Getting rid of food waste
Several years ago a study found that up to a third of all food sold was thrown away uneaten … such depressing findings do have a glass-half-full side. .
Brian Kaller
Oil, war and the fate of industrial societies
The world teeters on the brink of economic disaster due to energy shortages caused by war.
The main oil-producing nations are unable and unwilling to increase output, even though prices
are high and threatening to go much higher. The solutions being proposed—electric cars and
renewable energy technologies—are coming on line, but not fast enough. Sound familiar?
Dutch dilemma: What is Europe willing to do for more natural gas?
The Netherlands is close to closing one of the world’s largest natural gas fields even as Europe faces acute energy shortages. Will the country be able to resist calls for continuing production that will mean sacrificing the homes and businesses of Dutch citizens?
Ukraine, Russia and the blindness of war
“No battle plan survives the first shot.” This quote describes the predicament in which both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict find themselves.
In extremis: The world at the edge of a cliff
The Russia-Ukraine conflict saw a major escalation this week. With the world economy on the brink, we’re in for a disquieting autumn.
What you need to know about the energy crisis
Prices by themselves are not helpful in understanding why the energy crisis has emerged and how it is likely to develop. Richard Heinberg gives an overview that emphasizes systemic causal connections and feedbacks.
A climate love story
Let’s explore the disconnect between the dream scenario of all the energy we need from renewables vs. what happens to the ecosystem if we keep the party at full bore.
Why Manchin’s side deal or “permitting reform” must be blocked
The mainstream narrative is that the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) is a big step toward addressing the climate crisis while the side deal is a step backwards, but we may not be able to stop it. I disagree. The giveaways to the fossil fuel and nuclear industries in the IRA make it most likely a net negative for the environment.
Europe’s real-time experiment in energy contraction
Europe is finding out the hard way that there are no easy substitutes for oil and natural gas.
Life expectancy: The US and Cuba in the time of Covid
For the first time, life expectancy in Cuba exceeds that in the US by almost three years. The reasons include responses to Covid, health care systems, racism, poverty, misinformation campaigns, the embargo, international solidarity efforts, and resilience to climate change.
Death by hockey sticks
You may be familiar with the term “hockey stick curve,” used describe a trend that has been flat/stable for a very long time, but shoots up at the end of the series in dramatic fashion, resembling the shape of a hockey stick.
Why we worship waste
Most of us are taught from childhood that waste is bad. But society actually worships waste as a sign of wealth and power.