Author Archives: energyskeptic

Family Planning – A Special and Urgent Concern by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Posted on October 25, 2016 by

[ Below are excerpts from this May 5, 1966 speech by Martin Luther King Jr. after he was awarded the Margaret Sanger Award by Planned Parenthood ] Recently, the press has been filled with reports of sightings of flying saucers. … Continue reading →

Posted in Population | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Why economic corruption or an oil decline will lead to a financial crash, depression, and permanent energy crisis

Posted on October 23, 2016 by

This is the introduction to the Corruption category under the Menu item 3) Fast Crash. The posts in this category show that another, much worse crash, is inevitable.  Meanwhile, low oil prices have led to less oil production and discoveries.  … Continue reading →

Posted in ! About Corruption | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Are humans an invasive species?

Posted on October 22, 2016 by

Rob Jordan. April 5, 2016. Populations of early human settlers grew like an ‘invasive species,’ Stanford researchers find. Stanford University. When humans colonized South America, their populations grew like a typical invasive species – an initial explosive growth rapidly reached … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, BioInvasion, Peak Food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The phony in American politics: how voters turn into suckers

Posted on October 18, 2016 by

[ This article skewers many politicians, but my favorite part is what I’ve excerpted below, about one of the first political candidates in the 1930s who ran as a Christian to snag those voters for the big money interests, Texas’s richest oilmen … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Nature | Tagged , | Comments Off on The phony in American politics: how voters turn into suckers

Fruit and nut crops decline as climate change melts fog

Posted on October 16, 2016 by

Fimrite, P. May 22, 2014. As Central Valley fog disappears, fruit, nut crops decline. San Francisco Chronicle. California produces 95% of U.S. fruit and nut crops that depend on disappearing Tule fog. The soupy thick tule fog that regularly blanketed … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Peak Food | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fruit and nut crops decline as climate change melts fog

Why is passenger rail so damned inefficient?

Posted on October 10, 2016 by

[ This is about passenger rail, not freight rail, which is incredibly efficient. Freight rail is efficient because to reduce aerodynamic drag and diesel fuel use (USDOT 2008), they travel on average  only 23 miles per hour (to reduce aerodynamic … Continue reading →

Posted in Mass Transit, Railroads, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The 1% have always been with us – even hunter gatherers had inequality

Posted on October 7, 2016 by

Pringle, H. May 23, 2014. The ancient roots of the 1%. Science 344: 822-825. Don’t blame farming. Inequality got its start among resource-rich hunter-gatherers. In 79 C.E., the year Mount Vesuvius destroyed it, Pompeii was not one city but two. … Continue reading →

Posted in Distribution of Wealth | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Why the demise of civilization is inevitable

Posted on September 30, 2016 by

MacKenzie, D. April 2, 2008. Why the demise of civilisation may be inevitable. NewScientist. Every civilization in history has collapsed. Why should ours be any different? Homer-Dixon doubts we can stave off collapse completely. He points to what he calls … Continue reading →

Posted in 3) Fast Crash, Interdependencies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Effects of biodiesel on diesel engines: John Deere

Posted on September 29, 2016 by

[ Since petroleum is finite, the most important focus of U.S. energy research ought to be keeping trucks operating, since civilization ends when trucks stop running.  Ideally this would be done with a “drop-in” fuel that can be burned in … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiesel, Trucks | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Effects of biodiesel on diesel engines: John Deere

Restore wild bison

Posted on September 28, 2016 by

[ Native wild animals have the least impact on ecosystems. While cattle plod along in line with one another, bison dance their own unique steps across the landscape, and don’t develop deep rutted grooves that can erode soil like cattle … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , | 1 Comment