Category Archives: 2) Collapse

The collapse of the financial system, breakdown of supply chains, blackouts, end of being able to make computer chips, and so on are symptoms of the underlying cause: LESS OIL AVAILABLE TO DO MILLIONS OF ESSENTIAL TASKS. Whether the house of cards goes from the financial shock of a natural disaster or from debt and corruption, blockage of the Suez canal, Export Land Model, or (nuclear war) — there is certain to be a series of dislocations that ultimately bring population down to 1 billion or less, and given past collapses, take about 20-30 years. Let’s hope there are some islands of sanity and that you, dear reader, are living on one of them!

Livestock threatened by toxic invasive species on rangeland

Posted on January 4, 2021 by

Preface.  Will cattle, sheep,goats, and horses have to be raised on feed lots in the future to prevent range land poisoning from invasive plants? Each year poisonous plants adversely affect 3-5% of the cattle, sheep, and horses that graze western … Continue reading →

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

Extreme flooding from slow hurricanes a danger to farms

Posted on January 1, 2021 by

Preface. Yet another danger from climate change for agriculture will be slow hurricanes and cyclones dumping a foot or more of rain over a few days such as the recent hurricanes Harvey (2017), Florence (2018), and Dorian (2019). Journal reference: … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Climate Change, Floods, Hurricanes | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

800 scientists: burning forests for electricity or heat releases more 1.5 x more CO2 than coal, 3x more than natural gas

Posted on December 29, 2020 by

Preface. The 2015 Paris climate change agreement states that burning biomass is carbon neutral. Not true. Over 800 scientists have written the European Parliament to tell them that burning wood for heat or electricity emits 1.5 x more CO2 than … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, Climate Change, CO2 and Methane, Deforestation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Only a fifth of Earth’s land has little human influence

Posted on December 23, 2020 by

Preface. Humans have basically taken over the best land on the planet, the places where we aren’t ruining it are really cold, high or dry areas of land, such as arctic landscapes, mountainous areas or deserts. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Deforestation, Limits To Growth, Overpopulation | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Megadrought invades the West

Posted on December 14, 2020 by

Preface. Mother Nature has had enough and is biting us back. Climate change will increase the chance of a Southwest megadrought that lasts longer than those in the past. Keep up with the latest drought news at the U.S. Drought … Continue reading →

Posted in Drought | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Millions in danger of floods on Mississippi and Missouri

Posted on December 5, 2020 by

Preface. Here’s something for you young folks considering “where to be” after energy collapse. Flooding is a huge consideration. My great grandfather was a doctor in Oklahoma who saw many lose their homes and farms from floods and die from … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Floods, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Where do we come from, who are we, and where are we going?

Posted on December 2, 2020 by

Preface.  This is a book of review of The Social Conquest of Earth, in which E. O. Wilson answers these questions.  Although tribes have invented thousands of creation myths since paleolithic times, Wilson finally has written a book explaining our … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Evolution, Natural History, Religion | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Where do we come from, who are we, and where are we going?

Book Review: The Fall of the Roman Empire: A new history of Rome and the barbarians

Posted on November 26, 2020 by

Preface.  Most historians see the fall of the Roman Empire as due to the invasion of barbarians from the North, partly pushed towards Italy by the brutal Huns.  These lands had never been conquered by Roman armies because they were … Continue reading →

Posted in Collapse of Civilizations, Roman Empire | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Invisible oiliness of everything

Posted on November 20, 2020 by

Preface.  Even a simple object like a pencil requires dozens of actions to make and dozens of objects that took energy to make.  This is why it is unlikely wind, solar, or any other contraption that make electricity, have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Alternative Energy, An Overview, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Manufacturing & Industrial Heat, Wind | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Climate Change dominates news coverage at expense of other equally important existential issues

Posted on November 17, 2020 by

Preface. I’ve noticed that in the half dozen science magazines and several newspapers I get practically the only environmental stories are about climate change. Yet there are 8 other ecological boundaries (Rockström 2009) we must not cross (shown in bold … Continue reading →

Posted in Acidification, Biodiversity Loss, BioInvasion, Climate Change, Critical Thinking, Peak Oil, Planetary Boundaries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments