Category Archives: Optimism & Critical Thinking

Robert Rapier on why “fuel from CO2” breakthrough won’t work

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

Robert Rapier. Oct 27, 2016.  Ethanol From Carbon Dioxide Is Still A Losing Proposition. energytrendinsider.com If I told you that I had created a process to extract pure gold from seawater, you might deem it an amazing accomplishment. If I … Continue reading →

Posted in Biofuels, Biomass EROI, Far Out, Optimism & Critical Thinking, Other Experts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Ugo Bardi: Turn CO2 into ethanol

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

Ugo Bardi. October 22, 2016. The mother of all promises and how science failed to maintain it. Cassandra’s Legacy. The latest scientific claim that went viral on the web is about a catalyst able to turn CO2 directly into ethanol. … Continue reading →

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Pessimism and Optimism versus Ignorance

Posted on November 6, 2016 by

Below are my thoughts about whether views based on scientific evidence can be labeled optimistic or pessimistic. Skeptical energy news: 2017-2-7 Renewable Lies And The Deception Of Dutch Commuters Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, Optimism & Critical Thinking | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Telling others about peak oil and limits to growth

Posted on August 21, 2016 by

[ Obviously the planet is finite. We’re using many times more oil than we’re discovering, and therefore at some point global oil production will peak and decline.  Yet even in 2016 this reality is denied by most, and a temporary … Continue reading →

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Why do so few alter their lives to lessen climate change and peak oil?

Posted on August 20, 2016 by

[ Most people are in denial about Peak Oil, so of course they’re not doing anything about it.  In fact, quite the opposite. With oil prices down, the public is buying gas guzzling light trucks and SUVs, which not only … Continue reading →

Posted in Optimism & Critical Thinking | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Who Killed the Electric Car and more importantly, the Electric Truck?

Posted on March 22, 2016 by

[ Who cares about electric CARS?  Civilization ends when trucks stop running, and trucks can’t run on batteries because they’re too heavy (93% of the cargo weight, 25% of the cargo space), and an all-electric truck fleet would require thousands … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Batteries, Electric trucks impossible, Electrification, Optimism & Critical Thinking, Transportation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who Killed the Electric Car and more importantly, the Electric Truck?

Peak Oil in the Congressional record: Overview

Posted on June 11, 2015 by

Peak Oil in the Congressional record: Overview by Alice Friedemann, energyskeptic.com June 11, 2015 Even the most ardent techno-optimists and economists admit there are limited supplies of fossil fuels, but they insist we don’t need to worry for a long … Continue reading →

Posted in Congressional Record U.S., EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Optimism & Critical Thinking, Peak Oil | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Peak Oil in the Congressional record: Overview

Why do political, economic, and scientific leaders deny Peak Oil and Climate Change?

Posted on March 29, 2015 by

[ Related posts: Telling others about peak oil and limits to growth Why do so few alter their lives to lessen climate change and peak oil? Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, Alternative Energy, An Overview, GOVERNMENT, Optimism & Critical Thinking, Other Experts | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Over 250 Cognitive biases, fallacies, errors, and more

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

What makes us susceptible to nonsense? A scientific paper on Bullsh*t was recently published: “On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshit”, which attempts to identify what makes people susceptible to nonsense. The authors defined BS as a statement that … Continue reading →

Posted in Optimism & Critical Thinking | Comments Off on Over 250 Cognitive biases, fallacies, errors, and more

Why Collapse is Inevitable (but hard to see)

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

Gregor Macdonald explains very well Why we will be Returning to Simplicity (Whether We Want To or Not) that we depend on continuing growth to function.  We’ve all existed at a time when technology got better and better at extracting … Continue reading →

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