Author Archives: energyskeptic

Peak Helium

Posted on June 18, 2025 by

Preface. Attention all you capitalists who think we can grow forever on a finite planet. Stuff can run out! Helium is the only element on earth that is completely nonrenewable.   A supply crisis is expected by 2060 (Hu 2025). Commercial helium … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Geography, Resources, & the Destiny of Nations

Posted on June 11, 2025 by

Preface. Jared Diamond’s famous book “Guns, Germs, and Steel” discussed why some nations were so much more successful than others. Much success came from nearby nations who bootstrapped each other up with new ideas, crops, and ideas. Especially Eurasia due … Continue reading →

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DOGE could have been great. Instead it blew everything up

Posted on June 3, 2025 by

Preface.  You may remember that a movement called “Code for America” founded in 2009, used technology to improve government services and make them more efficient and accessible.  This post is a book review of Pahlka’s 2023 “Recoding America” about how … Continue reading →

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Aside

Preface. After seeing the film “The Power of Community: How Cuba survived Peak Oil” in 2006, I thought about how those lessons might apply to California, which grows about a third of U.S. food.  Much of what follows in the … Continue reading →

Posted on May 28, 2025 by

The Nuclear Bomb is Back!

Posted on May 21, 2025 by

Preface. If you are not worried about nuclear war anymore, you should be. We have accidentally come close so many times.

Posted in Nuclear War, War Books | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Nuclear power is not the solution

Posted on May 8, 2025 by

Preface. This is a book review of Ramana’s “Nuclear is not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change.” A great overview that covers many topics, one of the best out there, and most recent. … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Books, Nuclear Power Energy, Nuclear War | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Refrigeration uses up to 30% of world electricity

Posted on May 1, 2025 by

Preface. This is a book review of Twilley’s 2024 book Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves. It is a really great book, highly recommended. Refrigeration plays a much larger role in our lives than people realize. … Continue reading →

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Government of Canada: Disruptions coming!

Posted on April 24, 2025 by

Preface. Just in case you do not have enough worries, the Government of Canada has stepped in to help you out with potential future catastrophes. And there are dozens, perhaps a new one to add to your list, such as: People … Continue reading →

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CCS plants leak, catch on fire, explode, corrode, and contaminate water

Posted on April 17, 2025 by

Source: Center for Progressive reform (2024) Carbon Dioxide Leak in Decatur, IL, Demonstrates Dangerous Failure of Carbon Capture Storage and Sequestration Preface. Clearly it is not worth spending billions of dollars to sequester CO2 “permanently” if it may leak. It’s … Continue reading →

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Peak food production happened, how will we feed 2-3 billion more?

Posted on April 10, 2025 by

Preface. Also see related article Limits to Growth? 2016 United Nations report provides best evidence yet. Nichols (2015) below shows that climate change is already affecting harvests of the world’s top 10 crops that comprise 83% of our calories: barley, … Continue reading →

Posted in Limits To Growth, Peak Food | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments