Category Archives: Experts

experts in energy, ecology, collapse, carrying capacity, biophysical and neoclassical economics, etc.

Building a national super grid in America

Posted on December 3, 2024 by

Preface. Renewables are not evenly distributed.  Just 10 states have 80% of hydropower (Homeland Security 2011), 10 states produce 75% of wind power (EIA 2017), and 10 states produce 79% of solar power (CE 2020). With a national grid, instead … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackouts Electric Grid, Electric Grid, Electric Grid & Fast Collapse, Electricity Infrastructure, National Super Grid, Solar, Vaclav Smil, Wind | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Climate Change crisis caused by Population growth – duh

Posted on September 15, 2024 by

Preface.  Duh!  This is a no brainer. The 140 million people born every year will all want a car, house, TV, refrigerator, travel abroad, stove, air conditioning, bicycle, tools, and more. Meanwhile businesses and governments build every more roads, skyscrapers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, David Korowicz, Overpopulation, Population | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The pillaging of Native American coal, water, uranium and more

Posted on May 24, 2024 by

Preface. This is a book review of: “Unreal City: Las Vegas, Black Mesa, and the Fate of the West” by Judith Nies.  This book is about how stealing the resources of native Americans lands was made legal, despite enormous Native … Continue reading →

Posted in An Index of Best Energyskeptic Posts, Biodiversity Loss, Coal, Energy Books, Energy Infrastructure, Global Warming, Infrastructure & Fast Crash, Mass migrations, Peak Resources, Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS), U.S. Congress Energy Policy, Water Pollution | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The pillaging of Native American coal, water, uranium and more

Will Congress ever create a new independent agency to store nuclear waste permanently?

Posted on November 8, 2023 by

Preface. The lack of permanent geological storage of nuclear waste will be yet another nightmare for those living after fossils have declined and civilizations go back to biomass fuels and muscle power. They will already be dealing with heat making … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear Waste, U.S. Congress Energy Policy | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Will Congress ever create a new independent agency to store nuclear waste permanently?

Fusion: Tokamak Obstacles

Posted on July 24, 2023 by

Source: Sparkes M (2022) Korean nuclear fusion reactor achieves 100 million°C for 30 seconds. New Scientist. Preface. Hope springs eternally for Fusion.  I’ve come to see press releases about fusion breakthroughs as mostly a way to get more startup investment … Continue reading →

Posted in Fusion, Robert Hirsch | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

President George W. Bush energy policy & hurricane Katrina

Posted on July 10, 2023 by

Preface. After Hurricane Katrina damaged oil and gas infrastructure, oil prices shot up. Below are excerpts from news stories in 2005 when President Bush, an oilman, openly discussed the U.S. energy dependence.

Posted in Energy Policy & Politicians, Hurricanes, U.S. Congress Energy Policy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

550,000 abandoned mines, $50 billion to clean up the worst of them

Posted on June 26, 2023 by

Preface. Below are excerpts of a US House 2010 congressional hearing on cleaning up abandoned mines. Abandoned mines can cause soil erosion, heavy metal contamination (i.e., cyanide, lead, arsenic, mercury, uranium), and acid drainage that threatens thousands of streams and … Continue reading →

Posted in Congressional Record U.S., Hazardous Waste, Mining, Pollution, Water Pollution | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Military Threats: Peak oil, population, climate change, pandemics, economic crises, cyberattacks, failed states, nuclear war

Posted on May 15, 2023 by

Mackintosh C (2010) Peak Oil “The debate is over”. Permaculture research institute. https://www.permaculturenews.org/2010/11/10/peak-oil-the-debate-is-over/ Preface. The military is more realistic about the challenges the world faces than congress or other branches and government agencies. In 2010, all of the military branches … Continue reading →

Posted in China and War, CyberAttacks, Disasters, Military, Pandemics, Peak Oil, War | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Military Threats: Peak oil, population, climate change, pandemics, economic crises, cyberattacks, failed states, nuclear war

Book review of Turchin’s “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”

Posted on May 1, 2023 by

Preface. This is a book review of both “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”.  I recommend reading “War & Peace & War” first, then the more difficult “Secular Cycles”. Turchin has found patterns in the rise and fall … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, Overpopulation, Peter Turchin, Predictions, Social Disorder, Stages of, War Books | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Book review of Turchin’s “Secular Cycles” and “War & Peace & War”

Energy and potato crops. U.S. House Hearing 2011

Posted on April 24, 2023 by

Preface. We eat so many potatoes I thought it interesting how future oil shocks may reduce potato crops. Potatoes are very “oily” needing a great deal of diesel fuel over their life cycle of planting, harvest, delivery to sorting, grading, … Continue reading →

Posted in Congressional Record U.S., Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Energy and potato crops. U.S. House Hearing 2011