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Page added on November 4, 2013
The Energy Sustainability Dilemma : Powering the Future in a Finite World
A fascinating talk by J. David Hughes, a research fellow at the Post Carbon Institute, given at Cornell Universtiy on 5-2-12, “Energy Sustainability Dilemma : Powering the Future in a Finite World”. Most of the easy energy is gone. Now we are pursuing Deep Ocean Drilling, Tar Sands, Fracked Shale Gas, etc. Are we heading for a dead end? What about Wind and Solar? Can they make up the difference? This talk is somewhat technical, but essential if we are to understand our energy options as our society pushes for more energy The slides are here.
6 Comments on "The Energy Sustainability Dilemma : Powering the Future in a Finite World"
ghung on Mon, 4th Nov 2013 6:51 pm
Hydrocarbons provided 84% of the world’s primary energy in 2010
Summary –
–Forecasts suggest that 79% of a greatly expanded energy demand will continue to be provided by hydrocarbons in 2035
–Most of the balance of energy supply will be provided by large hydro and nuclear, sources with their own environmental problems
Looking at the charts, nuclear’s “environmental problems” seem far out of proportion to its contribution to the total. Perhaps someone needs to develop a ratio: EROEL (energy returned on environmental liability) for all of these energy sources.
Note: CNN is running a show Thursday night at 2100 EST: “Pandora’s Promise” – about nuclear energy, featuring former anti-nuke people who have come over into the pro-nuke camp. I suppose many folks will be rethinking their Faustian bargains as we are faced with a choice of powering down or continuing BAU. Of course, we’ll ultimately discover that we aren’t in control; never were. The horror….
J-Gav on Mon, 4th Nov 2013 9:39 pm
Hughes is a zero-charisma presenter but there is loads of info in his talk worth seeing/reviewing/pondering.
The Truth on Mon, 4th Nov 2013 11:22 pm
Is this the best that the “peak oil” whackjobs can do? A presentation from 1 1/2 years ago?
Sounding more and more like the sky-is-falling paranoids with each passing decade. Please—stay in your bunker. Spare us the silliness.
BillT on Tue, 5th Nov 2013 1:58 am
ghung, I suspect that they ‘came over’ because the paycheck was higher. Not that they suddenly realized that the party was about over. If they are truly intelligent, they knew that long ago.
As for anything on CNN (Owned by Time Warner) or any of the other propaganda outlets, it is spin to keep the masses happy or at least pacified. Nothing more.
ghung on Tue, 5th Nov 2013 4:06 am
“As for anything on CNN…”
I watch this sort of thing to see what the mob is being force fed, and occasionally discover something; a new rationalization or point of view perhaps. Sometimes, what isn’t said says a lot, like some of the articles featured here. Helps to re-calibrate my bullshit-o-meter if nothing else.
J-Gav on Tue, 5th Nov 2013 1:39 pm
For those with too little time to watch the whole presentation, you can catch a good summary at about 1’14”