Man-Made Climate Change: Issues and debates

[Capablanca-Fan]

Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Closer Look at Tax Breaks and Societal Costs

Agreed. We should not subsidize.

* Pipelines are NOT net-zero emissions

But do they need to be? They are surely less emissive than driving a truck, let alone an oil tanker across the ocean.

* Pump prices are not affected. They would be if gasoline extracted from tar sands entered the domestic market. Refining tar sand is more difficult, more costly and more energy intensive than petroleum

All the same, it would be a damper on OPEC price raising, because they dare price their oil so high that refining tar sand would become more economical.

Pipelines may (or may not) be the safest of all options, but they are by no means safe

But most likely to be safer than alternative means of transport, and greener. Trucks and tankers can have massive spills.

The Access Northeast was originally planned to commence construction in mid-2018, so would have been unlikely to supplant that Russian tanker
…

But oil prices today reflect anticipated future prices to restock inventory. This is why there was a huge price hike in petrol in the USA before the Putin invasion: since petrol outlets knew that Biden was sabotaging US oil production (apparently oil from anywhere else doesn't pollute as much), they realized that they would be facing increased costs to resupply the pumps. So they raised current prices so they could afford to restock with the scarcer oil in the future.

[Ian Murray]

I completed this lengthy reply, then ChessChat tipped me out and I lost it. Stomped off and kicked the furniture for a while - now to do it all again, but this time as a draft first

... But do they need to be [net-zero emissions]? They are surely less emissive than driving a truck, let alone an oil tanker across the ocean.

The City Journal editor (and all editors) should exercise greater fact-checking of his journalists' pieces. One reader at least (me!) took instant umbrage at such a glaring error - there are people out there who would believe it.

Total emissions should be measured over whole-of-length and whole-of-life. The Keystone XL feedstock was to have come from the Albakatha tar sand deposits (a mixture of bitumen, sand, water, sulphur and other toxics) in Canada. The environmental damage and GHG released can be intuited from this series of photos. Then there are the fugitive leaks at the refinery/tank farm end, and those along the way. Add in the pumping station emissions - every time the topography rises the fluid in the pipeline has to be pumped over the rise.
.

All the same, it would be a damper on OPEC price raising, because they dare price their oil so high that refining tar sand would become more economical.

Probably, but it's academic as the stuff would be going offshore and not into Americans' SUVs.

But most likely to be safer than alternative means of transport, and greener. Trucks and tankers can have massive spills.

Pipeline spills are in a league of their own. The San Bruno explosion registered on the Richter scale at observatories, while the Aliso Canyon blowout spewed 30-58 tonnes of methane and ethane into the atmosphere per hour.And it took four months to be capped.

But oil prices today reflect anticipated future prices to restock inventory. This is why there was a huge price hike in petrol in the USA before the Putin invasion: since petrol outlets knew that Biden was sabotaging US oil production (apparently oil from anywhere else doesn't pollute as much), they realized that they would be facing increased costs to resupply the pumps. So they raised current prices so they could afford to restock with the scarcer oil in the future.

Seems like a stretch to me. Biden hit the pause button on new drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Even if they aren't resumed it will be some years down the track before the lost production will show up in the market.

And in those years, and beyond, Big Oil is facing a diminishing domestic market as decarbonisation of road traffic starts to bite. That's not airy-fairy wishful thinking - it's happening. The UAW and big automakers are onside (e.g. GM has committed $35 billion to launching a new range of 30 zero-emission vehicles by 2025). By 2030 - eight years off - 40% of new light vehicles will have no exhaust pipe.

So why would Big Oil want to invest in new infrastructure to supply a vanishing market?

[Ian Murray]

Interior Department to resume oil and gas leasing, charge higher fees

[Ian Murray]

Unregulated Texas Gas Pipeline Triggers a Huge Methane Leak

[Ian Murray]

Carbon Capture’s Epic Fail: giant Gorgon gas plant goes ‘phut’

... “Gorgon CCS failed to reach its pre-defined targets,” says report author LNG/gas analyst Bruce Robertson. “CCS technology has been operating for 50 years. If Chevron and its partners can’t get it to work these past five years at Gorgon, it’s not an effective technology for reducing carbon emissions.”

