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.

Peak Uranium by Ugo Bardi from Extracted: How the Quest for Mineral Wealth Is Plundering the Planet

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

Preface. This is an extract of Ugo Bardi’s must read “Extracted” about the limits of production of uranium. You can find plenty of material saying there is are a lot of uranium reserves and resources  left elsewhere (EMD 2019). The … Continue reading →

Posted in Peak Uranium, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , | 5 Comments

EROI of Canadian Natural Gas. A peak was reached despite enormous investment

Posted on January 7, 2017 by

[ Although I’ve extracted much of this paper, it is not complete—there are missing equations, figures, tables, and text– so see the paper for details (it is available online).  I’ve rearranged the order of the paper.  The conclusion is just … Continue reading →

Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Natural Gas, Peak Natural Gas | Tagged , | 4 Comments

How Much Oil is Left?

Posted on December 23, 2016 by

The Power of Exponential Growth: Every 10 years we have burned more oil than all previous decades Preface. There is a lot of oil left. The problem is, most of the remaining oil is unconventional, which needs a lot more … Continue reading →

Posted in How Much Left, Oil, Peak Oil | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

U.S. House meeting on terrorist threats to energy security

Posted on December 22, 2016 by

[ Even though this hearing was over a decade ago, the issues are still the same.  Nothing has changed. Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation, 2015, Springer] House 109-70. July 27, … Continue reading →

Posted in Caused by Scarce Resources, Chokepoints, Middle East, Oil Shocks, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on U.S. House meeting on terrorist threats to energy security

Book review of “Spiral: Trapped in the forever war”

Posted on November 28, 2016 by

[ I understand why anyone who might be believed about the energy crisis keeps their mouth shut about peak oil, it would be like shouting “fire” in a crowded theater and could bring down stock markets world-wide.  Why?  Because there … Continue reading →

Posted in Caused by Scarce Resources, Social Disorder, Terrorism, War Books | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Book review of “Spiral: Trapped in the forever war”

Water as a geopolitical threat. U.S. House of Representatives

Posted on November 20, 2016 by

Preface. Water scarcity is causing unrest and could led to war in Asia and the Middle East. There’s a website that keeps track of conflicts over water going back for 3,000 years here — 655 of them.   The prevalence of … Continue reading →

Posted in Caused by Scarce Resources, Congressional Record U.S., Peak Water, Water | Comments Off on Water as a geopolitical threat. U.S. House of Representatives

Largest Mass Extinction caused by Mega-Eruptions in Siberia

Posted on November 17, 2016 by

Kerr, R.A. December 20, 2013. Mega-Eruptions Drove the Mother of Mass Extinctions.  Science  Vol. 342:1424  [Excerpts] After 20 years of trying, researchers have finally convicted massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia as the culprit in the greatest of all mass extinctions, … Continue reading →

Posted in Extinction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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 Loss, BioInvasion, Peak Food | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Climate Change, Peak Food | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fruit and nut crops decline as climate change melts fog

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 3) Fast Crash, Interdependencies | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment