oil

Beyond agriculture – the myths and the alternatives

James Samuel — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 12:01:48 +0000

Agriculture was the great leap forward for humanity, or so we’ve been told. but is it true? Toby Hemenway, in this compelling talk Redesigning Civilisation – with Permaculture, lays out a different picture and dispels the myths of agriculture as the great liberator from a life we are told was brutish and short.

At this point I feel compelled to assure you, this is not a casual criticism of agriculture or farmers. I have been one and I hold a deep respect for that culture, so if you are reading this article and have a background in rural activities, thank you for reading this far, and I welcome you to take this journey of discovery with me.

The essence of agriculture, which the origin of the word points to, is the cutting of trees to make way for open fields – to then grow large areas of a small number crops, or grass for animals. Given this suggestion the term sustainable agriculture, must surely be an oxymoron, as there are few if any areas of the earth where agriculture has been practiced for long periods of time, which do not show signs of degradation and loss of soil, water and human health. The origins of this open field approach can be traced back to the ‘fertile crescent‘ in the Middle East - where years of grain agriculture has turned the land to desert and the soil to salt-laden sand.

Peak Cycling?: Modern Bicycles Are Oil Hungry Beasts

Andrew McKay — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 07:27:35 +0000

http://www.southernlimitsnz.com/2012/04/peak-cycling-modern-bicycles-are-oil.html

The Reasons Why The Marsden Point Refinery Expansion May Not Happen

Andrew McKay — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:42:09 +0000

http://www.southernlimitsnz.com/2012/04/reasons-why-marsden-point-refinery.html

Fracking Benefits Overblown?

Andrew McKay — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:32:14 +0000

Why is it that oil and gas companies such as TAG Oil and Apache are so aggressively pursuing exploration of gas fields in New Zealand when US gas prices are at a 10 year record low of US$2.176 per mBtu? In January both Chesapeake Energy and ConocoPhillips announced plans to reduce gas natural gas output and shift towards more oil drilling.

Oil and Gas in Steep Decline - Taranaki report

Denis Tegg — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:15:20 +0000

Venture Taranaki have produced an immaculately presented report entitled "The Wealth Beneath Our Feet".

Petrobas drilling for Oil off New Zealand coast

Andrew — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:42:53 +0000

This is a must read for those concerned about New Zealands clean gren image or the environment.

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BzGgkpYMYy7XMzY2NzljOWYtNGEyNi00Y2Q...

New research shows 7 out of 10 Kiwis want NZ Govt to prepare for Peak Oil

senjmito — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:56:31 +0000

WWF NZ has commissioned a couple of opinion polls on the government's response (or
lack of it) to projected oil price increases. Here are the press releases they issued about the results. Both are well worth checking out.

http://www.wwf.org.nz/?4960/Seven-out-of-ten-Kiwis-want-Govt-to-prepare-for-peak-oil

Opec earnings reach US$1.251 trillion

Daryl — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:18:09 +0000

Opec's earnings from oil exports are expected to reach a record US$1.251 trillion ($NZ1.68 trillion) this year, about US$73 billion more than previously estimated, the US government's top energy forecasting agency said on Tuesday.