Tuesday, July 31, 2018

What the end of cheap oil means for capitalism

Cheap oil allowed:
  • fast population rise
  • extensive liquid fuel infrastructure
  • economic growth
  • global warming blanket of carbon
Cheap oil is over. Now what? 
  • no more profits
  • mass unemployment
  • consolidation of power and wealth
  • end of human rights

Monday, July 30, 2018

Can one be a socialist and support slaughter abroad?

Socialism is growing quickly in the US. The obvious benefits of things like single-payer medical insurance are catching on.

But what about oil? The US is locked in to $trillions in liquid fuel investment. There is no sign of any change from that. This requires them to make deals with the devil to maintain control of oil markets.

What is the point of improving the lives of Americans if it means more slaughter abroad.

The real battleground for justice in America is in your local public transit debate.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Gollyworld, where technology allows infinite growth

The technofix crowd tries to convince us that growth can go on. Here is a good response from Richard Heinberg of the PostCarbon Institute.
undark.org Nordhaus seems to think we are exceptions to the rules. Still, as archaeologists have affirmed, many past human societies consumed resources or polluted environments to the point of collapse. Granted, societies have failed for other reasons as well, including invasion, over-extension of empire, or natural climate change. Yet in cases where societies depleted forests, fisheries, freshwater, or topsoil, the consequences were dire.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Fire rages in the arctic, but humans keep building cars and fighting over oil

vox.com Temperatures this month reached 86 degrees Fahrenheit well inside the Arctic Circle in Sweden, where the worst fires the country has seen in decades are now burning. More than 50 fires have ignited across the country, forcing evacuations. Finland and Norway are also fighting flames.

No silver bullet?

We hear this a lot. There is no silver bullet. In other words, there is no simple solution to the problems of energy and climate.

Not true!

If a critical mass of cities and towns make their urban buses and trams fare-free, then there will be a radical change.

Energy waste will be immediately reduced.

Sprawl and growth would be crippled.

Humans might have a chance.

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Car-dependency is US Achilles heel

If the US people protest enough, the elites will change out Trump for another. But as long as the US is dominated by car-dependent autosprawl, the oil industry will still be the horse that the bankers ride.

Don't fall for the Russia collusion hype. Of course, there is collusion, but it is not just Trump. It is the top US elite. Why? They need to control the world oil/gas market. Russia and Iran provide the boots on the ground.

Russia projects power beyond its economic size for several reasons:
  • large oil/gas reserves
  • willingness to slaughter civilians
  • autocratic government
US would gain nothing from a very expensive war with Russia.

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Americans kill each other over parking. #Autosprawl #collapse

washingtonpost.com Now seated on the ground, Drejka reached into his pocket, pulled out a pistol and fired a single shot into McGlockton’s chest, an action shown clearly on surveillance video released by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

People in Iraq protest corruption, unemployment, and shortages of water and power

Thursday, July 19, 2018

No human alive after 2025. The McPherson Paradox

https://youtu.be/XVpkTKZoq48

As civilization grows, it produces more heat, which will kill us. If it collapses, then particulates will fall and more sunlight will come in and kill us. This is the McPherson Paradox. #neartermhumanextinction

Monday, July 16, 2018

Crop failure in EU

bloomberg He’s one of many farmers battling for survival after a heatwave and drought swept across northern parts of the continent, damaging crops from wheat to barley. Many German growers could go bankrupt if they suffer another crop failure, and too much rain in France is set to reduce output there. All combined, it’s shaping up to be the bloc’s smallest grains harvest in six years.

What no corporate media will say about US/Russia relations

Russia and US are not enemies, they are rivals. Here is what they are preparing for:
  • Continued rapid growth of Islamic State
  • Agriculture disasters from heat
  • Debt defaults
  • Sudden mass unemployment

Sunday, July 15, 2018

People of Haiti fight back against energy price rise

Reports differ on how many people have been killed in riots — at least two, three or seven — that happened over the last weekend. Demonstrators reportedly blocked roads, burned tires and vandalized shops.
The government announced on Friday, July 6 that prices would go up the following day by 38 percent for gasoline, 47 percent for diesel and 51 percent for kerosene.

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Disappearance of Arctic Sea Ice

arctic-news The image on the right shows sea surface temperatures on July 6 for the years 2014 to 2018 at a location near Svalbard (at 77.958°N, 5.545°E), with an exponential trend added based on the data.

Civilization is a heat engine

scientificamerican.com But searing daytime highs were not the only feature of the unusual heat wave. As temperatures stayed sultry throughout the night, they posed a threat to human health because the body is less able to recover from the heat of the day.

Sunday, July 8, 2018

How does US tight-oil investment defy gravity?

resourceinsights Now here is what peak oil thinkers couldn't foresee: That investors would subsidize the production of vast amounts of oil rather than seeking a return on their capital and that they would do this year after year even in the face of the obvious financial evidence. Essentially, Wall Street has been subsidizing the consumption of oil on Main Street.
Ask yourself, did the bank bailout not also defy all economics? Of course, the tight-oil investors are backed by implicit bailout guarantees. Why? They are investing in the whole American system. 

Friday, July 6, 2018

Humans note massive heat wave, but quickly return focus to profits

ecowatch.com The U.S. wasn't the only country where typically milder climes faced scorching heat. In Canada, Montreal recorded its highest temperature since it began keeping records 147 years ago. Thermometers rose to 97.9 degrees on July 2, and the city also suffered its most extreme midnight combination of humidity and heat. The heat wave in Eastern Canada has turned deadly, killing at least 19 people in Quebec, 12 of them in Montreal, RTE reported Thursday.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Oil trolls in desperate search for negatives of fare-free urban public transport

Oil trolls in corporate media are scrambling desperately to find ways to declare fare-free urban transport to be unworkable.

So far, all they got is one professor who keeps asserting there is no empirical evidence that fare-free transport reduces driving.

We have a whole blog of evidence. Ridership up, unit costs down, people happy.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

#Renewables just add fuel to the fire

Tverberg Of the 252 million tons of oil equivalent (MTOE) energy consumption added in 2017, wind added 37 MTOE and solar added 26 MTOE. Thus, wind and solar amounted to about 25% of total energy consumption added in 2017. Fossil fuels added 67% of total energy consumption added in 2017, and other categories added the remaining 8%.