PowerSwitch

Newsnight is explicitly covering Peak Oil - right now!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/n ... 550286.stm

So good to hear Paxman taking the issue seriously... and a curious lack of peakoil-deniers.

[edit: I take it back, all the complacent deniers have come out in the second half]

since I don't have TV and live in Denmark, I tried to catch it on the website. But the broadcast is not in realtime. I seem to get an older broadcast (it's about China's fast economic growth). I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Hey,

They said the PO words on BBC more than once, good to see kustler speaking sense, a lot of drivel at the end about hydrogen from the 'optomistic' panel members (I particularly liked the economist being positive about the future, without anything to support his viewpoint).

Wow - this is a turn up for the books... just last month I wrote this on my blog:

What I find amazing is why this wasn?t news. Why wasn?t this the talking point of the day with John Humphrys quizzing Malcolm Wicks in the morning, John Snow presenting some scary graphs at 7pm and Jeremy Paxman giving over Newsnight to the emerging crisis, it certainly deserves the coverage. link

I was talking about the UK declining extraction rates of oil, gas and coal recently released from the DTI.

I haven't seen the show yet, hopefully it will be on the website tomorrow.

already on website (only available for next 24 hours though)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/n ... 550286.stm

Just watched it on the web - well done for covering this issue!

Now it is going mainstream and not before time.

PowerSwitchJames wrote:Newsnight is explicitly covering Peak Oil - right now!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/n ... 550286.stm

And also available as streaming video once the prog has finished and until the next one starts - i.e 10.30 Thursday 22nd - from the link on the Newsnight home page.

Decent enough presentation of the basic facts covering the historical sequence of energy sources , from muscle power to crude oil , but a very messy discussion. James Kunstler speaking from the States at one point said 'It sounds like Parliament in there!" - obviously used to the more restrained (boring) style of TV studio debate in the States.

The fundamental point about peak oil - that is it is not 'running out' but the point at which production rate cannot be increased, and thereafter goes into decline - didnt come across too well.

Good to see the subject getting air time. As the price of crude edges inexorably up next year (baring a recession) , I'm guessing we'lll see more of this.

Thank you for pointing it out - I came back from work an hour ago and would've never bothered checking Newsnight otherwise.

As for the show itself - I really hate to say this, as I give them a big "thumbs up" for covering PO, but the way it was done was at best - fair.

The reason I say this is that while for us peakniks, it made a fascinating debate, I'm worried that for other viewers it was probably quite boring after the first ten minutes or so. It certainly wouldn't make me check PO up in google, had I not been a peaknik (unlike say, End of Suburbia).

In more detail:

Not even once was the name Hubbert mentioned.

Not even once was the proper Hubbert Curve shown.

Not even once was the US 1971 PO mentioned (as an example and a warning sign).

Not even once was ERoEI (or Net Energy, or in any other term) mentioned (although there was a very brief mention of it in the debate, regarding shale oil, which was swiftly ignored).

And most disappointing of all, not even once did J. Kunstler say cluster F--k (or shit storm for that matter) Although he did represent us very well with the time he was given (we love you James! )

In short - it was good for viewers who are at least PO aware. Anyway, that's my opinion after watching it once.

Just watched this on The Web and thought it was excellent!!! as far as British TV goes. Its a big step forward. Now we need front page in tabloids and a 7PM TV timeslot. When this will happen I don't know. But this is a major step forward.

My suggestion now is to bombard BBC and ITV with emails about Peak Oil. If they recieve thousands of emails and letters, i'm sure they'll put a programme on. It would only make sense as far as viewers are concerned.

As anyone taped this Newsnight on Video or DVD, prefarbly DVD? If so i'd like to buy a copy from you.

Cheers Wayne

Can anyone find the .rm or .ram file so I can download the whole thing using Net Transport. I don't seem to be able to find it...

My god I nearly had a stroke when I saw Mr Kunstler on Newsnight last night! Has the world been invaded by sane people at last! Never mind that most of the debate wasn't particularly good, due to the flat earth economists etc. Shame someone didn't hightlight the problems with hydrogen after some of the guests atarted talking about it like it's the new petrol or something! At least the issues beginning to break through.

A few points:

People know about environmental issues and continue to do nothing. I know awareness of PO is very important due to the potential social implications but it ain't the be all and end all.

It is also not surprising that PO was talked about on TV last night. This fits in with the propaganda model. What proves the proganda model is that it is not on the main news and front page every day alongside articles on reducing consumerism and environmental issues.

The other news this morning is also interesting. Despite clear and devastating consequences of continued cod fishing in the north sea, fishermen still push for high quotas. Strange that people are so keen to gnaw through the rope that suspends them.

I don't think the problem is people/business not caring about the environment, cod stocks or peak oil (if they knew about it). It's just that they care more about short term economic gain.

I heard the environment minister talking on the radio this morning about the fishing quotas, he went on about how the North Sea fishing fleets were on the brink of collapse and that the agreement was a good compromise between protecting stocks and supporting the industry. I don't doubt he'd like to stop all fishing of these species but he also cares about local economies of the fishing towns next week, next month.

The fisherman pushing for higher quotas? Yeah his fishing today will prevent him and his children fishing on the future, he knows this yet he needs to fish today to pay today?s mortgage and buy his children?s Christmas presents. What do you suggest he does today?

clv101 wrote:The fisherman pushing for higher quotas? Yeah his fishing today will prevent him and his children fishing on the future, he knows this yet he needs to fish today to pay today?s mortgage and buy his children?s Christmas presents. What do you suggest he does today?

Yeah. People figure they will find something else to do tomorrow. And if they dont think they'll be able to find something else, what else can they do but stick their heads in the sand and pray the forecasts are wrong?