Category Archives: 3) Fast Crash

The case for a fast, rather than a slow one. Most societies crashed in 20 years or less. There has never been or will be again a crash like ours, where the world of 7 billion people became utterly dependent on a non-renewable source of energy — fossil fuels.

Why EV Batteries aren’t being recycled

Posted on February 13, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. Talk to your typical capitalist / environmentalist and they will both agree that we will never run out of anything because we can recycle. But we aren’t. Especially since it’s cheaper to buy newly mined metals than to recycle … Continue reading →

Posted in Batteries, Mining, Recycle, Recycling | Tagged battery, EV, manufacturing, metal, mineral, mining, recycle | Comments Off

Is there a long emergency plan for peak oil?

Posted on February 8, 2022 by energyskeptic

Source: A year on the midieval farm https://www.medievalists.net/2014/06/year-medieval-farm/ Ever since I learned about peak oil in 2000 after reading my grandfather Pettijohn’s memoir (Pettijohn 1984), I’ve wondered what The Plan To Cope with Oil Decline and eventual disappearance was. … Continue reading →

Posted in An Index of Best Energyskeptic Posts, Energy Policy & Politicians, Farming & Ranching, Government on what to do, Military, guns, Over Oil | Tagged agriculture, carrying capacity, dawn of everything, emergency plans, long emergency, peak oil, war, weapons | 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

USGS Groundwater Depletion study of aquifer decline in the U.S.

Posted on January 7, 2022 by energyskeptic

Preface. I summarize two major research papers on the state of the Ogallal below. It and many other aquifers are depleting rapidly, and polluted from pesticides, feedlot waste, intruding salts, and other pollution. Rainfall isn’t replenishing the Ogallala. Many won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Government study predictions, Groundwater, Peak Food, Peak Water | Tagged aquifer, california, depletion, groundwater, Ogallala, USGS | 1 Comment

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

Peak Gold

Posted on December 29, 2021 by energyskeptic

Preface. Both articles below offer the usual techno-optimism of more gold supplies from Man’s Cleverness: robots, AI, and Big and Smart Data Mining. But both are energy blind. Ores are decreasing in gold concentrations, and found in deeper and more … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Peak Precious Elements | Tagged peak gold | 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

Freshwater fish under threat of extinction

Posted on December 20, 2021 by energyskeptic

Preface. A third of freshwater fish are under threat from pollution, over fishing, dams, non-native species, climate change, disruption of river ecology and more. Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com Author of Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative Energy; When … Continue reading →

Posted in Extinction, Fisheries | Tagged extinction, fisheries | 1 Comment

Will Artificial Intelligence destroy us?

Posted on December 14, 2021 by energyskeptic

Preface. When it comes to artificial intelligence, most articles assume it will happen, so discussions range around when and how it will happen. Often speculation that a general AI may use its ability to find patterns in data will allow … Continue reading →

Posted in An Index of Best Energyskeptic Posts, Artificial Intelligence, Electric Grid, Electric Grid & Fast Collapse | Tagged AI, artificial intelligence, big data, electric grid, energy, limits to growth, robot, war | 3 Comments

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