Author Archives: energyskeptic

Fossil-fueled industrial heat hard to impossible to replace with renewables

Preface. Cement, steel, glass, bricks, ceramics, chemicals, and much more depend on fossil-fueled high heat (up to 3200 F) to make. Except for the electric-arc furnace to recycle existing steel, there aren’t any renewable ways to make cement, other metals, … Continue reading

Posted in Alternative Energy, Manufacturing & Industrial Heat | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A 1-year blackout could kill 90% of Americans

Preface. What follows is the 30-page testimony of Dr. Pry at a 2015 U.S. House of Representatives session that I’ve summarized. One of the ways that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could be generated is by a solar flare. During the … Continue reading

Posted in Blackouts, Blackouts Electric Grid, Congressional Record U.S., Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Electricity Infrastructure, Extreme Weather, Nuclear Power Collapse, Nuclear War, U.S. Congress Energy Policy, U.S. Congress Infrastructure | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Invasion of feral hogs yet another hazard for the future

Preface. The Decline category used to be Death By A Thousand Cuts. Feral hogs are yet another cut for anyone who survives peak oil. Not only will climate change be drastically cutting back food production, feral hogs will too, and … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, BioInvasion, Disease, Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Energy Slaves: Every American has 200 to 8,000 or more

Preface.  The range of 200 to 8,000 comes from the articles below. Perhaps even more. Former Navy Admiral Rickover wrote in 1957 that it takes at least 2,000 men to push an automobile along the road, a locomotive engineer controls … Continue reading

Posted in Energy Slaves | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Antonio Turiel: Explaining Peak Oil the Easy Way

Preface. Turiel writes an excellent blog “The oil crash” at http://crashoil.blogspot.com. Turiel explains eloquently why the amount of oil will decline even though there are vast pools of oil left underground. If you read my book “When trucks stop running”, … Continue reading

Posted in Flow Rate, Peak Oil | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Shale gas is only good for plastics, not transportation fuels

Preface. The oil industry is making more plastic because electric cars have cut gasoline use, but because shale “fracked” gas is so light plastic is about the only use. It is not a transportation fuel that can save us from … Continue reading

Posted in Natural Gas | Tagged | 2 Comments

1688 Tons of material to build just 1 windmill

Preface.  There must be many high wind locations that wind turbine blades can’t be transported to, limiting how many could be built even with a trillion dollar budget. Clearly wind turbines aren’t renewable when you consider the vast amounts of … Continue reading

Posted in Wind | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Invasive weeds threaten crops

Preface.  Invasive weeds will make growing food harder when fossils are gone, since pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides are made with petroleum as a feedstock. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative Energy”, … Continue reading

Posted in 2) Collapse, BioInvasion | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Peak Phosphorus

Sources: Peak phosphorus curve indicating a peak in production by 2033, derived from US Geological Survey and industry data. Cordell, D.; Drangert, J.-O.; White, S. The story of phosphorus: Global food security and food for thought. Glob. Environ. Change 2009, … Continue reading

Posted in Peak Phosphorus | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The rich live longer than the poor. At least 14% of wealth is hidden in tax havens

Preface. No surprises here. With peak oil close at hand, I can’t see universal healthcare and other safety nets enacted, just more and more taken away.  It is so shameful the U.S. doesn’t take care of its people, it is … Continue reading

Posted in Distribution of Wealth | Tagged , | Comments Off on The rich live longer than the poor. At least 14% of wealth is hidden in tax havens