Author Archives: energyskeptic

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, 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 →

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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 →

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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 Infrastructure, 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 →

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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

A U.S. Senate hearing on T. Boone Pickens plans for natural gas and wind to reduce oil dependence

Posted on September 26, 2016 by

[ This session is unusual in that the words “peak oil” are spoken several times, and M. King Hubbert, James Howard Kunstler, and Matt Simmons are lauded.   Gal Luft points out that “10 years ago, Osama bin Laden predicted that … Continue reading →

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Natural gas is a stupid transportation fuel

Posted on September 23, 2016 by

[ My comment: The only reason natural gas has come up as a transportation fuel at all is the false belief that there is 100 years of natural gas (even this article does, but natural gas may last far less … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Natural Gas Vehicles, Transportation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Natural gas is a stupid transportation fuel