It is abundantly clear that if we are going to conquer our climate change demons, then we’ve got to radically reduce the burning of coal on our splendid but increasingly stressed planet. Carbon dioxide is still the primary driver of warming and coal is still the primary source of carbon dioxide from fuel combustion. Of […]
The inherent gross inefficiency of the internal combustion engine surpasses even that of conventional thermal power plants. About 5% of the energy in the fuel actually moves a typical automobile. Battery electric vehicles, fuel-cell electrics, plug-in hybrids and others that eschew ICE technology get much more bang for the buck. California is proving this, as […]
Why Not Frack? is the title of an article in a recent issue of the “NY Review of Books.” One of the best environmental journalists we’ve got, Bill McKibben, is the author. McKibben, of course, is more than just a journalist. He’s a ground-breaking thinker and, in recent years, a very serious and effective activist. […]
The final paper assignment for my class on energy and the environment at NYU’s MS in Global Affairs program this semester was to “…provide for all the energy needs of the world in the year 2050.” I said “In the next 40 years, we will need to transition to safe, secure, affordable, clean and abundant […]
Siemens, the German industrial giant, is, like the installation they created, picture above, a superstar. Peter Löscher, recently reappointed as CEO, has been driving the renewables end of their business relentlessly, seeing nothing but upside. Siemens has made a big move in announcing its total withdrawal from the nuclear power business. Siemens Abandoning Nuclear Power […]
How green are the Tories? was the question from The Independent a few years back. “Vote Blue, Go Green” said the Conservative leader, David Cameron. Now he’s the PM and he’s backing up his words with actions. His government’s announcement yesterday that it is going to halve the UK’s GHG emissions, relative to 1990 figures, […]
I went to a debate on nuclear energy on Monday evening sponsored by the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia. The Center is headed by Mike Gerrard, a force of nature in environmental law for over thirty years. “Should nuclear power be an important component of U.S. strategy to combat climate change?” The pros, […]
The Urban Green Council is the NYC Chapter of the US Green Building Council. The New York City folks are very active, extremely creative and progressive, and forging true global leadership in green building and design. I attended their inaugural Urban Green Expo last year, and went again this year. The theme this year of […]
Sue me: I love the FT. It has comprehensive, smart and deep coverage of energy and the environment. I subscribe to the paper and to the “Energy Source” blog feed. Once again, they’re hitting on all cylinders with this special report, Modern Energy. There are articles here on oil, gas, power demand, biofuels, the state […]
When I was at the Urban Green Expo last fall, the Energy Maha Guru Amory Lovins gave a riveting talk. He said: “The Renewable Revolution has been won. Sorry, if you missed it.” I let out a yell. Well, as I’ve been noting here, this is not mere hyperbole. Here’s more evidence. In Europe, they’re […]
So at this point I have the score, in a sane world, about ten to nothing against nuclear power. (See previous two posts below.) Here are a few more points against: Perhaps the most telling argument against nuclear power, in market economies anyway, is the failure of nuclear power to compete. Amory Lovins, in his […]
I would be remiss in not pointing you to a blockbuster paper by Amory Lovins from September that I’ve only just now read. I scanned his article in Grist at the time in which he thoroughly debunks Stewart Brand’s support for nuclear power. Here are the four myths he shatters: variable renewable sources of electricity […]
Sorry if I seem to be (relatively) blithely indifferent to the many and varied blows that climate change legislation, international agreement and even climate science appear to have been sustaining over the past several months, but I remain quite hopeful that legislation and diplomacy will continue to advance and, even more so, that clean tech […]
Several recent posts here have looked at the state of play leading up to the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). I’ve been generally optimistic about prospects – although the title of my last post may belie that. There are several reasons why I’m […]
Think California and its Governator aren’t dead serious about renewables? DOE’s weekly newsletter, “EERE Network News,” has this story: California Accelerates its Pursuit of Clean Energy. A new executive order requires the Golden State’s utilities to get a third of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. This is in addition to robust energy efficiency […]