Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Two ongoing environmental events are affecting all life on the planet, even if it’s not yet noticeable where you live. Alex Smith of Radio Ecoshock is watching climate change and Fukushima very closely.
The good news is that Britain’s politicians and media are finally giving energy the attention it deserves. The bad is that the frenzied political back-and-forth of the last few weeks utterly fails to grasp the intractability of rising energy costs.
•Japan nuclear agency upgrades Fukushima alert level •Japan’s nuclear crisis deepens, China expresses ‘shock’•Insight: After disaster, the deadliest part of Japan’s nuclear clean-up
Interview with Fred Pearce as detailed in his recent book: The Land Grabbers, followed by Gregor Macdonald about the global energy trends
In-depth interview with Nobel Laureate Robert B. Laughlin on his book "Powering the Future: How We Will Eventually Solve the Energy Crisis and Fuel the Civilization of Tomorrow." Dr. Rose M. Cory’s new science on positive feedback loop discovered in the melting Arctic.
•Britain’s nuclear powered trains •Fukushima: Fallout of fear •On second thought: IAEA re-categorizes the operational status for 47 of Japan’s nuclear reactors •’Nuclear waste? No thanks,’ say Lake District national park tourism chiefs •It’s time to reprocess spent nuclear fuel •Tokyo Electric Sued by U.S. Sailors Exposed to Radiation •Experts okay restart of worrisome Belgian nuclear plants •China blazes trail for ‘clean’ nuclear power from thorium
We are in the midst of an amazing energy boom, but by sweeping the idea of peak oil under the rug we are ignoring a significant fact: the relationship between hydrocarbon reserves and flow rates are not the same as they used to be—reserves have increased but flow rates are not as high or sustainable.
If the end is indeed near – say, within the next 50 years — it will quite likely come in the form of extreme drought and/or nuclear contamination. A couple key maps help us flesh out these possibilities. …So is there something we can do about this?
•World Energy Outlook 2012 Executive Summary •U.S. Oil Output to Overtake Saudi Arabia’s by 2020 •IEA calls for focus on energy efficiency •IEA cuts global forecast for growth in nuclear capacity
BP took a gamble this week, entering into partnership with the Russian state backed energy company Rosneft. The deal frees the company from a stormy relationship with its oligarch partners at TNK BP. At the same time, it effectively makes BP business partners with the Kremlin…
*The murky future of U.S. shale gas
*After the Boom in Natural Gas
*US natural gas boom claims first nuclear plant
*Report sees economic boost from unconventional oil and gas
*US fracking sites impact health – report
*UK public favours wind turbines over shale gas wells, poll finds
News of Turkish military retaliation to a mortar round fired from inside Syria spooked oil markets this week. Former Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan has warned that there is a danger that the Syrian conflict could spread and destabilise the region, although the Turkish Prime Minister said on Thursday that his country had no intention of starting a war…