Moreover, attempting to use CCS to reduce the emissions from gas is very shortsighted. As noted by the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the majority of emissions from gas occur when the gas is burnt, not when it is produced.

These emissions, called Scope 3 emissions, are where the problem lies and where Australia has a significant impact on the warming climate. ...

[Desmond]

Costs of climate change

Brisbane's Toombul Shopping Centre retailers have leases terminated by Mirvac after floods

Retailers and shoppers have been left devastated by developer Mirvac's cancellation of retail leases after Toombul Shopping Centre was flooded in February.

Business owners have been receiving letters informing them "it is impractical and undesirable to reinstate the centre to how it was prior to the flooding damage".

Key points:

• One retailer says the news comes as a blow after a period without income, but would be worse for those without insurance
• A Mister Minit franchisee says the business was part of his retirement plan and that he will have to "start from scratch"
• Mirvac is yet to comment on the situation

...

[Ian Murray]

Costs of climate change

Brisbane's Toombul Shopping Centre retailers have leases terminated by Mirvac after floods

Retailers and shoppers have been left devastated by developer Mirvac's cancellation of retail leases after Toombul Shopping Centre was flooded in February.

Business owners have been receiving letters informing them "it is impractical and undesirable to reinstate the centre to how it was prior to the flooding damage".

Key points:

• One retailer says the news comes as a blow after a period without income, but would be worse for those without insurance
• A Mister Minit franchisee says the business was part of his retirement plan and that he will have to "start from scratch"
• Mirvac is yet to comment on the situation

...

Among the forced closures:

Australia’s largest EV fast-charging site closes as Mirvac ends Toombul leases

[Ian Murray]

Australia has the resources to be a renewable energy superpower, now it needs a plan

The last federal government has left a considerable mess in the electricity sector for the incoming Labor government to clean up.

Last year the Clean Energy Investor Group commissioned research which demonstrated that barriers and risks for clean energy investment in the National Electricity Market are holding back projects and pushing up the cost of the transition by $7 billion.

Meanwhile fossil fuel generation continues to decline. Origin Energy, EnergyAustralia and AGL have brought forward the retirement dates for coal power stations in NSW and Victoria, wholesale prices are rising, and coal outages continue to increase.

In theory, these coal plant retirements and outages should pose no threat to security and reliability. If the Australian Energy Market Operator’s Integrated System Plan (ISP) and the redesign of the National Electricity Market were on track, then there would be no problem.

If the last federal government had provided steady leadership over the past nine years, Australia would have enough new clean energy generation and storage coming online to replace coal as it retires or fails.

The international and Australian investors represented by CEIG stand ready to provide the $70 billion in private sector investment required, if the conditions are right. ...

[littlesprout85]

Sprout is totally on board with Ian Murrays way of thinking on this subject.....

Sprouty will go into further details at a later date up in here for da Sprout has great insight into this topic. Sprouts insight comes from investments in both these commodities (natural gas & oil) that most people in America n world wide don't have n will totally spill da beans when ems has a lil more time to explain ems position on this thread......

Sprout85 =)

[Ian Murray]

Sprout is totally on board with Ian Murrays way of thinking on this subject.....

Sprouty will go into further details at a later date up in here for da Sprout has great insight into this topic. Sprouts insight comes from investments in both these commodities (natural gas & oil) that most people in America n world wide don't have n will totally spill da beans when ems has a lil more time to explain ems position on this thread......

Sprout85 =)

Hey Sproutz

At first whiff, investing in oil and gas is not the road to decarbonising the planet. I look forward to your take on it.

