Tag Archives: Peak Oil

The decline and fall of the Human Empire

Below is my article, as it appears over four pages in the current edition of ‘Village’ magazine: Doomsday cults are as old as human civilisation. The Bible is a rich sourcebook for ‘End Times’ enthusiasts, who pore over Iron Age … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity, Economics, Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Media, Sustainability | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

In the world, at the limits to growth

By David Korowicz* We imagine this country is in crisis, yet crisis is relative. Most people in the world would envy our material austerity and be thankful for our endlessly ‘collapsing’ health service. But, with our expectations thwarted and in … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Energy, Global Warming, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Energy constraints will collapse global economic recovery

We may rail against the regulators, politicians, and others who failed to understand and manage past  risks, but we are just as culpable for our  failure to engage with severe, well-signposted, imminent ones. Impassioned arguments over bank nationalisation, the austerity-stimulus … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Energy, Global Warming, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Driving an Electric Car

I was fortunate enough to test-drive the Nissan Leaf this week, and thought I would post some first impressions. The car itself is very comfortable, and for anyone used to a Prius (or any automatic), it drives exactly like a … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Oil: supply shortfall & getting a sense of the scale of BP’s spill

We’re now beginning to see government agencies put figures on the oil supply deficit in coming years. The US Department of Energy information agency say that current data points to a supply deficit of 5 million barrels a day by … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Global Warming | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Peak oil – what happens next?

Wednesday night last saw an interesting session to kick off several days of the 15th Convergence Sustainable Living Festival, organised by Cultivate. The two-hour session was entitled: ‘Planning our retreat from fossil fuels: exploring the ramifications of Peak Oil’ and … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Global Warming, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Can industrial civilisation and the biosphere both be saved?

Even when you don’t agree with him, Monbiot remains essential reading. Whether you regard the Dark Mountain Project as a bunch of  dystopian doomers, or simply realists probably depends on how you feel about peak oil (in the shorter term) … Continue reading

Posted in Biodiversity, Global Warming, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Argument versus Proselytising: Developing and defending a rational debate on energy and survival.

The debate on climate change faces a number of inherent handicaps. Human nature is perhaps the most important. At our best, we deal reasonably well with the present and the immediate future. If next Christmas seems remote, our abilities to … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Sceptics, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Ireland among most vulnerable to peak oil

HERE’S A conundrum: restarting global economic growth will, by definition, push up energy costs. Rising energy costs will in turn choke off that economic recovery, leading to a fall in energy prices. Try to restart growth again, and the brick … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do you believe in miracles?

Bill Gates is for many the Dr Evil of the corporate world. His Microsoft behemoth has had a stranglehold on the world’s personal computer market for the last two decades, and wrung hundreds of billions out of users in the … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

21st Century Swords to Plowshares: From Megatons to Megawatts

Currently, hydropower provides 6% of the USA’s electrical power, and solar, biomass, wind and geothermal combined provide 3%. Dismantled nuclear weapons provide 10%. The ‘Megatons to Megawatts’ programme was instituted in the 1990s as a means to secure the weapons … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Nuclear | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

To the last drop?

Take a minute or two to study the chart below. It is just issued by the International Energy Agency, an industry-centric organisation not prone to engaging in eco-alarmism. But this is alarming, truly shocking in fact. The dark blue chart … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Nuclear, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Soaring oil price sinks iconic Hummer

Nothing says vulgarity or hubris quite like a Hummer. Clocking in at an average of 13 miles per gallon (21.7 litres per 100km), they are no longer the biggest monstrosity on the roads these days, if you really want to … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

ESB finally sees the light

Ireland, it appears, is at last starting to get serious about tackling our huge energy requirements, and the dagger that our massive dependence on imports of oil and gas in particular holds to our collective throat. We are reckoned in … Continue reading

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Irish Focus, Nuclear, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

At the edge of the Olduvain abyss?

The year 1900 is little more than two generations ago. It’s the year before my maternal grandmother was born. At that time, she was one of some 1.6 billion people then alive on the earth. A hundred years, two World … Continue reading

Posted in Global Warming, Habitat/Species, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments