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Page added on August 14, 2013
Richard Heinberg on Natural Gas: Bridge Fuel or Fool’s Gold?
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We’ve spoken to Richard Heinberg in the past about several problems inherent to our carbon-based economy, from peak oil, to coal to what he has dubbed “the end of growth.”
Now the author and senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute has a new book focusing on the natural gas industry’s practice of hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking. This week on Sea Change Radio, host Alex Wise talks with Heinberg about his book, titled Snake Oil: How Fracking’s False Promise of Plenty Imperils Our Future, and delve into the economic and environmental factors behind the natural gas boom, which to some is an important bridge fuel and to others is fool’s gold.
6 Comments on "Richard Heinberg on Natural Gas: Bridge Fuel or Fool’s Gold?"
Arthur on Wed, 14th Aug 2013 4:03 pm
Heinberg: “we straight have to go to renewables”.
Amen.
John_A on Wed, 14th Aug 2013 5:55 pm
With the amounts of exponential growth in power generation from sources like wind, it would be reasonable to say humans already know this and are doing it quite nicely without even needing encouragement from Mr Pol Pot Heinberg.
Mike on Wed, 14th Aug 2013 8:06 pm
Arthur do you have any renewable energy powering your home out of interest?
GregT on Wed, 14th Aug 2013 9:11 pm
The term “renewables”, is misleading. Manmade alternate energy sources are not renewable. They all require non-renewable, finite materials in their construction, and they all require fossil fuel energy in their resource extraction, refinement, manufacturing, transport, construction, maintenance, and eventual replacement.
At best, so called renewables will be a bridge source of energy, until societies power down to sustainability. If we ever make it that far.
BillT on Thu, 15th Aug 2013 1:55 am
Greg, there are many, Heinberg included, that have not thought the whole ‘renewables’ idea all the way from it’s origins to it’s conclusion. At best, they will extend the energy system for a while but are NOT the end game. They cannot exist beyond the hydrocarbon age.
Arthur on Thu, 15th Aug 2013 10:46 am
“Arthur do you have any renewable energy powering your home out of interest?”
Coming soon.