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Category Archives: Environment
Jorg Friedrichs: The future is not what it used to be. climate change and energy scarcity
Jorg Friedrichs: The future is not what it used to be. climate change and energy scarcity Preface. This book ranges across many topics and I’ve only included a few bits and pieces. Friedrichs discusses what to do, recovery, denial, migration, historically how Japan, North Korea, and Cuba reacted to sudden energy decline and based on […]
Salt-free drinkable water comes at a cost
Salt-free drinkable water comes at a cost A desalination plant in Spain. Image: By Andrés Nieto Porras from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, via Wikimedia Commons Two thirds of the world worries about water for at least a month annually. One successful source of salt-free drinkable water leaves a bitter aftertaste. LONDON, 15 January, 2019 – […]
The West’s Great River Hits Its Limits: Will the Colorado Run Dry?
The West’s Great River Hits Its Limits: Will the Colorado Run Dry? As the Southwest faces rapid growth and unrelenting drought, the Colorado River is in crisis, with too many demands on its diminishing flow. Now those who depend on the river must confront the hard reality that their supply of Colorado water may be […]
BC Energy Minister on Her Site C Reversal: No Regrets
BC Energy Minister on Her Site C Reversal: No Regrets Michelle Mungall once firmly opposed the mega-dam. Now she’s a powerful figure in a ‘complicated’ party. Critics criticize. But once you’re in government, says Energy Minister Michelle Mungall, ‘It’s not so easy to put your mark in the sand and say it’s never going to […]
Opinion: Sooner or Later, We Have to Stop Economic Growth–And We’ll Be Better For It
OPINION: SOONER OR LATER, WE HAVE TO STOP ECONOMIC GROWTH — AND WE’LL BE BETTER FOR IT The end of growth will come one day, perhaps very soon, whether we’re ready or not. If we plan for and manage it, we could well wind up with greater well-being. Illustration by Kelsey King January 8, 2019 […]
The Overlooked Catalyst That Will Send Energy Demand Soaring
The Overlooked Catalyst That Will Send Energy Demand Soaring As the earth gets hotter, energy demand will increase significantly along with global temperatures. Now a team of researchers in China has determined in a recent study that by the end of this century, peak energy demand in China will increase by a minimum of 72 […]
Rising Sea Levels – by How Much, and Why? A Current Commentary.
Rising Sea Levels – by How Much, and Why? A Current Commentary. The following was published in the journal Science Progress recently, of which I am an editor. Since this blog typically covers issues of environment and energy, I am including the present topic, which I hope will be of interest to its regular readers, […]
Magma Under The Yellowstone Supervolcano Is “Rising”, And Scientists Warn That An Eruption Would Devastate The Entire Planet
Magma Under The Yellowstone Supervolcano Is “Rising”, And Scientists Warn That An Eruption Would Devastate The Entire Planet Could it be possible that a full-blown eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano is not too far away? All over the world seismic activity has been increasing in recent years, and this process seems to have accelerated during […]
A Green Future is One Without War
A Green Future is One Without War Donald Trump and his base — the leftover scraps of Jim Crow, the broken shards of racist hatred that once were the American mainstream and made the country seem “great” to those who weren’t its victims — have, it appears, a crucial role to play in our future. […]
Warming may mean sea levels 30 cms higher
Warming may mean sea levels 30 cms higher An Irish railway station, built with sea level rise in mind. Image: By Sarah777, via Wikipedia Commons Warmer oceans mean higher tides, bigger storm surges and heavier rainstorms. With ocean temperatures rising ever faster, sea levels 30 cms higher are possible by 2100. LONDON, 14 January, 2019 […]
A Massive Winter Storm Buries Parts Of The US, Kills Seven
A Massive Winter Storm Buries Parts Of The US, Kills Seven After what was a quiet but abnormally warm start to 2019, a severe winter storm has left seven people dead as it charged across the Midwestern US, striking the Mid-Atlantic coast on Sunday. By late Saturday night, the storm had shifted over the Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore region, where 4 to 7 […]
Confronting extinction
Confronting extinction Photo by Julia Hawkins (Flickr) With high-profile direct actions across London, the Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement has captured media headlines, garnered influential supporters, and inspired a wave of participants across the globe. From blocking bridges to occupying government departments, XR has sounded alarm bells at the extinction before us, demanding a more radical […]
Warning: A ‘Shrinking Window’ of Usable Groundwater
Warning: A ‘Shrinking Window’ of Usable Groundwater New analysis reveals that we have much less water in our aquifers than we previously thought — and the oil and gas industry could put that at even greater risk. We’re living beyond our means when it comes to groundwater. That’s probably not news to everyone, but new […]
Migrant birds face risk in earlier springs
Migrant birds face risk in earlier springs A great tit preys on a pied flycatcher. Image: By Maurice van Laar Spring in the high latitudes is arriving ever earlier. But migrant birds from the tropics may not realise that, and faulty timing could cost them their lives. LONDON, 11 January, 2019 – Biologists have identified […]
Magnetic Poles Are Moving Rapidly as Never Before – Precursor to a Pole Shift?
Magnetic Poles Are Moving Rapidly as Never Before – Precursor to a Pole Shift? The magnetic poles on the Sun flip about every 11 years. Since nobody lives there, we really have no idea what the effects would be. On Earth, the major pole shifts that are permanent tend to be in the 720,000 years […]
