Author Archives: energyskeptic

Renewable EROI must include storage, low capacity factor, wide boundaries

Posted on June 25, 2018 by

[ Trainer argues that when you consider how the capacity factor of wind and solar are to fossil plants, seasonality of wind and solar the number of facilities is quite large to deal with the intermittency problem.  Therefore the storage … Continue reading →

Posted in Solar, Solar EROI, Wind, Wind EROI | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Biodiversity loss has gone beyond the planetary boundaries

Posted on June 22, 2018 by

Source: Tanja Folnovic, June 23, 2015 “Loss of Biodiversity”. http://blog.agrivi.com/post/loss-of-biodiversity Preface. The survival of homo sapiens depends on the ecosystem that supports us, so a loss of biodiversity is a threat to our survival and ultimately can lead to extinction. … Continue reading →

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Homer-Dixon predicts 20 to 30% chance of Trump causing financial crisis, war, civil violence, and authoritarianism over next 5 years

Posted on June 19, 2018 by

[ Homer-Dixon wrote an article over a year ago for the Toronto Globe and Mail titled “Crisis analysis, how much damage can Trump do? (A lot). How’d his prediction turn out? Within this article is a link showing 4 major … Continue reading →

Posted in Crash Coming Soon, Scientists, Social Disorder, War | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Energy from cow flatulence

Posted on June 16, 2018 by

[ Other “energy alternatives” in the Far Out category of menu item Energy include escaping to Mars, liposuction fat, whirlwinds, playground power, garbage, tornadoes, and turning seawater into fuel.    Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy … Continue reading →

Posted in Far Out | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

U.S. Industrial farming destroys future food production for centuries

Posted on June 13, 2018 by

Preface. Below are excerpts from a devastating critique of current farming practices by the National research council who show the myriad ways that industrial farming is harming the land and future food production.

Posted in Air, Biodiversity, Groundwater, Limits To Growth, Peak Food, Pesticides, Planetary Boundaries, Soil, Water Pollution | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Challenges & opportunities for alternative transportation fuels and vehicles. U.S. House hearing, 2011

Posted on June 10, 2018 by

Preface. Congress is aware that an energy crisis looms, though they seldom acknowledge or deal with it.  Here are a few excerpts from this U.S. House hearing (2011) The American energy initiative part 6: Challenges & opportunities for alternative transportation … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, U.S. Congress Energy Policy, U.S. Congress Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Challenges & opportunities for alternative transportation fuels and vehicles. U.S. House hearing, 2011

Richard Heinberg: Systemic change driven by moral awakening is our only hope

Posted on June 6, 2018 by

[ Although this was written over a year ago on August 14, 2017 by Richard Heinberg on Ecowatch, it’s as true today as it was then, and worth republishing since people forget what they’ve read in the past Alice Friedemann   … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Critical Thinking, Overpopulation, Overshoot, Population, Richard Heinberg | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Mass migration: Africa

Posted on June 4, 2018 by

Sengupta, S. 2016-12-15. Heat, Hunger and War Force Africans Onto a ‘Road on Fire’. New York Times. AGADEZ, Niger — The world dismisses them as economic migrants. The law treats them as criminals who show up at a nation’s borders … Continue reading →

Posted in Drought & Collapse, Extreme Weather, Mass migrations | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Royal Society on peak oil and how much oil is left

Posted on June 1, 2018 by

[ This is a great introduction to the whole topic of oil, reserves, resources, and so on. It’s very long so I’ve only excerpted bits of it and reworded some of it.  I can’t say there’s anything new in here … Continue reading →

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Nobel prize economist Robert Shiller: market risk keeps him awake worrying

Posted on May 28, 2018 by

[ According to this article: “Shiller’s latest analysis shouldn’t be taken lightly. His forecasting skills were recognized in 2013 when he won the Nobel Prize in Economics. He’s known for predicting both the dot-com bubble and the housing bubble in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crash Coming Soon | Tagged , , | 1 Comment