that will be able to weather the coming economic and ecological storms. Read the complete Post.

From: Institute for Planetary Renewal

The Problem:
Civilization is disintegrating, (which is obvious). This is because our civilization was not built on sustainable principles.

A brief summary of conditions–

Physical Structure: The infrastructure is nearing its life cycle and is collapsing. It is not possible to replace it with equivalent systems because the resources to do so are too expensive or no longer exist.

Social Structure: Families have little time to devote to the critical task of nurturing children. Hence, crime, violence, drugs, greed, and other social ills. The evening news tells the story.

Education: The educational system has failed to educate a majority of children beyond a rudimentary level.

Food Supply: On average, we only have 6 inches of soil left. Essential nutrients were mined from it long ago. Now the bulk of our food is empty calories with consequent loss of health and vitality.

Health Care: The current system has failed to maintain the health of the population. Drug resistant strains of many diseases are on the rise.

Energy: We have squandered our non-renewable energy supplies. We can look forward to increasing costs for diminishing supplies of energy.

Environment: We have poisoned the planet we live on.

——————————————————–

The Solution: Read the complete Post.

Innovative development will house 45 families, a farm, businesses
Brian Lewis, The Province
Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008
Original article

One of the Fraser Valley’s better kept secrets is the picturesque village of Yarrow, where even today it feels more appropriate to drive down its main street in nothing newer than a ‘56 Chevy.

However, just across from “Hank the Barber” on Yarrow Central Road, you’ll find a unique development project that’s capturing attention from as far away as Kansas and California. Read the complete Post.

VPO note - While Vancouver twiddles its fingers and proceeds with Gateway - streetcars (electric rail is more efficient than buses, and MUCH cheaper than Skytrain) are making a comeback in the US.

By BOB DRIEHAUS

Published: August 13, 2008

Original Article in the NY Times

CINCINNATI — From his months-old French bistro, Jean-Robert de Cavel sees restored Italianate row houses against a backdrop of rundown tenements in this city’s long-struggling Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

Multimedia

Slide Show

He also sees a turnaround for the district, thanks to plans to revive a transit system that was dismantled in the 1950s: the humble streetcar line.

“Human beings can be silly because we move away from things too quickly in this country,” Mr. de Cavel said. “Streetcar is definitely going to create a reason for young people to come downtown.”

Cincinnati officials are assembling financing for a $132 million system that would connect the city’s riverfront stadiums, downtown business district and Uptown neighborhoods, which include six hospitals and the University of Cincinnati in a six- to eight-mile loop. Depending on the final financing package, fares may be free, 50 cents or $1.The city plans to pay for the system with existing tax revenue and $30 million in private investment. The plan requires the approval of Mayor Mark Mallory, a proponent, and the City Council.

At least 40 other cities are exploring streetcar plans to spur economic development, ease traffic congestion and draw young professionals and empty-nest baby boomers back from the suburbs, according to the Community Streetcar Coalition, which includes city officials, transit authorities and engineers who advocate streetcar construction. Read the complete Post.

Original article with slide show

Just how easy is it to hoof it in your ‘hood? A Seattle software company called FrontSeat created WalkScore.Com. The programmeers claim the site indicates whether a neighborhood offers residents enough amenities to get out of their cars. They hope people will consider the site’s “walkability” scores when choosing a place to live. (Photo by Shawn Allee)

Picking a place to live can be a huge environmental decision. Some people argue if you can walk to everything you need, you’ll stay out of your car, and that will cut air pollution. But how do you compare how ‘walkable’ one place is to another? Shawn Allee looks at a Web site that aims to make that a breeze:

Get your Walk Score

The Walk Score for Logan Square neighborhood

by Rex Weyler
From his “Deep Green” column
Original article

As the era of cheap liquid fuels draws to an end, everything about modern consumer society will change. Likewise, developing societies pursuing the benefits of globalization will struggle to grow economies in an era of scarce liquid fuels. The most localized, self-reliant communities will experience the least disruption.

Oil is a fixed asset of the planet, representing stored sunlight accumulated over a billion years as early marine algae, and other marine organisms (not dinosaurs) captured solar energy, formed carbon bonds, gathered nutrients, died, sank to the ocean floors, and lay buried under eons of sediment. Like any fixed non-renewable resource, oil is limited, and its consumption will rise, peak, and decline.

World oil production increased for 150 years until the spring of 2005, when world crude oil production reached about 74.3 million barrels per day (mb/d), and total liquid fuels, including tar sands, liquefied gas, and biofuels reached about 85 mb/d. In spite of the efforts since, and tales of “trillions of barrels” of oil in undiscovered fields, liquid fuel production has remained at about 85.5 mb/d for three years, the longest sustained plateau in modern petroleum history. Discoveries of new fields peaked 40 years ago. Read the complete Post.