Category Archives: Pollution

How are microchips made?

Posted on January 31, 2021 by

Preface. Computer chip fabrication plants need to run continuously for weeks to accomplish the thousands of steps needed to make microchips. A half-hour power outage at Samsung’s Pyeongtaek chip plant caused losses of over $43 million dollars (Reuters 2019). Chip … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemicals, Microchips and computers | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Going 100% renewable power means a lot of dirty mining

Posted on August 4, 2019 by

Preface. Everyone talks about oil spills, but what about the dirty mining that will have a huge polluting footprint on the earth, and potentially destroy the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery among other side-effects? Renewables aren’t cleaner and greener than … Continue reading →

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Why we must get rid of pesticides

Posted on July 14, 2019 by

Preface.  France is one of the only nations I know of trying to use fewer pesticides. This is the direction we must go to prepare for the end of the fossil age, since pesticides are made out of petroleum and … Continue reading →

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Decommissioning a nuclear reactor

Posted on June 26, 2019 by

Preface. Below are excerpts of articles about the costs and challenges of dismantling nuclear power plants.  This is at the top of my “Energy Descent To Do List” given the consequences for future generations for up to a million years, … Continue reading →

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Groundwater rise. Yet another climate change threat.

Posted on June 20, 2019 by

Preface. In coastal areas flooding is likely to be caused from groundwater rise because as sea levels rise, they won’t only move inland, flooding low-lying land near the shore; but also push water up from the saltwater water table, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Floods, Groundwater, Hazardous Waste, Sea Level Rise, Water | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Book review of Jaczko’s “Confessions of a rogue nuclear regulator”

Posted on May 21, 2019 by

Preface. After presenting a lot of evidence for why nuclear power plants are inherently unsafe, Jaczko concludes: “There is only one logical answer: we must stop generating nuclear waste, and that means we must stop using nuclear power. You would … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear, Nuclear, Nuclear Power, Nuclear Power, Nuclear spent fuel fire | Tagged | 3 Comments

Using manure for fertilizer in the future – it won’t be easy

Posted on April 21, 2019 by

Preface. At John Jeavons Biointensive workshop back in 2003, I learned that phosphorous is limited and mostly being lost to oceans and other waterways after exiting sewage treatment plants.  He said it can be dangerous to use human manure without … Continue reading →

Posted in Life Before Oil, Soil, Waste, Water | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Fresh water depletion, contamination, saltwater intrusion, & permanent subsidence

Posted on November 7, 2018 by

Map of the U.S. showing cumulative groundwater depletion from 1900 through 2008 in 40 aquifers. Source: Groundwater Depletion in the United States (1900-2008), USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2013-5079. Preface. What follows is from: Ayre, J. April 2018. Fossil Water Depletion, Groundwater … Continue reading →

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Toxic textiles: the lethal history of Rayon

Posted on October 24, 2018 by

Preface. This is a book review from Science magazine of Paul David Blanc’s 2016 book “Fake Silk The Lethal History of Viscose Rayon”, Yale University Press.  I’ve shortened the review and changed some of the text. This book exposes how … Continue reading →

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U.S. farmers destroy future food production for centuries with modern farming methods

Posted on June 13, 2018 by

[ Below are excerpts from a devastating critique of current farming practices by the National research council. Here are some of the main points. “Most food is produced by farmers who rely on agriculture for their livelihood. …surveys repeatedly show … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Air, Biodiversity Loss, Climate Change, Groundwater, Limits To Growth, Peak Food, Pesticides, Soil, Water | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment