Author Archives: energyskeptic

David Fleming. 2007. The Lean Guide to Nuclear Energy. A Life-Cycle in Trouble

Posted on July 11, 2014 by

This is an easy to read 56-page primer on how nuclear reactors work, how ore is mined, nuclear fuel created, why there’s likely to be a supply crunch, and much more. I’ve extracted a small part of this article  and … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Power Energy | 2 Comments

Michael Klare: Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars

Posted on July 9, 2014 by

Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars by Michael Klare, originally published by Tomdispatch Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, South Sudan, Ukraine, the East and South China Seas: wherever you look, the world is aflame with new or intensifying conflicts.  At first glance, these upheavals appear … Continue reading →

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David Korowicz: Catastrophic shocks through complex socio-economic systems

Posted on July 6, 2014 by

David Korowicz. 2013. Catastrophic Shocks through Complex Socio-Economic Systems. The globalized economy has become more complex (connectivity, interdependence, and speed), delocalized, with increasing concentration within critical systems. This has made us all more vulnerable to systemic shocks. This paper provides … Continue reading →

Posted in David Korowicz, Stages of | 1 Comment

From Wood (10,000 BC to 1750) to coal (1750-1920) to Oil, Natural Gas, & Electricity to What?

Posted on July 2, 2014 by

Cutler J. Cleveland . Energy Quality, Net Energy, and the Coming Energy Transition.  Department of Geography and Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, Boston University The level of health, food security and especially material standard of living that exists today … Continue reading →

Posted in Wood | 2 Comments

Increasing population + declining fossil fuels = less population

Posted on July 1, 2014 by

[ This essay looks at the human footprint on the planet, how it grew so large, the problems it causes, and the consequences. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, 2015, Springer … Continue reading →

Posted in Peak Food, Population | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Terrorism and the Electric Power Delivery System. National Academy of Sciences.

Posted on July 1, 2014 by

Much of what follows is from the National Academy of Science 2012  (for the Department of Homeland Security): “Terrorism and the Electric Power Delivery System” & 2013 “The Resilience of the Electric Power Delivery System in Response to Terrorism and … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse | 1 Comment

Sandra Postel: Wildfires in the Western U.S. Threaten Drinking Water

Posted on June 30, 2014 by

Sandra Postel. May 1, 2014. Wildfires in the Western U.S. Are on the Rise, Posing Threats to Drinking Water When the Las Conchas Fire scorched some 151,000 acres of northern New Mexico in 2011, it wasn’t just the direct fire damage that … Continue reading →

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Richard Duncan : Olduvai Gorge – Civilization ends when Electric Grids Permanently Fail

Posted on June 26, 2014 by

The Olduvai Theory – Heading into the Gorge By Richard C. Duncan, Ph.D. Volume 23, Number 2 (Winter 2013) Summary: The Olduvai Theory is defined as the ratio of world energy production and population. It states that average energy production … Continue reading →

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Earth’s Magnetic Flips May Have Triggered Mass Extinctions

Posted on June 13, 2014 by

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2014/06/10/earths-magnetic-flips-may-triggered-mass-extinctions/#.U5oyJ41dVXu Earth’s Magnetic Flips May Have Triggered Mass Extinctions At several times in Earth’s history, mass extinctions have come close to wiping life out altogether. The reasons for these catastrophes are still unclear – they’ve been blamed on everything from asteroid impacts to cosmic … Continue reading →

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Biggest Waste of Wealth in All of history: America’s Interstate Highway system

Posted on June 9, 2014 by

A book review by Alice Friedemann of: Swift, Earl. 2012. The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways. Related articles $46 Trillion Infrastructure in USA, $6 Trillion is Transportation Expressways & … Continue reading →

Posted in Concrete, Infrastructure Books, Roads, Transportation, Transportation Infrastructure, Trucks | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Biggest Waste of Wealth in All of history: America’s Interstate Highway system