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An energy miracle? But we already have it!

An energy miracle? But we already have it! Silicon is a material with properties close to the optimal for a solar cell. It is also one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust, and, finally, we know how to use it to manufacture cells with efficiency close to the theoretical maximum. Isn’t it […]

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We asked for an energy miracle and all what we are getting are lousy killer robots

We asked for an energy miracle and all what we are getting are lousy killer robots If you have four minutes, turn down the horrible background music and watch this clip up to the end, which is truly revealing. So, maybe you were hoping that science would bring to us a technological miracle that could […]

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The sustainable energy transition: a “back of the envelope” calculation

The sustainable energy transition: a “back of the envelope” calculation Image source. “Back of the Envelope” calculations are a tradition in science and often turn out to be able to provide plenty of useful information, at the same time avoiding the common pitfall of complex models, that of being able to fit anything provided that […]

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Why we can’t understand global warming

Why we can’t understand global warming An interesting excerpt from George’s Lakoff “Don’t Think of an Elephant!” 2014. “Every language in the world has in its grammar a way to express direct causation. No language in the world has in its grammar a way to express systemic causation. What’s the difference between direct and systemic […]

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The story of the fisherman and of the farmer

The story of the fisherman and of the farmer Image from Daniel Vickers’ “Farmers and Fishermen“, 1994. As I sit on the podium with the other speakers, I have in front of me about 30 boys and girls. They are not even teenagers, most of them seem to be around 12 years old. They sit […]

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The world industrial system as bacteria in a Petri dish

The world industrial system as bacteria in a Petri dish In a previous post, I speculated that a thermodynamic system such our industrial economy is completely dependent from its “outside”. As it grows and incorporates this “outside”, it is obliged to store high entropy inside itself. Possibly, the epidemic diffusion of riots in the very heart of […]

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The cuckoo that won’t sing: sustanaibility and Japanese culture

The cuckoo that won’t sing: sustanaibility and Japanese culture This post was published for the first time on April 6, 2011. It is re-proposed here as part of a mini-series on Japanese culture that includes the previous post here as part of a mini-series on Japanese culture that includes the previous post on population control during the Edo […]

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The population problem: should the Pope tell people to stop breeding like rabbits?

The population problem: should the Pope tell people to stop breeding like rabbits? In this post, I argue that overpopulation is a complex problem that has to do with human choices at the level of single families. It is not impossible that such choices will eventually lead to a stabilization of the population at a […]

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E-Cat: the saga continues.

E-Cat: the saga continues. Maybe this device produces energy, too? Of course, you all know that if I am criticizing Rossi’s E-Cat it is because I am part of the great conspiracy to keep hidden the fact that oil is infinite and ever recreated in the depths of the earth. I am a gatekeeper; no, […]

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Donald Trump and the collapse of the Western Empire

Donald Trump and the collapse of the Western Empire In this post, I argue that the ascent of Donald Trump in the US presidential race is a symptom of the ongoing breakdown of society, in turn caused by the loss of control generated by resource depletion. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find […]

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The climate wars: trench warfare or blitzkrieg?

The climate wars: trench warfare or blitzkrieg? In a previous post, I examined more than 25 years of Gallup polls in the US and I came to the conclusion the climate debate is stuck in a trench warfare condition. Apparently, the percentage of Americans who say they are “worried” about climate change is today nearly the […]

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Trench warfare in the climate wars: no victory in sight

Trench warfare in the climate wars: no victory in sight Image from “ThinkProgress” The latest data from Gallup about how much Americans worry about global warming are nothing less than amazing. Today, we are exactly where we were more than one-quarter of a century ago. And yet, climate science has progressed, temperatures have been rising, […]

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How the greatest technology ever developed backfired on us

How the greatest technology ever developed backfired on us Natural selection was probably the factor that led the Irish Elk to develop oversized antlers: they were a beneficial feature for the males in the sexual competition game. However, the weight of the antlers was also a burden and it has been argued that it was one […]

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The climate emergency: time to switch to panic mode?

The climate emergency: time to switch to panic mode? The latest temperature data have broken all records (image from “think progress“). At best, this is an especially large oscillation and the climate system will be soon back on track; following the predictions of the models – maybe to be retouched to take into account faster […]

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An epochal change: have CO2 emissions peaked?

An epochal change: have CO2 emissions peaked? Image from MIT Technology Review The projections that had been circulating during the past few months turned out to be correct. Now, it is official: the global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions peaked in 2014 and went down in 2015. And this could be a momentous change. Don’t expect the emission […]

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