Goin' Green
21st-century African land grab
The great 21st century land grab is shaping up as a competition for Africa. The once-forgotten land is now a source of massive investment by China, Saudi Arabia and other resource-strapped countries. In particular, countries facing potential food shortages due to growing food demand are investing in African agriculture. A recent Guardian article highlights this... »
New Life for Detroit
I wonder if Detroit is in fact a model city for America. Is the path that Detroit follows the path that many other urban areas will also follow? Detroit is rotten to the core – partly due to ’suburban flight’ and partly due to the erosion of its economic base. While I don’t think every... »
Driving to Starvation
Biofuels are a false dawn. They are inefficient (in terms of EROI) and they waste food. Biofuels are not a solution to expensive oil. It is simply a massive “The grain grown to produce fuel in the US was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels,”... »
Growing to Extinction
Here are some interesting facts found within Bill McKibben’s book, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future: - The average bite of American food has traveled 1,500 miles and changed hands 6 times before it reaches your mouth. - The average new home size has doubled since 1970. - Only 22% of the energy... »
Shell & Peak Oil
Shell CEO Peter Voser, addressing an audience at The Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics conference in Santa Barbara, Calif., answered a question about peak oil: …despite developments in technologies such as electric cars, wind power and other alternative energy sources, “we will need conventional oil” for the foreseeable future. “We cannot switch it off, and we can... »
[Dirty] Coal Demand to Remain Strong
Turn off your TV for a second. Cut out the noise from the marketers out there trying to position their products and companies as environmentally friendly (eco-this and green-that). To be honest, it’s all a bunch of unregulated fluff. Sure, my cell phone is made from 2% recycled materials. But maybe it always was. Maybe... »
“We are in the middle of earth’s sixth extinction”
Let’s prove them wrong. According to Sri Lanka Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka, climate change has resulted in mass extinction in the past. This time around, it could lead to our own demise: “Scientists warn that one third of the animals and plants... »
A Strategic Resource…and China Controls 90%
Rare earth metals are critical components for many new technologies, including strategically important goods like hybrid cars and windmills. Unfortunately, twenty years ago China decided to dominate the global rare earth metals industry and undercut foreign producers into bankruptcy. Today, China controls 90% of all rare earth metals and is a net exporter. However, in... »
10 Questions on Bloom Box
1. When will the Bloom box for the home arrive, and what will it cost? 2. How durable would it be? 3. Buy or lease? 4. Would I be able to get off the grid? 5. Would I be able to sell energy to the grid? 6. But would the grid still exist if everyone’s got... »
