Tag Archives: topsoil

Corn for ethanol & soy for biodiesel tremendously destructive

Posted on April 9, 2022 by energyskeptic

In the news: Cullen A (2024) Corn Belt fertilizer is killing the Gulf of Mexico. Washington Post. About 30 percent of the nitrogen applied for raising corn is lost to water, and much of it right now is draining off … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiesel, Peak Food, Pesticides, Soil, Water Pollution | Tagged aquifer depletion, biodiesel, corn, erosion, ethanol, pollution, soybeans, topsoil | Comments Off

Soil salinity and erosion

Posted on September 2, 2021 by energyskeptic

Preface. Civilizations fail when their soils are ruined or eroded. One way conquerors made sure that those they enslaved during wars was to salt their land and burn their homes so they had nowhere to escape to. Erosion is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Peak Topsoil, Scientists Warnings to Humanity, Soil | Tagged erosion, food, salinity, soil, topsoil | 2 Comments

U.S. Industrial farming destroys future food production for centuries

Posted on June 13, 2018 by energyskeptic

Preface. Below are excerpts from a devastating critique of current farming practices by the National research council who show the myriad ways that industrial farming is harming the land and future food production.

Posted in Air, Biodiversity Loss, Groundwater, Limits To Growth, Peak Food, Pesticides, Planetary Boundaries, Soil, Water Pollution | Tagged air pollution, CRP, erosion, eutrophication, industrial agriculture, topsoil, water pollution | 1 Comment

Peak soil: Industrial agriculture destroys ecosystems and civilizations: Biofuels make it worse

Posted on August 31, 2017 by energyskeptic

Preface. In 2018 I thought it was time to reorganize this post, as it grew more and more bloated and disorganized with new information. Eventually it turned into my 2021 book Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Biofuels, Biomass, Energy, Peak Biofuels, Peak Topsoil, Soil | Tagged aquifer depletion, biodiesel, biofuel, climate change, EROEI, EROI, erosion, ethanol, fertilizer, hunger, peak soil, pollution, topsoil | 2 Comments

Sand mines used to frack oil & gas are destroying the best topsoil in the Midwest

Posted on January 19, 2017 by energyskeptic

Preface. Frac sand is a high-purity quartz sand that is injected into wells to blast and hold open cracks in the shale rock layer during the fracking process. In the United States, frac sand is being mined intensively from sandstone … Continue reading →

Posted in Oil & Gas Fracked, Peak Sand, Soil | Tagged fracking, sand, tight oil, topsoil | 3 Comments

Gail Tverberg: 8 pitfalls in evaluating green energy solutions

Posted on November 20, 2014 by energyskeptic

Eight Pitfalls in Evaluating Green Energy Solutions November 18, 2014 by Gail Tverberg Does the recent climate accord between US and China mean that many countries will now forge ahead with renewables and other green solutions? I think that there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Gail Tverberg | Tagged alternative energy, blackouts, deforestation, electric grid, extinction, rare minerals, recycling, renewables, topsoil, water depletion | Comments Off

Inside North Korea’s environmental collapse

Posted on March 15, 2014 by energyskeptic

The reddish hue of this soil in North Korea comes from lack of organic matter, vital for farming. Related Posts: North Korea collapse posts How different nations have coped with oil shortages Dmitry Orlov: How Russians survived the collapse of … Continue reading →

Posted in Deforestation, North Korea, Oil shock collapse, Peak Topsoil | Tagged collapse, erosion, North Korea, topsoil | Comments Off