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Monthly Archives: October 2011
Optimism versus Ignorance
When it comes to scientific topics like peak oil and climate change, are people’s opinions based on optimism, or ignorance? Does optimism prevent people from even obtaining the information that would make them less optimistic? To answer this, consider what … Continue reading
Long-Term Reliability of Power Systems In North America
A summary of: North American Electric Reliability Council. Oct 2006. Summary of 2006 Long-Term Reliability Assessment: The Reliability of the Bulk Power Systems In North America Capacity Margin — Capacity that could be available to cover random factors such as … Continue reading
Posted in Electric Grid, Energy
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Electric Grid Overview
Renewable energy to power civilization, augment and extend the fossil fuel epoch, depends on a reliable and vastly expanded electric grid. There’s no point in even thinking about wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear power otherwise. A quick way to get … Continue reading
The electric grid: fragile, filthy, poorly managed, polluting, inefficient, corrupt
A book review of: Munson, Richard. 2008. From Edison to Enron: The Business of Power and What It Means for the Future of Electricity We’ve only been able to use electricity about a century, with profound changes in lifestyle. We … Continue reading
When Will the Lights Go Out?
Jason Makansi. 2007. Lights Out: The Electricity Crisis, the Global Economy, and What It Means To You. This is a well-written book that explains how our very complex electrical transmission system works, and the problems we face as the transmission … Continue reading
BioInvasion
BioInvasion Overview Animals Diseases Insects Ocean Plants Over 50,000 non-native species cause over $120 billion dollars of damage, per year, in the United States More than 120,000 species have invaded the USA, UK, Australia, India, South Africa and Brazil Invaders … Continue reading
Plant BioInvasion
Apr 23, 2002 Caspian Environment Struggles As Nations Jockey Over Energy Riches. ABC news. Scott Dogget. Dec 28, 2004 In a chokehold: California’s native landscape is losing ground as aggressive imports run wild. Los Angeles Times. Aug 26, 2005 Non-native … Continue reading
Animal BioInvasion
Mongoose. Brought to kill rats in sugar plantations in Puerto Rico and Hawaii in the 1800s. Now they’re destroying native birds, amphibians, and reptiles that would have been beneficial for pest control. 12 species of reptiles and amphibians have been … Continue reading
Posted in 2) Collapse, BioInvasion
Tagged animal bioinvasion, cats, dogs, english sparrow, mongoose, rats
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Insect BioInvasion
Ant BioInvasion Fire Ants. Integrated Pest Management Manual. National Park Service. Senate Rpt.105-073 – Agricultural research, extension, & Education reform act of 1997 Ironically, Buh’s The Fire Ant Wars Nature, Science, and Public Policy in Twentieth-Century America book shows how … Continue reading
Posted in 2) Collapse, BioInvasion
Tagged ant, ash borer, beetle, Bioinvasion, deforestation, fire ant, mountain pine beetle, small hive beetle
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Ocean BioInvasion
7 Sep 2011. Giant Crabs invade Antarctica. New Scientist (original source Proceedings of the Royal Society) More than a million large 3-foot wide crabs have invaded deep Antarctic waters after the water warmed up enough for them to survive. They’ve … Continue reading
Posted in 2) Collapse, BioInvasion
Tagged antarctic, biodiversity, Bioinvasion, collapse, crabs, extinction, marine, ocean
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