Category Archives: 2) Collapse

The collapse of the financial system, breakdown of supply chains, blackouts, end of being able to make computer chips, and so on are symptoms of the underlying cause: LESS OIL AVAILABLE TO DO MILLIONS OF ESSENTIAL TASKS. Whether the house of cards goes from the financial shock of a natural disaster or from debt and corruption, blockage of the Suez canal, Export Land Model, or (nuclear war) — there is certain to be a series of dislocations that ultimately bring population down to 1 billion or less, and given past collapses, take about 20-30 years. Let’s hope there are some islands of sanity and that you, dear reader, are living on one of them!

Jellyfish in the news

Posted on February 16, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. As we overfish, eutrophy and acidify the ocean with fertilizer and pesticides we risk a tipping point where jellyfish dominate the oceans and fish are scarce. Related: Why and how Jellyfish are taking over the world Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com … Continue reading →

Posted in BioInvasion, Extinction, Jellyfish | Tagged Bioinvasion, jellyfish, slime | Comments Off

QAnon and Witchcraft. Hard to tell them apart

Posted on February 10, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. I just read Schiff’s book “The Witches: Salem, 1692”. As I read it, I kept thinking that these Christian witch killers weren’t much different from QAnon believers, who are also mostly Christians (evangelists). I’m not the first to think … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking | Tagged critical thinking, QAnon, superstition, witchcraft | Comments Off

Climate change will damage energy infrastructure, costing trillions

Posted on January 28, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. Climate change and extreme weather will harm oil and gas exploration and production, electric power generation and increase energy demand due to sea level rise, heat, drought, floods, more storms, and blackouts. Extreme heat and drought will force electric … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackouts Electric Grid, Cascading Failure, Climate Change, Electric Grid, Electric Grid & Fast Collapse, Energy Production, Hydropower, Peak Water, Ships and Barges | Tagged barge, drought, extreme storms, flood, heat, peak water, sea level rise, wildfire | Comments Off

Book review of “Halfway Home”. What happens after jail

Posted on January 22, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. This book is about what happens to released prisoners. Many of the homeless you see on the street were prisoners who are on the street because landlords won’t rent to them, and their family won’t let them move in … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Gangs, Corrupt police, Private security, Drug wars and the prison system | Tagged corruption, drugs, jail, prison system | Comments Off

Insect & other BioInvasions

Posted on January 19, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. Invasive insects that have no predators in the U.S. can only be somewhat reduced with oil-based products that will grow scarcer as petroleum declines. Pesticides are made out of oil and damage the environment for many generations to come. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, BioInvasion | Tagged ant, ash borer, beetle, Bioinvasion, deforestation, fire ant, mosquitoes, mountain pine beetle, rats, small hive beetle | Comments Off

Your life and the economy depend on biodiversity

Posted on January 1, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. We are trained in school, newspapers, and TV to view the world politically and economically. Not ecologically. The World Economic Forum article below is an excellent summary of why biodiversity is so important, as much as climate change, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity Loss, Limits To Growth | Tagged biodiversity, ecology, ecosystems, limits to growth | Comments Off

Why do leaders & the public deny peak oil & limits to growth?

Posted on December 26, 2021 by energyskeptic

Preface. It’s strange that we’re on the cusp of Peak Oil, and yet the only existential threat you ever hear about is Climate Change. The New York Times has mentioned climate change over 15,000 times the past 5 years, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, Alternative Energy, An Overview, Critical Thinking, GOVERNMENT, Limits To Growth, Other Experts | Tagged climate change denial, limits to growth, optimism, peak oil, Republican, why denial | 5 Comments

Solar panels in the Sahara could cause global warming

Posted on December 23, 2021 by energyskeptic

Preface. Adding tens of thousands of square miles of solar panels to replace fossil fuels could cause climate change and heat up the planet. Of course this is a fantasy, dust storms would scour the panels rendering them useless, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming, Heat, Photovoltaic Solar | Tagged climate change, energy, global warming, solar PV | Comments Off

Book Review “The Outlawed Ocean” by Ian Urbina

Posted on December 8, 2021 by energyskeptic

Note: Peak fish happened in 1996 at 130 million tonnes a year. Pauly D, Zeller D (2016) Catch reconstructions reveal that global marine fisheries catches are higher than reported and declining. Nature communications. Preface. This is a book review of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fisheries, Fishery destruction, Natural History, Peak Food | Tagged fishery, peak fish, peak food, piracy, slavery | Comments Off

Structurally Deficient Bridges

Posted on November 22, 2021 by energyskeptic

Preface. As I explained in my book “When Trucks Stop Running”, if diesel fuel ran out, civilization would end within a week as grocery shelves, pharmacies, gas stations, and all other businesses ran out of supplies. The millions of miles … Continue reading →

Posted in Bridges | Tagged bridges, infrastructure | 2 Comments