Author Archives: energyskeptic

The staggering cost of Net Zero in Britain

Preface.  Below are excerpts from cost estimates for achieving net zero in Britain. The £7.6 trillion by 2050 leaves out the trillions required for the gobsmacking cost of massive transmission and energy storage systems to back up, store, and balance … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The staggering cost of Net Zero in Britain

Why the R/P Reserves to Production ratio does not show when oil will run out

Venezuela has an incredibly high oil reserves-to-production ratio This is calculated b dividing proved oil reserves by its annual production. That tells us how many years proved reserves would last if production stayed constant, and no new reserves were discovered … Continue reading

Posted in How Much Left, Peak Oil | Tagged , | Comments Off on Why the R/P Reserves to Production ratio does not show when oil will run out

Catton on Collapse “Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse”

Preface. Below is a very short summary of a book written by the founding father of human ecology, William R Catton Jr called Bottleneck: Humanity’s impending Impass written in 2009.  His first book in 1980, Overshoot, introduced basic concepts of … Continue reading

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Energy Books | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Catton on Collapse “Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse”

Book Review of Grain Brain: Extraordinary claim not backed up by evidence

This is my book review of David Perlmutter’s (2013) Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers. At the New York Times, this book was the #1 best seller in the Dining list and #9 … Continue reading

Posted in Critical Thinking, Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Book Review of Grain Brain: Extraordinary claim not backed up by evidence

Why did everyone stop talking about Population & Immigration?

Preface. This post summarizes the top 26 reasons why population growth was abandoned the past 50 years. Further reasons can be found in Beck & Kolankiewicz (2000) “The Environmental Movement’s Retreat from Advocating U.S. Population Stabilization” and Weisman’s “Countdown: Our … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Climate Change, Deforestation, Disease, Overpopulation, Pesticides, Pollution, Population, Transportation, Water Pollution, Wildfire | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

What would happen if trucks stopped running?

Preface. In “Why You Should Love Trucks” I showed that essential supply chains depend on trucks nearly completely.  Because of little inventory and dependence on just-in-time deliveries, our civilization would almost immediately feel the repercussions of trucks stopping. In fact, … Continue reading

Posted in Cascading Failure, Dependence on Oil, Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Infrastructure & Fast Crash, Oil Shocks, Transportation Infrastructure, Transportation Supply chain, Trucks, When Trucks Stop Running | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

How to survive a nuclear winter

Preface. New Zealand and other countries in the southern hemisphere are expected to be safer since they are far from nuclear targets. But they would still experience extreme temperature drops and less sunlight, though less than the Northern hemisphere.  Still, there … Continue reading

Posted in Nuclear War, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , , | Comments Off on How to survive a nuclear winter

The insect apocalypse will kill billions more people than climate change

  Preface. Below are excerpts from two articles on why and how the extinction of insects could lead to our own extinction and many other species. Although climate change is more deadly now, an insect apocalypse will kill far more … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Extinction, Scientists Warnings to Humanity | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The war on drugs. A book review of “Chasing the scream”

Preface. The founder of the War on Drugs in the U.S., Harry Anslinger, wanted to build as large a bureaucracy as possible. But a war on narcotics alone—cocaine and heroin, outlawed in 1914—wasn’t enough. They were used only by a … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Drug wars and the prison system | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Peak crude oil did not happen in 2018. But we are running out of time

Preface.   Using EIA International Data for world crude oil + condensate oil monthly production to compare January through October in 2024 and 2025, it looks like about 850 million more barrels will be produced in 2025 than in 2024.  And … Continue reading

Posted in Debt, How Much Left, Peak Oil | Tagged , , | 9 Comments