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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

jcsI thought readers might be amused by this flier I created for my tutoring service.  I just started with a new kid at the local high school yesterday (Algebra II and English). I really enjoy helping young people do well in life, and I offer huge discounts to low-income families so that everyone can afford me.

The pic here was taken in 1977, the same year I took on my first students; I worked with undergraduates in calculus and physics for the princely sum of $9/hour.

The old cliche’, of course, is that the teacher learns more than the student, and there is a great deal of truth to that.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphereObviously, 400 parts per million CO2 is a symbolic number; there’s no good reason to freak out about 400 ppm any more than there is 401 or 399. But the concept that the concentration of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere has permanently surpassed this threshold should be a shocking reminder that our business-as-usual approach to energy and the environment is driving us off a cliff.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

What Trump Supporters Really Need Is the Exact Opposite of What He Would DeliverA few people have commented that my anti-Trump posts could alienate his followers, and actually galvanize support for the sociopath.

No one with any sense and decency deliberately wants to alienate Trump supporters, or anyone else for that matter. But let’s look at this carefully. These people are divided into two groups:

• A smaller number of wealthy people who love the promise of a huge tax reduction and elimination of governmental regulation on things like the environment, and (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

We Won’t Be Winning Any Awards from the Petrochemical IndustryLauren Downs from Global Energy News writes:  Hi Craig, I have tried many times to contact you regarding your Nomination in the 2016 Oil & Gas Awards without success. The last thing I want to do is become a nuisance, so I would appreciate your honesty. Is this something you wish to progress with? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

The Birth of Nuclear EnergyPhysicist Enrico Fermi was born on this day 115 years ago in Rome. Einstein had famously predicted the possibility of nuclear energy with the equivalence of mass and energy.  But, according to the Writer’s Almanac:  “It was Enrico Fermi who was the first to use that theory to build the first functioning nuclear reactor, and he went on to help build the atom bomb.”

Late in his life, Einstein said, “If I had known what they were going to do with my discovery, I would have become a locksmith.”  Yet, ironically, now it’s possible that the world can downsize its nuclear arsenal and focus the attention of technologists in this space onto developing large-scale, and, most importantly, no-carbon reactors that function safely and cost-effectively.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Is There More Than One Way to Interpret Trump's Position that Climate Change Is a Hoax?Frequent commenter MarcoPolo reacts to my post on Donald Trump’s “climate change is a hoax” position:  The vast majority of Trump supporters and significant percentage of the population, understand not to take Trump too literally…..The danger of this sort of campaign (against Trump) is it preaches to the converted, who would vote against Trump anyway, but it may also motivate a lot of people who may not have bothered to vote to vote for Trump in protest. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

William the Conqueror and His LegacyAs a man of peace, I tend not to celebrate the lives of the world’s conquerors.  Yet, on this date, I always give a tip of my hat to William of Normandy, who, 1050 years ago today, landed on British shores and commenced the Norman Conquest of England. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Hoax1Here’s an email urging me to add my name to the #VoteClimate pledge: “I will vote only for climate champions who support a 100% clean energy future, and an end to taxpayer support of fossil fuels.”

I complied with the request, which I thought I would simply present it here, insofar as it needs no explanation or interpretation.  It reads: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The Environmental Effects of Soil Depletion and What We Can Do About ThemAfter our oceans, our soil is our planet’s next biggest carbon sink (four times more powerful than all the plant life on Earth).  The bad news is that the constant depletion of the soil via a range of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, along with various unsustainable agricultural practices has led to a condition in which the ground is losing its effectiveness in capturing and sequestering carbon. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Holland Keeping the Tulips and Wind Mills But Getting Rid of Coal-Fired Power Plants. Good Choice.About a month ago I took this online survey of my attitudes and beliefs so that a piece of artificial intelligence could suggest the country best suited to my tastes should I be forced to expatriate due to a Trump presidency.  As I previously reported, the computer recommended The Netherlands,  I presume based on my progressive views,  coupled with my support of civil liberties. (more…)

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