Nick Galvin, Sydney Morning Herald
Oil is close to running out, and chaos will follow, according to a US expert.
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Richard Heinberg is an unlikely latter-day Jeremiah. The contrast between this quietly spoken Californian college professor and accomplished classical violinist and his explosive message couldn't be more marked.

Heinberg, who is embarking on an Australia-wide speaking tour, is a leading proponent of the "peak oil" theory.

Jeremy Cato, Globe & Mail
The truth is, it is not as environmentally friendly as its most ardent supporters say and vehicle performance is compromised.
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At first glance, you would think ethanol is not only the cure for global warming, but also a way to reduce our dependence on costly oil imported from trouble spots in the Middle East and elsewhere.

It's not. But that hasn't stopped governments, auto makers and various industry lobby groups from pushing ahead enthusiastically on the ethanol front.

Jim Scharplaz, Prairie Writers Circle via Working For change
How oil and policy emptied American farmland, and how farmer and city dweller alike should anticipate oil’s decline
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...Thanks to cheap fossil fuels, farmers today can treat every acre pretty much the same. Diesel powered machinery can till any soil type. Fertilizer produced using natural gas compensates for variations in natural fertility. Pesticides manufactured from petroleum kill weeds and insects for the whole growing season.

John Siman, Culture Change
I've always loved to teach and have, over the years, internalized much of the good old Socratic methodology -- teaching not by indoctrination, not by forcing the student’s agreement, but by helping her to discover a clarity of thought which she already had inside of her. Socrates himself referred to this gentle way as intellectual midwifery. So whenever I consider a difficult question, I automatically think to myself, Could a bright and motivated teenager figure this out -- conceive of its implications clearly -- with only a little external guidance from me?

Third U.S. Conference on “Peak Oil” and Community Solutions
Beyond Energy Alternatives
The Community Solution
Friday, September 22 – Sunday, September 24, 2006
Yellow Springs, Ohio

This annual event is a key educational and networking opportunity for all individuals concerned about Peak Oil and climate change and who are working to make the necessary changes in their lives and communities.

B Leamy, Corporate Watch
With demand for oil soaring yet supply stable at best, the idea that oil stocks have 'peaked' is increasingly influential. So what are the latest theories around peak oil?
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Around two hundred scientists, economists, analysts and academics attended the 5th International Workshop on Oil and Gas Depletion in Italy this month. Organized by the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO), this event moved on from their previous conferences, which concentrated mostly on providing evidence and attempting to forecast an actual date. This year, most of the invited speakers considered that the argument had now been won and were instead focusing more on possibilities for mitigating the consequences of the coming end of cheap oil.

Nicholas von Hoffman, The Nation
...The big fact is that the major oilfields around the globe are getting tired and are in decline. In due course, unless somebody finds a lot of undiscovered oil, Browne [of BP] and his corporate confreres will have an ever-diminishing amount of oil to sell at an ever-increasing price. Additional assistance in driving up the price of oil may come from politicians in the United States and Great Britain and Israel. Since 9/11, prices at the pump have doubled. If these three countries go ahead with their hearts' desire, an attack on Iran, gasoline at $7 a gallon sounds about right.

By Kathy Chu, USA TODAY
With oil prices exceeding $70 a barrel, investors looking to make a quick buck are losing millions of dollars to sham oil and gas investments.

Typically, these deals involve scamsters who assure investors they can profit from high energy prices by investing in oil wells, for example, or alternative energy sources. State and federal regulators say that while some such investments are legitimate, others are mostly lures used by fraudsters to rip people off.

By Tom Whipple

The mini-crises relating to oil production springing up during the last few weeks seem to have settled down for a while. There is a ceasefire in Lebanon . Iraq has patched up its northern export pipeline for the umpteenth time. BP has figured out that they only have to shut down half the production from Prudhoe Bay . There are no hurricanes in sight, and we have another two weeks before having to do something about Iran 's refusal to shut down its uranium enrichment facilities.

JORGE BARRERA, Ontario Sun
Municipalities are facing a "perfect storm" once the era of cheap oil, cheap water and altered weather patterns hits with full force, says Ontario's environmental commissioner.

In a chilling speech to municipal leaders yesterday, Gord Miller said municipalities are not ready for the massive effect on communities.

"We are entering a period of consequences," said Miller. "Our present public policy is inadequate to deal with these immense problems that are upon us right now."