£10 a gallon fuel?

The Stroud News Journal's motoring section notes that the UK could suffer more fuel price rises as a result of a shipping industry proposal to switch the world's merchant fleet to diesel, an environmental technology group warns. The increased demand for oil could send the price of a barrel of oil through the 150-dollar mark, impacting further on the price of fuel on UK forecourts.

The proposed shift by the shipping industry comes as it searches for a way to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions, which contribute to acid rain, respiratory illnesses and heart problems.
The independent tanker owners' organisation Intertanko, is calling for a ban on high-sulphur marine fuels in favour of lower sulphur diesels.

A switch to diesel by the shipping industry would be equivalent to one and a half times the annual diesel consumption by motorists in Europe, and would lead to higher prices at British petrol pumps. The Technology for Sustainable Shipping Group states: "The £10 gallon (would become) a distinct possibility as demand begins to outstrip supply. Refineries would need to produce an extra 250 million tonnes of distillate fuels a year to meet the new diesel at sea demand, requiring around one billion tonnes per annum of crude. That's more than double annual production of Saudi Arabia. The increase in the cost of crude oil is also likely to spell bad news for the economy as costs and prices rise."

Of course it doesn't look like they are even acknowledging the issue of peak oil - that will also impact on prices - indeed already is - when is our Government going to wake up??? They spent hours looking at MPs expenses yet only 3 MPs turn up to the meeting last week of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil and Gas meeting on Food Security after Peak Oil. David Drew was one of those MPS - good on him.

A Transition Stroud member joined that meeting to hear presentations by Professor Tim Lang (member of the Sustainable Development Commission etc) and by Gundula Azeez of the Soil Association. Tim Lang's provides shorthand notes - see links below - they sometimes need some explanation - however it is well worth skimming through. Slide 6 shows what TESCO includes in its carbon footprint calculation - although the company has commissioned Manchester University through a £25 million contract to assess its carbon footprint, whilst slides 20-22 show 9 competing views of how to solve the problem - of which the "local food" approach is only one!

The presentations are downloadable at www.appgopo.org.uk or link directly to them here:
http://www.appgopo.org.uk/events/07_250308/timlang.ppt
and here:
http://www.appgopo.org.uk/events/07_250308/gundulaazeez.ppt