The world's best thinkers on energy and climate
As the winter season gives way to summer, what were the decisive points and lessons from the season? What can we take from them for the development of summer pricing and, more importantly, what clues do they derive for winter’s future? … [Read more...]
A levy added to UK household energy bills to help the country meet its climate targets hits the poorest households hardest, write John Barrett and Anna Owen of the University of Leeds. Climate policies should be compatible with social justice, the authors say, adding their research demonstrates it is possible to design a system that is both fair and effective. … [Read more...]
In the previous post it was demonstrated the average surface temperature of the Earth is currently 15 C while its total temperature is .9 C; leaving a ΔT of 14.1 C, which is unfortunately too small a differential to permit the useful conversion of heat into work. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) on the other hand, a process that converts stratified layers of ocean heat into work, requires a heat difference (ΔT) of at least 20 C. Since … [Read more...]
Atomic fission is an abundant, natural source of heat from materials that have few competing uses. The heat released by completely fissioning actinide source materials like uranium, thorium or plutonium is 1-10 million times as much as burning the same mass of typical combustible materials. … [Read more...]
Cities in the U.S. and around the world are increasingly tracking their energy performance and associated emissions to meet commitments to reduce their climate impact. This blog is the second in a two-part series which first discussed the value of disclosing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through platforms like CDP and carbonn® Climate Registry (cCR). While many cities want to disclose their GHG emissions, they may not know where to begin. … [Read more...]
The proverb; a spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar, first appeared in the United States in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” in 1744. As Benjamin Franklin noted, “tart words make no friends”. It is applicable to many endeavours including climate change. … [Read more...]
A unifying theory of energy is the second installment of an energy trilogy beginning with The Energy/Environment Algorithm. Investopedia describes a ‘Tragedy of The Commons' as an economic problem in which every individual tries to reap the greatest benefit from a given resource. As demand exceeds supply consumers directly harm others who are no longer able to benefit from a given resource. … [Read more...]
From hurricanes to heat waves, 2017 produced countless headlines concerning extreme weather and the devastation left in its wake. We tend to think of extreme weather as an unpredictable, external source of destruction. When faced with catastrophes, we don’t always recognize the role we play in intensifying their impacts. … [Read more...]
Exxon Mobil Corp. has vowed to do a better job in disclosing the risks it faces from climate change starting “in the near future” after bucking pressure to do that for years. … [Read more...]
Webster defines an algorithm as a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end, especially by a computer. Increasingly the global economy, which is the production, distribution, or trade, and consumption of goods and services is being governed by these programs which as Kevin Slavin points out in his excellent TED talk are shaping our world. … [Read more...]
Summary: The day that Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas the water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico was about 3-7°F higher than the average for 1961-1990. This is important, because warmer water releases more moisture into the air than cooler water, feeding heavier rainfall. … [Read more...]
With COP23 now over, it offers an opportunity to reflect on the progress made by the UNFCCC and its efforts to address the issue of climate change. This year represents a quarter of a century since the adoption of the Framework Convention and 20 years for the Kyoto Protocol, which was agreed at COP3 in December 1997. … [Read more...]
Back in 2015 at the COP21 climate conference in Paris, the U.S. delegation presented numerous side events in the Blue Zone, from EPA, NASA, NOAA, the Department of Energy and more. The United States clearly embraced its role as a world leader at a historic global inflection point. Fast forward two years, to the end of President Donald Trump’s first year in office, and what it has wrought. … [Read more...]
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