When Uber got practical and took a stake in Didi and cut the costs of their Chinese market pursuit, it made a lot of sense. Tesla is closing in on autonomous shuttles, but perhaps Uber and Tesla could find common cause to get to autonomous first, instead of the same rate of speed that the automotive efforts or Apple and Google might generate. (more…)
Is there anyone who isn’t profoundly impressed and deeply touched by this incredible video (below)? If you think our civilization has no future, try explaining your position to this 12-year-old Canadian girl, speaking to the United Nations. (more…)
In our discussions of the externalities associated with fossil fuels, we sometimes leave out the cost of cleaning up disasters, e.g., oil spills. For those wishing to see some sort of quantification of the problem, here is a map displaying the location of each such spill over the last five years.
When it comes to having an energy efficient home, there is no better way than to regulate how much heat can enter and escape your home. While building materials and insulation play a major role in this, windows are often overlooked. (more…)
One of the points I like to make when I’m speaking in public about clean energy and sustainability is that there are dozens of moving parts to the energy equation–all of which, fortunately, are headed in a positive direction. (more…)
It’s always great to be able to report unequivocally good news, and this is such a story. As the cost of solar PV continues to plummet, many Africans are finding that this represents a far better–and less expensive–solution than kerosene. (more…)
It’s hard to count all the important upgrades in the policies of the Catholic Church that Pope Francis has made. After 1600 years of virtually no change, the church has now turned around on dozens of issues, and has put on a distinctly humanitarian face with respect to the rules its parishioners must accept. Good examples of this are climate change mitigation, income inequality, and LGBT rights. (more…)
Every once in a while, I like to offer a short post on writing itself. It’s the birthday of the late American author Elmore Leonard, whose brilliant and prolific work spanned several genres: terrific stories set in the old West, as well as scintillating tales of crime and suspense. (more…)
After my stand-alone talk at the International Trade Forum last Friday, I was asked to participate in a panel on the future of the energy industry, where the moderator peppered us with excellent questions on the promises and challenges associated with renewable energy, as a function of the cost of wind, solar, etc. (more…)
Today, going green is more important than ever. There are many different ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and one of them is getting a green carpet for your home. Opting for one of these is not only going to do good for the environment but for your health as well. (more…)