[littlesprout85]

Awww Nice !!! Thanks for your vote of approval Murrays in da Sprout brotha :s But lets delve into this topic a bit further to reveal da true scope of this calamity that da US Oil n Natural Gas Industries has imposed on da Earth

This Topic is going to take a whole book for sprout to explain ems position n will be totally published very soon on ems own website to enlighten da world on whats really going on with these industries(oil n natural gas) locally here stateside & da rest of da world. JOY JOY !!!!1

We all know that US Oil n Natural Gas Industries had gone global way back in da early 1950's after WW2. Back then da US Policy was to use up all da oil over seas first(Saudi & elsewhere) so that later on in da late 20th century n into da 21st century da States & da US Oil Industries would have a world wide monopoly when it comes to da Black Liquid Gold(oil). Thus able to set their (US Oil n Gas Companies) own over inflated price onto da whole word n nobody will be able to skirt them anymore.

Way back then in da 1950's da majority of all oil wells stateside were capped off in order to use up all da foreigners oil first at a way cheaper price than we are seeing these days in da 21st century. But way back then in da 1950's when this US Energy Policy was put into effects, They didn't (Republican Party & da Heads of all US Oil n Gas Companies whom themselves are Republican) see Solar & Wind Energy(green clean energy) to be da true way of da future when it comes to worlds energy needs. This was mainly brought about directly from da US Companies Scorched Earth Policy of just pump til da well runs dry in foreign lands & here at home stateside.

These US Based Industries(Oil n Natural Gas) also didn't clean up after these used up wells ran dry(passing da buck) n quickly move on to da next rig in order to max out their profits here n aboard in foreign lands. Just pass da buck so to speak of onto da foreign countries n local oil n gas well owners that hosted such nonsense to begin with.

Another Big Point to make is that da US Oil n Natural Gas Industries failed too for see back then in da 1950's when this US World Energy Policy was put into effects is da simple fact that da Saudi Oil fields & da rest of da Middle Eastern Countries wouldn't run outta Oil til da 22nd century

Sprouty is just getting started here on this topic n will continue to enlighten da closed off minds that refuse to see whats really happening on a global level these days when it comes to this topic . . . . . .

-Sprout85 =)

[Ian Murray]

... Sprouty is just getting started here on this topic n will continue to enlighten da closed off minds that refuse to see whats really happening on a global level these days when it comes to this topic . . . . . .

-Sprout85 =)

So far so good. Then in 1960 along comes OPEC ...

[MichaelBaron]

Wondering if having more nuclear power stations would make it easier for countries around the globe (particularly European nations) not to be dependent on oil and gas imports from Russia or harder?

[MichaelBaron]

https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/could-n...russian-energy

The nuclear plants reintroduction perspective...

[Ian Murray]

Wondering if having more nuclear power stations would make it easier for countries around the globe (particularly European nations) not to be dependent on oil and gas imports from Russia or harder?

Irrelevant. Other renewables are cheaper and deliverable much earlier.

REPowerEU: Joint European action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy

... Phasing out our dependence on fossil fuels from Russia can be done well before 2030. To do so, the Commission proposes to develop a REPowerEU plan that will increase the resilience of the EU-wide energy system based on two pillars: Diversifying gas supplies, via higher Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and pipeline imports from non-Russian suppliers, and larger volumes of biomethane and renewable hydrogen production and imports; and, reducing faster the use of fossil fuels in our homes, buildings, industry, and power system, by boosting energy efficiency, increasing renewables and electrification, and addressing infrastructure bottlenecks.

Full implementation of the Commission's ‘Fit for 55' proposals would already reduce our annual fossil gas consumption by 30%, equivalent to 100 billion cubic metres (bcm), by 2030. With the measures in the REPowerEU plan, we could gradually remove at least 155 bcm of fossil gas use, which is equivalent to the volume imported from Russia in 2021. Nearly two thirds of that reduction can be achieved within a year, ending the EU's overdependence on a single supplier. The Commission proposes to work with Member States to identify the most suitable projects to meet these objectives, building on the extensive work done already on national Recovery and Resilience Plans. ...