By Fermin Koop, Open Democracy
Most of the world’s 20 leading economies, including Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, are choosing to support fossil fuels over clean energy as part of their coronavirus economic recovery packages, although China is outspending on renewables by a ratio of 4 to 1, according to data collected by Energy Policy Tracker.
By Asher Miller, Resilience.org
Perhaps the biggest challenge is that we may have to actually change our superstructures — our values, beliefs, and expectations for the future—and our socio-political and economic structures first in order to have an infrastructure that supports a functioning and sustainable community.
By Chris Smaje, Small Farm Future
Anyway, this is all vaguely relevant to my present theme, which is some thoughts on Vaclav Smil’s Energy and Civilization: A History (MIT Press, 2017). It’s hard to keep up with Smil’s output, since he seems to produce about three books every year, but I find him an interesting writer.
By John Foran, Resilience.org
The challenge is greater than preparing individuals and groups to fight back.
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
The Energy Cliff is a key concept in ecological economics. Should we understand this Cliff as both a mathematical ratio and a historical reality?
By David Fridley, Richard Heinberg, Post Carbon Institute
David Fridley and Richard Heinberg present on our energy future.
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
The 20th century fossil-fueled economic growth spurt happened not because the energy industry created many jobs, but because it created very few jobs.
By Gail Tverberg, ourfiniteworld.com
Wage inequality is really a sign of a deeper problem; basically it reflects an economic system that is not growing rapidly enough to satisfy everyone.
By Alex Lenferna, The Conversation
Africa has within its reach a future that creates a homegrown, robust, clean energy economy that keeps jobs and money on the continent.
By Alex Smith, Kevin Anderson, Radio Ecoshock
During the Paris climate talks, one leading scientist says the fundamentals of the whole process is "wildly optimistic". It starts with climate models that assume too much, spills into unreal scientific advice, and ends with rosy media reports saying we can keep on growing without wrecking the climate.
By Richard Heinberg, Post Carbon Institute
As a child of the 1950s I grew up immersed in a near-universal expectation of progress.
By Richard Heinberg, Post Carbon Institute
In short, we need fossil fuels to go away, but in a measured and predictable way.