Recently Alex spoke at Google on the moral case for fossil fuels, part of the popular Google Talks series. The Q&A session that followed brought up interesting topics, including how to frame a conversation about energy, the role of experts, and the impact of energy policies on poverty.
The Truth About Future Generations
Summary: There is no conflict between the present generation and future generations. The best way to benefit future generations is to benefit our present generation by guiltlessly producing and consuming resources. One of the least controversial ideas in our culture is “resource conservation”: the idea that we should prioritize conserving resources for future generations lest we leave them with nothing.In …
The Myth of Wind and Solar “Capacity”
Last week, our Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration released an announcement and a graph that appeared to show wind as the leading new source of electricity. “Wind, natural gas, and solar made up almost all new electric generation capacity in 2015, accounting for 41%, 30%, and 26% of total additions, respectively, according to preliminary data. The data also show …
Why the World’s Greenest Bathroom is Also the Dirtiest
A few weeks ago, I drove down to San Diego to hike the Torrey Pines trail. While the trail was as scenic as advertised, there were two moments of unpleasantness. The first was the discovery that the bathrooms at the trailhead were closed and thus hikers would have to use porta-potties, with the lack of sanitation and presence of noxious …
Fossil Fuels Make the Planet More Productive
We are often taught that nature provides us with what we need to survive, and that our responsibility is to use this bounty in a “sustainable” way. But the truth is that nature doesn’t give us the wealth we need to survive: we have to create it—and, thanks in large part to the fossil fuel industry, we have created so …
Gasoline Brings Families Together This Holiday Season
The holiday season is one of the most traveled times of the year in the United States, and this year, “more Americans will join with friends and family to celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year than ever before” states Marshall L. Doney of the American Automobile Association (AAA). These happy reunions are made possible by vehicles that …
Power Surge: Burning Windmills and Another Climate Scare Report by the White House
On this episode Alex and Steffen talk about the under-reported issue of windmills burning down, which is the subject of a recent study by the UK Imperial College, and the most recent global warming scare report from the White House, called “The Cost of Delaying Action to Stem Climate Change”. [audio: http://industrialprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Power-Surge-20140729.mp3] Click here to Play or Save this Episode
Power Surge: “Carbon Legacy” Babies and Amory Lovins’ Footprint on the Colorado Coal Grid
On this episode Alex and Steffen talk about the hypocrisy involved in promoting the luxurious home of green icon Amory Lovins near Aspen, Colorado, as low footprint, efficient, and autonomous, as well as the view of some ecologists that having children is a major attack on the ecosystem of a “shared planet”. [audio: http://industrialprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Power-Surge-20140728.mp3] Click here to Play or Save …
Colorado Fracking Bans Could Cause Billions of Dollars in Compensation Claims
Bans on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in Boulder County, Colorado, could result in enormous destruction of wealth, states a study commissioned by The National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO). According to the Niobrara News, NARO; …released a report that estimates the future cash flows related to expected horizontal well results in the Wattenberg Field in Boulder County. Boulder County could be …