French PM warns that we are running out of oil
Posted by Jerome a Paris on March 13, 2008 - 8:02am in The Oil Drum: Europe
| Pétrole: François Fillon prône de "changer progressivement de sources d'énergie" | Oil: François Fillon says we have to move to other energy sources | |
| "S'agissant de l'essence, il faut bien se mettre dans la tête qu'il n'y a pas de solution à cette question autre que de changer progressivement de sources d'énergie parce qu'on est devant une pénurie avancée", a souligné le Premier ministre sur RTL.
(...) "Si on dit aux Français 'ne vous inquiétez pas on va trouver des moyens artificiels pour baisser le prix de l'essence et vous pouvez continuer à consommer de l'essence comme avant', on se trompe", a mis en garde le chef du gouvernement. "Il faut mettre tout l'argent disponible sur la recherche d'énergies alternatives". AP |
"Speaking of gas, we have to get in our minds that there is no other solution to this question than to move to other energy sources because we are facing a forewarned shortage"
(...) "If we tell the French: 'don't worry, we'll find artificial ways to lower the price of gas and you can continue to use gasoline as before', it's a lie", warned the head of government. "We have to put all available money on alternative energy R&D" |
Will his government actually listen to what he is saying?
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De Villepin in September of 2005:
Enough words, let's get to action.
Fillon is a lot more specific in this case, in saying that promises of lower prices are lies.
The politicians that talk about peak oil like de Villepin do it in a very theoretical way, as if they were not directly concerned. Fillon is on the same ground, except for that point about not making promises which, I think, is a step further, because it brings the debate (or it should, ie he takes the risk that it might) into the political arena today.
Thanks, Jerome (and Luis).
It's interesting that French politicians are in the forefront in facing up to energy realities as they were in 1974 after the first oil shock when they instigated a successful policy to move away from fossil fuel based power generation to nuclear.
It's also interesting that this time de Villepin speaks specifically of developing renewables rather than nuclear. What is the state of the debate in France on the balance between nuclear and renewables? Here in the UK it remains, at least in much of the media, highly ideological (that is, "nukes? yuk!" versus "wind turbines? yuk!"). My impression is that in France the debate is more pragmatic and hopefully more constructive.
Tony Blair is comming to the rescue with climate change now, perhaps someone can divert his attention to peak oil, but thats not a trendy topic yet!. Its hard to believe with oil at 110 dollars a barrel, it barely makes any news in the UK. Last year, the oil price sometimes mentioned on the BBC News 24 "Business news".
The film "The End Of Suburbia" may have told more truths than most would like to admit. It predicted much of whats happening today in America, It was made about 2002, and things were very rosy then.
Something else that has occurred to me is the $200 billion or so the US is about to inject into its economy will be eaten up by oil price increases of the last year very soon, about 6 months I think. Its quite daunting when you look at the numbers involved!
Sorry, but is this supposed to be ironic? Blair used to go on frequently about how the UK was "leading the way" on climate change, and yet where are we? Only just starting to talk about a new nuclear programme, and languishing at the bottom of the European (and OECD) league for renewable energy, and with a poor record on home insulation. As for the UK media and Peak Oil, only the Guardian seems able to discuss the matter openly, in particular through a series of articles by David Strahan. The BBC was broaching the subject a couple of years back. Indeed the website had a revealing interview with the CEO of Cairn Oil - recognised as a world leader in locating new oil fields - in which he said that the age of cheap oil was over. This article has been removed from the website, which is very unusual for the Beeb, and suggests the subject has become taboo.
bh
I've read David Strahan's book "The Last Oil Shock". Its probably the most readable of all the books on the issue. Yes, the guardian published at least one article on its front page last year, it was headlined something like "a world without oil".
This very point was made on radio 4 the other day. UK Politicians (mainly our PM) constantly go on about a legally binding target of 20% by 2020. As I have said before, is the target legally binding, or is achieving the target legally binding?(cynicism). I think John Humphreys is aware of peak oil, he has raised the Issue on Radio 4's Today programme on a couple of programmes that I have listened to. Trouble is he is a minority, as are R4 listeners probably.
1 la " micro-phrase" de FILLON est bien loin de ce que devrait faire en information un VRAI DIRIGEANT
THE MICRO PHRASE of Fillon is very far of what the REAL
ENDEAVOUR of a prime minister shall be !
2 Que ne l 'a -t-il PAS DIT lors de la mensongère campagne électorale 2007 de Sarkozy .pourquoi ( carrière !! ) est-il resté
LA VOIX DE SON MAITRE " la croissance JE vais aller LA CHERCHER !!
3 % , 3,5% / AN !!!!! sous-entendu : moi j'en ai DEUX !!!
Why does he NOT INFORM HE FRENCH PEOPLE en 2007, during the
2007 electoral campaign of SARKOZY , very full of lies & dissimulations !!
Why was he in the role of THE VOICE OF HIS MASTER ?? ( career ??? )
THE GROWTH ,i will search her ! 3 % / annum ;3,5% Were the false
& insustainable promises &lies of Sarkozy
THE GREAT GOD GROWTH !!
The same lies were in the mooth of Miss ROYAL
3 ceci est d' autant plus remarquable que fillon fut un GRAND FANATIQUE DE LA DESTRUCTION DU PETROLE EN COURSES AUTOMOBILES !!!!
that is more remrkable , as Fillon is in youth , was a Fanatic of massive exhaustion of oil , as a runner of high speed competition cars , a massive polluter
4 et que Madame LAGARDE , ministre , l ' a déjà vaguement suggéré
(et immédiatement conseillée de LA FERMER )
& Madame Lagarde , minister of the exchequer , was prayed to
SHUT UP in 2007 , by sarkozy directly , when she evocated once
same necessary ecoomic RIGOUR
5 enfin , c'est mieux que rien
la phrase est bien sur FLOUE et DONC FAUSSE quand même : il ne faut pas changer progressivement mAIS RAPIDEMENT !!
but it is better that NOTHING !
6 c'est déjà mieux que l 'aberration démagogique de HOLLANDE qui réclamait encore il y a 1 an et demi de modifier la TIPP
Several times I have said that the French are moving in the right direction (unlike us Americans), but at 20 kph. If the future will requires faster movement, it is MUCH easier to speed up from 20 kph to 120 kph than to 120 kph (or 200 kph to make up for lost time) when one is stuck in a ditch.
What are the French doing right ?
Velib bicycles in a new city every few months, and more rental bicycles added to established cities. Perhaps Paris will need 500,000 velibs in 2012, they have 20,000 and another 6,000 on order (correct ?)
1,500 km of new trams in a decade. Perhaps these can be built by 2015 in an emergency. No new Metros, but these can also be built if needed.
I believe 5 million solar hot water heaters are planned. Perhaps 10 or 12 million instead ?
SCNF is supposed to be 100% electrified by 2025, can this be done quicker ?
More freight by SCNF, now THAT is a challenge ! And more by barge.
One new EPR nuclear reactor in Normandy to sell electricity to the English.
What have I missed ?
Best Hopes for France,
Alan
Three new TGV lines are now under construction I believe.