British PM warns of global oil 'shock'

[maddezmom]

Source: AFP

LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Wednesday that the world faced an era-defining oil "shock" that required urgent action, as European leaders struggled to contain growing protests over soaring fuel prices.

"It is now understood that a global shock on this scale requires global solutions," Brown wrote in The Guardian newspaper.

Record oil prices of around 135 dollars a barrel have contributed to protests worldwide over the rise in fuel and food costs, with fishermen and truck drivers taking the lead in Europe, blocking ports and road access to oil depots.

"However much we might wish otherwise, there is no easy answer to the global oil problem without a comprehensive international strategy," Brown said, adding that the problem should be made a "top priority" at the EU summit next month and the gathering of G8 leaders in July.

"The way we confront these issues will define our era," he said.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080528/wl_afp/europeenergyprotestinflation_080528133039

[marmar]

1. We are definitely being prepped for something......

..... But if the entire truth came out at once, instead of trickling out in little fragments, there would be total economic/social chaos.

[matt007]

4. peak oil

It will come out that Saudi Arabia is about to reach peak. That means its running out. We'll get some kind of announcement like that in a year or two.

It will be impossible for supply to catch demand and prices will stay around 6-7$ a gallon. American Ex-burbs and far flung suburbs will slowly disentegrate.

[Acadia Blue]

6. I have already psychologically adjusted myself to reallocating ;my

already meager spending habits.

[Acadia Blue]

7. I have already psychologically adjusted myself to reallocating ;my

already meager spending habits.

[Baby Snooks]

8. Not at all...

King Abdullah recently announced he will not allow development of remaining fields within Saudi Arabia for export in order to guarantee that Saudis have oil for the next 100 years. Some may look upon that as an indication that Saudi Arabia has peaked and is moving into the depletion cycle but in fact it merely is an indication that Saudi Arabia does not intend to become a "net importer" of oil the way so many other countries have. The United States and Great Britain are "net importers" and Mexico may become one as well although some in the Mexican government are more in favor of taking the position of Saudi Arabia.

The reality is that we will see more oil wars. Which we may not win. Iraq is an oil war. One which Bush would like to expand into Iran.

Brazil was the only country that 30 years ago realized the reality of the peak and depletion cycle that the world would face at some point and moved to create "oil independence" in Brazil. By luck, they have discovered oil off the coast. But it will be used for export. Brazil really doesn't need the oil at this point. And the money from the oil will be used to create hydroelectric plants and research into even more "biofuels" and other forms of alternative energy. None of it nuclear by the way.

They set an example the rest of the world should have followed. Instead the rest of the world followd the example the United States set.

[freedomnorth]

11. Source of King Abdullahs comments please...? n/t.

[freedomnorth]

12. Yes. Peak is here. n/t.

[lapfog_1]

2. Duh. - n/t

[matt007]

15. I second that

or at least regulate the hell out of them. Put em on a tight leash. lol

I think that if we dont nationalize em then they'll all just relocate to the U.A.E. and Bahrain

[lovuian]

3. we really DON"T need this stuff

as badly as they say

[Acadia Blue]

5. The French are usually the most aggressive protestors but the

Brits do it when necessary. USA has become a nation of wimps.

[reggie the dog]

16. to protest high fuel prices

Fishermen in Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy are going to begin unlimited strikes Friday this week. They will be bloking ports, including ports where oil tankers come in....Truckers in France are begining strikes which paralize the expressways in France and the movement is to spread to Portugal Spain and Italy next week. Farmers have also started blocking roads here in France with talk of the strike going from Portugal to Italy.

Also thanks to the Dutch the French are demanding why CEO's salaries are going up so much while our workers salaries are stagnating. We are calling for goverment control either at the French or European level. Vive la révolution pacifiste!!!!

[NBachers]

9. Wasn't there some president in the USA

back in the late '70's who put the nation on a program of reduced oil consumption and alternative energy development? He was a Democrat, wasn't he? Whatever happened to that guy?

[htuttle]

13. I think he was building houses for awhile

Won some kinda fancy prize for it, too.

[reggie the dog]

18. put on a sweater and turn the thermostat down!!!

That is what we do. We set it at 20 degrees (about 68 degrees in your degrees)and we wear, gasp,,,, long pants or jeans, sweaters or flannels, slippers.....and we sleep under a quilt because at night we set the temperature at 18 or 64 in your degrees....the horror, ...the horror....

and in the summer time, we wear shorts.....perhaps even no tops when it is 100 outside. We shut the shutters, shut the windows during the day, and we have a cave effect. Even when it has been 100 to 105 for a week the temperature never got above 88 in our apartment during the day. At night we open the shutters and windows and it cools off to the outside temperature of about 65 or 70 (yes I know it cools off great at night because it is very dry here and dry air cools off. Humid heat is different, but even on Reunion Island my family has no air condidtioning). We sleep,,, gasp,,,,,,under no sheets or blankets..........when it gets really warm inside we eat....;sorbet or ice cream.....the horror the horror.......

[conspirator]

10. that's just hypocrisy. NATIONALIZE THE GREEDY OIL FUCKERS and prices will go back to normal n/t

[reggie the dog]

17. How much is gasoline in Venezuela?

[Delphinus]

14. If

*WE* had a president in this country, our Interstate speed limits would be back to 55 mph; he (or she) would advocate the cutting of the workweek to four days per week (where possible); she (or he) would get our rail systems up and running; etc., anon, and so on.

[reggie the dog]

19. 55?

I can attest to the FACT that my mid sized Romaninan Dacia Logan station wagon gets 60 mpg at 55 mph and only 40 mpg at our 81 mph (130 km per hour) expressway speed limit. I take back roads in that car when at all possible. In my French small sized Peugeot 206 I get 60 mpg at 55, 81, or 110 mph (I went to germany and rolled at 180km per hour for 2 and a half hours and still got 60 mpg on the tank). I think really really small cars do not have the same loss of fuel economy when going fast. It least that is my experience with my 2 diesel burning cars over here in France.;Any experts out there care to fill me in on whether or not the size of the car comes into play with the violent loss of economy that happens between 55 and 65 mph in european mid and large cars (my small car is smaller than anything in the USA except perhaps an old Honda civic.....or a Yugo.....