Ugo Bardi
Ugo Bardi teaches physical chemistry at the University of Florence, in Italy. He is interested in resource depletion, system dynamics modeling, climate science and renewable energy. He is member of the scientific committee of ASPO (Association for the study of peak oil) and regular contributor of "The Oil Drum" and "Energy Bulletin". His blog in English is called "Cassandra's legacy". His most recent book in English is "The Limits to Growth Revisited" (Springer 2011). He is preparing a new book titled "Emptying the Earth" sponsored by the Club of Rome that should appear by the end of 2012.
Environment |
May 9, 2013
The hockey stick is real!
Evidence that you are doing something right in the climate change debate often comes from the denial reaction. Most of the times, messages on climate change are simply ignored but, occasionally, the reaction is strong; sometimes rabid. Then, you must have hit a sensitive point!
Society |
Apr 26, 2013
Survival tips from the Gypsies
Years of contact with the Roma, whom we also call "Gypsies," have changed in many ways my view of the world... Perhaps, from them we can learn something useful for the hard times that are coming.
Environment |
Apr 17, 2013
Climate change: the Fiesole example
Fiesole, a small town near Florence, Italy, is being affected by climate change just as every place on earth. Here, I report of an initiative to bring the problem to the citizens' attention and motivate them to act on it. In this occasion, I tried to use some strategies that I took mainly from a document on climate change by Peter Sandman, a professional risk management expert. Among these …
Food & Water |
Apr 1, 2013
Peak eggs debunked
Today, a press release from the egg industry commented on the traditional egg hunt of this year's Easter, denying that "peak eggs" took place last year. "Eggs are still abundant," maintains the industry's press release, "and the new technology of egg fracking is creating a "new age of eggs" that will last decades". The press release adds that the concept …
Society |
Feb 26, 2013
Elections in Italy: the rise of networked politics
The recent Italian elections have seen the rise of the "five star" movement founded and led by Mr Beppe Grillo (shown in the picture above). The movement is a "non party" completely structured around Internet networking. We may call it "networked politics" and it is surely a revolutionary innovation. But will it make a difference?
Energy |
Feb 5, 2013
The Twilight of Petroleum
In this post, Antonio Turiel examines the perspectives of oil production in light of some often neglected parameters: the energy density, the energy yield (EROEI), and realistic estimates of new discoveries. As expected, the result are far from supporting the optimism that seems to be prevalent today.
Economy |
Jan 28, 2013
Plant trees, disband the army, work together: the Tuscan way of escaping the growth trap
So, the Tuscan collapse was not total - it was managed; it was "soft" and not so disastrous as it could have been. How was it done? It is a long story that deserves to be told.
Environment |
Dec 13, 2012
Climate change: Confessions of a Peak Oiler
The more I studied oil depletion, the more I found myself studying climate: the two subjects are so strictly related to each other that you can't study one and ignore the other. I found that climate science is not just about modern global warming. It is the true scientific revolution of the 21st century. It is nothing less than a radical change of paradigm about everything that takes …
Society |
Dec 3, 2012
The unknown unknowns of the monoculture
A patient suffering of lateral neglect won't "see" one side of the world, won't draw it, and won't touch it. When asked why, the patient will answer that it was not important or that there was no reason to consider it; never that he or she couldn't perceive it. ... It's often been misinterpreted as "stupid people don't realize that they are stupid". No, it is a …
Energy |
Nov 19, 2012
Science's evil twin
Every time that I find myself discussing “cold fusion,” I need to explain why I think there exists a "good" science and a "bad" science; the latter sometimes defined also as “pseudo-science” or “pathological science.”. It is a point which is perfectly obvious to scientists, but very difficult to explain to non scientists.MORE ARTICLES +
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