Category Archives: Books

This websites spends a lot of time explaining why we cannot electrify the world with wind, solar and so on. That means going back to books, kicking and screaming, but ultimately the knowledge stored on the internet is going away. So start buying paperback books for your grandchildren to read, for fun, to preserve knowledge, put on theatrical plays and enrich their lives

Vaclav Smil on why there will be no energy transition

Posted on August 6, 2025 by

Preface. This post has excerpts from energy expert Vaclav Smil‘s 2024 free paper “Halfway between Kyoto and 2050“. Smil’s book is free, here. Below is a shortened, reworded article from Scientific American in 2014 written by Smil on this topic … Continue reading →

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Republicans Brains are wired to deny science & reality

Posted on July 30, 2025 by

Preface. This is my book review of Chris Mooney’s 2012 “The Republican Brain. The Science of Why They Deny Science—and Reality”. This has grown from a review of this book (far below) to more recent science and writing on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Human Nature | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Book review of 2024 Scheyder “The War Below”

Posted on July 9, 2025 by

Preface.  This post has excerpts from Scheyder’s 2024 “The War Below” about the  metals and minerals renewables will need – over 6 times more than fossil fueled internal combustion vehicles, natural gas and coal plants, and nuclear power (IEA 2021). … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Books, Limits To Growth, Mining, Peak Copper, Peak Critical Elements, Peak Rare Earth Elements | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Summary of Greenpeace “Nuclear Reactor Hazards”

Posted on July 1, 2025 by

Source: Nuclear power is dirty, dangerous and expensive. Say no to new nukes. Preface.  This is a summary of: Hirsch H (2005) Nuclear Reactor Hazards Ongoing Dangers of Operating Nuclear Technology in the 21st Century.  Greenpeace International. The revival of … Continue reading →

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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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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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Chemical industrial farming does not work: Pests evolve immunity quickly

Posted on April 3, 2025 by

Pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides destroy soil and ecosystems. Yet a third of crops are lost to pests just as in the many millennia of farming before chemicals Preface. This is a book review of Dyer’s “Chasing the Red Queen”, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Chemical Pollution, Chemicals, Overshoot, Peak Food, Pesticides, Soil | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Chemical industrial farming does not work: Pests evolve immunity quickly