Monthly Archives: January 2012

Middle East, the beginning of the end

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

With not only roughly two-thirds of the world’s remaining oil, but also the easiest and cheapest to get at, with the highest EROEI, any major disruption instantly throws the world into hard times and a die-off if nations don’t share … Continue reading →

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The Onion (satire): Scientists: ‘Look, One-Third Of The Human Race Has To Die For Civilization To Be Sustainable, So How Do We Want To Do This?’

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

26 Jan 2012.  Scientists: ‘Look, One-Third Of The Human Race Has To Die For Civilization To Be Sustainable, So How Do We Want To Do This?‘ WASHINGTON—Saying there’s no way around it at this point, a coalition of scientists announced … Continue reading →

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Deforestation increases carbon dioxide release

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

The Amazon rain forest may be on the cusp of releasing more carbon than it stores.  Until now, the Amazon basin has cooled the planet by removing CO2.  Drought and deforestation has led to enormous numbers of trees dying, pushing … Continue reading →

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Fishery destruction

Posted on January 22, 2012 by

From increased carbon dioxide By the end of this century, carbon dioxide levels in the ocean are likely reach levels that will interfere with fishes’ ability to escape from predators, hear, and smell.  Carbon dioxide is already affecting fish brains … Continue reading →

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Fill ‘er up with kelp?

Posted on January 21, 2012 by

[ Here are just a few of the dozens of reasons why seaweed can’t make a dent in energy supplies: negative return on investment like corn ethanol much of it is already spoken for as animal feed, food and additives, … Continue reading →

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Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. 2012. Doomsday Clock 1 minute closer to Midnight

Posted on January 14, 2012 by

It is Now 5 Minutes to Midnight. Doomsday Clock Moves 1 minute closer to midnight. 10 January 2012. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Faced with inadequate progress on nuclear weapons reduction and proliferation, continuing inaction on climate change, and the … Continue reading →

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Yevgeny Chazov, Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Posted on January 12, 2012 by

11 Dec 1985. Nobel Lecture by Yevgeny Chazov, Nobel Peace prize winner in 1985. Nuclear war, unless it is prevented, would lead to the extinction of life on Earth and possibly in the Universe. Can we take such a risk? … Continue reading →

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Michael Smith, Nobel Prize winner

Posted on January 12, 2012 by

10 Dec 1993. Michael Smith, winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1993, speech at the Nobel Banquet. I believe that Alfred Nobel, in contemplating this munificent act of the Bank and in contemplating what might happen in the next 100 … Continue reading →

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R. K. Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Posted on January 12, 2012 by

10 Dec 2007. Nobel Lecture by R. K. Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Oslo. Climate change is likely to lead to some irreversible impacts on biodiversity. There is medium confidence that approximately 20%–30% of species … Continue reading →

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Die-off: several predictions of when and how bad will it be

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

Friedemann: it’s said that if fish were scientists the last thing they’d discover was water — it’s so ubiquitous and taken-for-granted that it’s not visible.  In the same way, oil permeates every tiny detail of our life support, from transportation, … Continue reading →

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