If you'd like, I'm what you'd call an ex-(aspiring) filmmaker, an early vanguard of what promises to be, in one way or another, an eventual mass exodus from the film and television industries. I won't go into my reasoning behind film and television's future demise here, but suffice to say, if left to its own devices, the future of film and television is in the hands of peak oil … [Read more...]
Will Sandy bring more clean tech to the U.S.?
After a lashing from Superstorm Sandy and a lot of political scrutiny during the election process, the U.S. might like to look at its environmental policies. The world’s largest economy is not leading the way in terms of taking environmental responsibility. At the recent Rio+20 summit it committed itself to very few new national targets, and amended some previous targets to … [Read more...]
Weekly Wisdom: EF Schumacher on non-violent economics
Modern economics does not distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable materials, as its very method is to equalize and quantify everything by means of a money price. Thus, taking various alternative fuels, like coal, oil, wood, or water-power: the only difference between them recognized by modern economics is relative cost per equivalent unit. The cheapest is automatically … [Read more...]
Saudis still planning more nukes. Do they know something we don’t?
Despite the plans of major electricity users around the world to pull away from nuclear power after Fukushima, Saudi Arabia has announced that it's planning to start building power reactors at a breakneck pace. Why? "To reduce its reliance on polluting fossil fuels," according to Al Arabiya (via my friend Steve Knox). Peak oil is a state secret As the people who pump many … [Read more...]
The U.S. fatso after a miracle diet of renewables
Almost every day on the way to campus I watch all kinds of monster trucks overtaking my small diesel engine-powered car. The drivers look down at me with amusement and proudly roar from all of their eight monster cylinders, spewing their monster exhaust fumes. All these dinosaurs on wheels usually carry one person, who is not getting anywhere any faster than I do. They … [Read more...]