EVs: A contrary perspective
Many challenging issues for EVs to replace today’s ICE vehicles. I think many of these challenges can and will be overcome – but it is fair to say we are…
Economy: WEF wants to end private ownership, wants everyone to rent
To enable a broader transition from ownership to usership, the way we design things and systems need to change too. For example, car sharing is made possible by new keyless…
Mass extinction: The answer to life, the universe and everything is 42
Earth could lose 10 per cent of all plant and animal species by 2050, rising to 27 per cent by 2100, say scientists at the European Commission and Flinders University,…
Economy, Climate: The Four Pillars of Modern Civilization
Four materials rank highest on the scale of necessity, forming what I have called the four pillars of modern civilization: cement, steel, plastics, and ammonia are needed in larger quantities…
Follow up – No: “Inflation Forecasts Were Wrong Last Year. Should We Believe Them Now?”
Models making long range predictions are mostly wrong, all the time. Why do we give them any credence? Go back and look at worthless disease model projections: Economists misjudged how…
We already do: “Consider making less food and composting leftovers this Thanksgiving : NPR”
We already compost all food waste from prep and any unusable leftovers (not much of that): By composting leftovers, a process that converts organic materials into nutrient-rich soil, people can…
Climate: How climate issues will really be addressed
Voluntarily. Mostly. By people doing what we’ve done: I strongly suspect that most “forced” climate initiatives will accomplished next to nothing and will be as effective as public health was…
Climate: Some nations must develop fossil fuel resources
Head is spinning African nations must be allowed to develop fossil fuel resources to help lift their people out of poverty, governments said at the COP27 climate talks in Egypt,…
Models: Company claims it can accurately predict wildfire risk
“Models” – this is a model whose input includes the output from other unproven models: Nobody can predict the future, but a San Francisco-based startup called Kettle seems able to…
Environment: How much greenhouse gases are reduced by switching to personal electric vehicles?
Not much, surprisingly. Source: Fast Facts on Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions | US EPA Transportation (all types) accounts for 27% of GHG emissions. Of the 24% attributed into “Industry” much…
Energy: Partially wind powered coal carrying cargo ship (?)
Drops typical fuel usage from 500,000 Liters to 475,000 liters – so it can carry coal. What? This is confusing. The world’s first partly wind-powered bulk carrier sailed to the…
Public health: Germany to burn 800 million unused face masks
In early 2021, the world was consuming 3 million disposable face masks PER MINUTE. That means 180 million face masks disposed of every hour. Germany is set to burn almost…
Environment: Per Capita CO2 emissions over time for 5 countries
It is interesting that the per capita peak was in the 1960s. All of these countries, except China, peaked in the 1960s. US Fertility Rate Chart Not sure this is…
Environment: The US throws away over 2,000 clothing items – every second
The fashion industry, which relies heavily on fossil fuels for production of polyester fabrics, accounts for 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions. More clothing is being produced — and thrown…
Science: Was Hurricane Ian caused by human induced climate change?
Many media stories and talking heads on TV say Hurricane Ian’s destruction is a symptom of human-induced climate change, and that hurricanes are getting worse. NOAA is considered an authoritative…