My colleague Brian McGowan notes on the Volkswagen scandal: The one thing that all of this does prove again is that no corporation is ever to be trusted to “do the right thing” in spite of the fact that one portion of our political system seems to think that business should be allowed to police itself. Business self-monitoring and policing should never be allowed.
It was most certainly a very dark day for corporate integrity, (more…)
With the Alaskan pipeline (pictured) flowing at only about one-quarter capacity, one can only imagine the disappointment that the governor of the state, Bill Walker, felt about yesterday’s announcement that Shell Oil had scrapped its plans to drill in the arctic. Walker continues to insist that the White House take action here, e.g., opening the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, explaining that “We need to get some oil in the pipeline quick.” (more…)
Here’s an article, one of several similar pieces I see every day, that I offer to those whose viewpoint on climate change is both a) that its effects going forward are well understood, and b) that they won’t be as catastrophic as the scientific community predicts. This one happens to be on the “awakening” of now-dormant viruses as the permafrost melts.
Libertarian and frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes: Over population was a hot topic in the late ’60’s and early ’70’s, with an announcement by 93% of the world’s leading scientists endorsing the prophesy that 1977 would see permanent and increasing world food shortages. But, here we are in 2015, and it hasn’t occurred yet. The planet is capable of feeding vastly more than 7 or even 9 billion people. There’s no need to resort to draconian measures to “control’ populations. We must place our faith optimistically in our own human ingenuity, and realize that moral hand-wringing will just render us powerless to help ourselves, or the environment.
It is true that this planet can deliver a food supply to 9 billion people. It is not at all true that it can do so in the absence of our civilization’s making some major changes to its approach to energy and agriculture. (more…)
Safer roads and less congestion are the obvious advantages of driverless cars, but a new study says that the technology has the potential to bring substantial environmental benefits, as well. Eliminating the driver will definitely help improve traffic safety, given that human error is the leading cause of car accidents, but researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory say that it will also help drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (more…)
Timothy Maloney writes: Fear of nuclear radiation is a superstition – a belief maintained in the absence of valid evidence out of deference to perceived authority. Extraction of hydrocarbons cannot be stopped by political or social action. It can be stopped only by a superior energy source, one that beats carbon energy on capitalism’s own terms – reliability and price. Only nuclear fission can do that.
I see your point, but I wouldn’t call it a superstition. (more…)
Certain technologies become unfeasible below a certain scale. Concentrated solar power is one. Yes, you can take a solar cooker on a backpacking trip, but you certainly can’t set up a CSP plant on the roof of your house that will compete with PV.
To the chagrin of a great number of investors, this is the lesson the world has learned about small wind, which is defined as anything under 100 kW. (more…)
Gary Tulie (pictured), my brilliant colleague who contributed so greatly to Bullish on Renewable Energy, suggests ways in which corporate criminal Volkswagen can atone for what it’s done to the people of the world and the environment in which they live. They all seem like decent ideas to me, though I’m still so seething with anger that I may not be capable of evaluating them properly at this point. –ed
Volkswagen looks set to face fines and costs of many billions of dollars for its criminal behaviour in tricking both the public and regulators into thinking that its diesel vehicles comply with NOx emission regulations, and will be required to carry out possibly the largest recall in vehicle history. (more…)
After encountering crude deposits of disappointing size, Shell has decided to withdraw from oil exploration in the arctic, meaning that, at least for now, the assault on that pristine environment will not go forward. Obviously, it’s a great moment for people who care about a sustainable course to energy, mitigating climate change, and all those things that are meaningful to folks of conscience. (more…)
In a previous post, we addressed the general characteristics of a smart grid. Here, we’ll discuss the devices that make up its structure. Smart grid is a measurement and intelligent communication system that consists of the following components:
• Smart Metering
• HAN: Home Area Network
• Metering Gateway (more…)
