Comments on: Surprise, Surprise, Surprise: Whistleblower says IEA Lied About How Much Oil is Left

By: curiousalexa

curiousalexa — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:05:31 +0000

I was at my ex-boyfriends last night packing up the last of my stuff. I mentioned this report – his answer was “of course they lied, duh!” in a way that indicated it didn’t matter.

I asked him if he wasn’t concerned that commercial agriculture and its delivery system is dependent on affordable and available petroleum, and he shrugged it off. Something will replace oil.

He then told me about a new battery technology that is expected to be available in 5 years, that solar has now reached price parity with oil, and we (the US?) have lots of fallow fields we can plant with more food.

He is firmly in the ‘technology will save us’ camp. I’m firmly in the ‘I’ll believe the technology when I see it, meanwhile I’m making other plans’ camp. We’re both boggled by the other’s viewpoint, and are now headed in different directions.

I hope he’s right, but I can’t bring myself to have his faith in *promised* technology. I hope I’m wrong, because he’ll be among the millions to suffer.
Either way, I cannot in good conscience continue living the American Dream Lifestyle. And this report just reinforces my decisions.

By: Bill--TN

Bill--TN — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:07:04 +0000

Well, it surely seems that that the oil-driven and enabled economy is at an end. At least this possibilility, probability, ought to be on everyone’s mind.

The American populace is so totally ignorant of this and the consequences.

Makes me sad and, at the same time, glad that I’m of the age I am. Future generations are screwed by this system—they just can’t see it yet.

A lifestyle based on oil and suburbia is just a total looser.

In my humble opinion.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:22:08 +0000

Do go on and read professor and ASPO president Aleklett’s comments on his personal blog about behinde-the-scenes knowledge of IEA’s fudging and politcal massaging of its figures:

http://aleklett.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/kommentarer-till-%E2%80%9Ckey-oil-figures-were-distorted-by-us-pressure-says-whistleblower%E2%80%9D-the-guardian/

“The pressure [in 2004] was that the IEA should consider the prognoses that USA’s Energy Information Agency releases half a year earlier as guidelines for the IEA report. [...] I have, at various times, communicated my view that Guy Caruso (who was then responsible for the EIA and its prognoses) was one of the world’s most dangerous people. Today a great deal of the responsibility for this situation rests with him. I have also asserted that I did not think that the level of competence within the IEA could be so low that all of its officers believed in what they have been presenting. What these faulty analyses will cost the world in the future is difficult to estimate but all the crisis packages that are currently in place are presumably a smaller part of that cost.”

By: Lisa Z

Lisa Z — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:12:13 +0000

I first heard about this on NPR this morning. They interviewed someone, whom I believe was from The Guardian, about it. I hardly heard it because I was so astonished, and went looking for the internet link right away!

By: hughowens

hughowens — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:04:38 +0000

Thanks Sharon for posting your comment on the whistleblower at the IEA. Did you notice they did not give his(her) name? I was going to feature this tidbit on my energy blog as well this morning but chose to emphasize the almost completely ignored report from Reuters of The Saudis moving to have their crude listed on the Argus US Sour Crude Index in London. Seems they are sick of priced in dollars volatility and the future speculators at the NYMEX. There are a lot of potential implications to this move besides the possible end of petrodollar pricing.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:10:16 +0000

I read in the Wall Street Journal today that 1.3 million people will be out of unemployment insurance by the end of the year. “Things are unravelling fast now Aladdin”
Karen

By: Mia @ agoodhuman

Mia @ agoodhuman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:45:14 +0000

Wow….that sure is interesting. My heart is beating a little faster now.

Lately I’ve been feeling the need to get prepared much faster than I’m currently able. I fear this is all going to be upon us sooner rather than later.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:56:01 +0000

Jen: I share your belief that we’ll be in full-blown depression by the end of 2010, although I am hoping for another miraculous scenario.

Susan: Thanks for the link. I just wish that more than a sliver of the 200 millionish adults in this country would seek out alternate news sources, but since they don’t, it’s just disheartening to see the relative lack of coverage.

Finally, in my post, “disfunction” obviously should have been “dysfunction.” Oops.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:42:41 +0000

This story WAS picked up by http://www.rawstory.com so it is available in the US, you just have to search places that pick up the not so published news.

I would bet Ilargi and Stoneleigh have this linked as well, although I haven’t gotten my fix of doomer porn yet today to know for sure. (reading them is depressing, but at least I knew ahead of time thanks to them that I was going to be on the chopping block. It didn’t come as a huge surprise.)

By: Shamba

Shamba — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:42:09 +0000

Garsh! Who woulda thought such a thing was possible–both the not telling the truth and the thought that we are running out of oil!!!!!

thanks for the story link, Sharon.

Peace, Shamba