Category Archives: What to do

Government plans to reduce dependency on fossil fuels won’t work

Posted on June 13, 2021 by

Preface. Yikes!  These government plans from 2009 won’t help the energy crisis much!  I do like these ideas though: Get Yucca mountain ready to take nuclear waste. We need to sequester nuclear wastes while there is still energy to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Government on what to do, U.S. Congress Energy Dependence | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The History of Drunkenness

Posted on May 26, 2021 by

Preface. This is a book review of “A short history of Drunkenness” by Mark Forsyth. I expect alcohol to be a big part of life postcarbon not only because most cultures have embraced alcohol, but to drown the sorrows and … Continue reading →

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Heinberg on what to do at home to conserve energy

Posted on May 8, 2021 by

Preface. A quick summary. Best investment: insulate exterior walls, ceiling, and floors for energy savings. Other good changes were to plant a garden and fruit-and-nut orchard, and buy solar hot water heater, solar food dryer, solar cooker, chickens, energy-efficient appliances … Continue reading →

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Life After Fossil Fuels: manufacturing will be less precise

Posted on May 5, 2021 by

Preface. This is a book review and excerpts of Winchester’s “The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers created the modern world”. The book describes how the industrial revolution was made possible with ever more precision.  First came the steam engine, possible to … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure & Collapse, Jobs and Skills, Life After Fossil Fuels, Manufacturing & Industrial Heat | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Life After Fossil Fuels: manufacturing will be less precise

Rationing. Book review of “Any way you slice it” by Stan Cox

Posted on May 5, 2021 by

Preface. I can’t imagine that there’s a better book on rationing out there, but of course I can’t be sure, I don’t feel the need to find others on this topic after reading this book. As usual, I had to … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Rationing | Tagged , | 1 Comment

How to make biomass last longer

Posted on April 26, 2021 by

Preface. Before fossil fuels, societies were able to make their forests last longer than today. Felling tall trees and killing them was rare except for special needs such as making bridges or ships. For firewood and other needs, trees were … Continue reading →

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Book Review: The Age of Wood: Our Most Useful Material & the Construction of Civilization

Posted on April 23, 2021 by

Preface. This is a book review, mainly with excerpts, of Ennos’s book “The Age of Wood. Our Most Useful Material and the Construction of Civilization”. If you know anything about woodworking, you will enjoy the detailed descriptions of how and … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Books, Jobs and Skills, Life After Fossil Fuels, Wood | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tree planting is not a simple solution but sure beats Carbon Capture!

Posted on April 20, 2021 by

Preface.  The article from Science below lists both negative and positive outcomes depending on where trees are planted. The unintended negative effects could be a reduced water supply, the destruction of native grasslands and spread of invasive tree species, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS), Plant Trees | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Not enough rare metals to scale up solar power

Posted on February 21, 2021 by

  Preface. Sunshine may be free, but the materials to make solar contraptions sure aren’t.  Since sunshine arrives in a diluted form, vast expanses of solar photovoltaic panels will be needed to produce the world’s 24,000 Terawatt hours of electrical … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Mining, Peak Critical Elements, Peak Rare Earth Elements, Photovoltaic Solar, Recycle, Recycling | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why rare and valuable metals are not recycled

Posted on February 18, 2021 by

Preface. This is a post about why rare and critical metals aren’t recycled at all or at best, just a small percent. Basically it is still cheaper to mine them from scratch than to try to separate them out from … Continue reading →

Posted in Peak Critical Elements, Peak Platinum Group Elements, Peak Precious Elements, Peak Rare Earth Elements, Recycle, Recycling, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments