Monthly Archives: June 2017

Minerals: Natural gas from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Posted on June 29, 2017 by

Bardi, Ugo. 2014. Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet. Chelsea Green Publishing. NATURAL GAS.  As figure 1 shows, the average EROEI required to run industrial society as we know it is around 8 to 10.   … Continue reading →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Oil & Gas Fracked | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Big Fight: 21 top scientists show why Jacobson and Delucchi’s renewable scheme is a delusional fantasy

Posted on June 24, 2017 by

[ Seldom have I seen such a vitriolic fight among scientists.  As you’ll see below, I think all of them miss the main problems with trying to create a 100% renewable energy system, though I can only summarize and leave … Continue reading →

Posted in ! PEAK EVERYTHING, Alternative Energy, Electric Grid, Electricity, Infrastructure | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

An invasive green monster that can double in 2 days and impossible to control threatens 20 states

Posted on June 23, 2017 by

    [ The 2011 House of Representatives hearing below is a discussion of how to control salvinia. We spend about $135 billion on invasive species a year – what will happen when the fossil energy to remove them is … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, BioInvasion, Peak Food | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Anyone who whines about airplanes should have to take the Oregon Trail

Posted on June 20, 2017 by

Source: Book cover of “Oregon Or Bust: True Short Stories from the Descendants of Oregon Trail Pioneers, Prospectors, Trappers, and Settlers in the Great Northwest Hardcover” by Gentry Ward Cutsforth (2012), XLibris. [ In addition, I recommend the Louis CK … Continue reading →

Posted in Airplanes, Lithium-ion, Transportation | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

California hits the solar wall

Posted on June 17, 2017 by

[ What is a solar wall?  Read part 1: California could hit the solar wall and then excerpts from the following article in the financial times, Britain’s Wall street journal.  I’ve also reworded some of it. Renewables are rendering existing … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Gas, Solar | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Collapse of Mayan civilization from water shortages

Posted on June 14, 2017 by

Aigner, F. August 30, 2016. The demise of the Maya civilization: water shortage can destroy cultures. American Geophysical Union blogosphere. Something really drastic must have happened to the ancient Maya at the end of the Classic Period in the 9th … Continue reading →

Posted in Drought, Drought, Peak Food, Scientists Warnings to Humanity | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Collapse of Mayan civilization from water shortages

Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and other ways to bring down the electric grid

Posted on June 13, 2017 by

[ Related articles: Russian hackers suspected in attack that blacked out parts of Ukraine How the weapon works (pdf): CRASHOVERRIDE Analyzing the Threat to Electric Grid Operations The EMP Commission estimates a nationwide blackout lasting one year could kill up … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Grid, EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Infrastructure Attacks | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Minerals: Coal from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

Bardi, Ugo. 2014. Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet. Chelsea Green Publishing. True large-scale coal mining started only during the 18th century in Europe, and in particular in England and France. Initially coal was considered … Continue reading →

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Mineral: Soil from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Posted on June 8, 2017 by

[ Ugo Bardi’s book on minerals covers a wide-ranging territory, including soil, which is a mineral.  In this section of the book he shows how humans have damaged the soil so much we have greatly overshot carrying capacity by lowering … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Peak Food, Soil, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mineral: Soil from Ugo Bardi’s “Extracted”

Plan B: How the rich are prepping for collapse

Posted on June 5, 2017 by

[ It’s not just individuals but nations that are seeking land to improve their security.   As an example of what a house built by someone rich to last beyond the fossil fuel age is like, I have a description of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice | Tagged , | 2 Comments