Monthly Archives: December 2019

Vaclav Smil on natural gas (ethane) and plastics

Posted on December 29, 2019 by

Preface. Vaclav Smil doesn’t mention using plastic for heat, but in a letter to The Guardian, David Reed suggests: “The effort of collecting, transporting and cleaning plastics for possible recycling has largely failed, created much more pollution and contributed massively … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Gas, Vaclav Smil | 2 Comments

Venezuela collapse: looting, hunger, blackouts

Posted on December 26, 2019 by

Preface. Venezuela is experiencing a double whammy of drought and low oil prices, which has lead to blackouts and inability to import food, ultimately due to their oil production peaking in 1997.  The same fate awaits the U.S. someday when … Continue reading →

Posted in Central & South America, Social Disorder | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Peak Sand

Posted on December 23, 2019 by

Preface.  Sand Primer: Without sand, there would be no concrete, ceramics, computer chips, glass, plastics, abrasives, paint and so on We can’t use desert sand because it’s too round, polished by the wind, and doesn’t stick together. You need rough … Continue reading →

Posted in Concrete, Sand | Tagged , | Comments Off on Peak Sand

Boston Globe: the false promise of nuclear power

Posted on December 20, 2019 by

Preface. This article raises many objections to nuclear power. Theoretically it could be cheaper, but the exact opposite has happened, it keeps getting more expensive. For example the only new reactors being built in the U.S. now are at Georgia … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Power | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Rust Power

Posted on December 17, 2019 by

Preface.  This is yet another article with an energy generation idea that will probably never work out and become commercial.  But it gives hope and dreams to ordinary people who think what a cool idea, and who will never check … Continue reading →

Posted in Far Out | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Nuclear waste disposal drilled deep into earth’s crust

Posted on December 14, 2019 by

Preface. I suspect one the greatest tragedies of the decline of oil will be all the nuclear waste left for thousands of low-tech generations in the future. We owe it to them to clean up our mess while we still … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Waste | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Net Energy Cliff Will Lead to Collapse of Civilization

Posted on December 11, 2019 by

The remaining oil is poor quality, and the energy to get this often remote oil so great that more and more energy (blue) goes into oil production itself, leaving far less — the grey area — available to fuel the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, 3) Fast Crash, An Overview, By People, Energy, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Net Energy Cliff, Stages of | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Carbon capture could require 25% of all global energy

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Preface.  This is clearly a pipedream. Surely the authors know this, since they say that the energy needed to run direct air capture machines in 2100 is up to 300 exajoules each year. That’s more than half of global energy … Continue reading →

Posted in CO2 and Methane, Far Out | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Himalayan glaciers that supply water to a billion people are melting fast

Posted on December 5, 2019 by

Preface. The Himalayan glaciers that supply water to a billion people are melting fast, already 30% has been lost since 1975. Adding to the crisis are the 400 dams under construction or planned for Himalayan rivers in India, Pakistan, Nepal, … Continue reading →

Posted in Caused by Scarce Resources, Climate Change, Climate Change, Dams, Water, Water, Water | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Himalayan glaciers that supply water to a billion people are melting fast

Billionaire apocalypse bunkers

Posted on December 2, 2019 by

Preface. There are many reasons why people might want a bunker, but peak oil, peak phosphorous, peak everything really… and limits to growth were not among the reasons given. James Howard Kunstler’s book, “The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of … Continue reading →

Posted in Where are the rich going | Tagged , , | 10 Comments