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Guest Post by Geoff Russell. Geoff is a mathematician and computer programmer and is a member of Animal Liberation SA. His recently published book is CSIRO Perfidy. This is the first of two posts on some large issues connected with global fire regimes, biomass flows, and food security. Part II will be posted on BNC in a […]
Filed under: Ecological impacts, Emissions reduction | 62 Comments »
Here is an incomplete list of the sustainable energy and climate change books I read in 2009 (actually, a few also scraped in from late 2008). I’ve provided a 2 — 3 sentence summary of each book (from my perspective) and a Rating out of 5. Some books have been reviewed in more detail on […]
Filed under: Climate change Q&A, Ecological impacts, Emissions reduction, Future shock, Nuclear Energy, Renewable planet | 27 Comments »
Guest Post by Tom Blees. Tom is author of Prescription for the Planet – The Painless Remedy for Our Energy & Environmental Crises. Tom is also the president of the Science Council for Global Initiatives. —————————————————————- Last month Bobby Kennedy Jr., a tireless advocate for the environment, gave a talk in New York City to a packed house. […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy, Renewable planet | 82 Comments »
Time for some updates from the world of climate science. First up, the December issue of Nature Reports Climate Change is definitely worth checking out. (This spin-off internet magazine, produced by the Nature Publishing House, is always worth reading, and you can download a full-colour PDF if you prefer this format — good for printing). Three […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Future shock, Hot news in climate science | 21 Comments »
Here in Australia, there’s currently a political storm over a proposed cap-and-trade system for putting a price on carbon pollution. In brief, the federal Labor (left wing) government has passed the legislation for an emissions trading scheme in the house of representatives (where they have a clear parliamentary majority), but have had it blocked in […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Future shock, Nuclear Energy | 68 Comments »
Guest Post by Geoff Russell. Geoff is a mathematician and computer programmer and is a member of Animal Liberation SA. His recently published book is CSIRO Perfidy. ———————————- There’s a gross cognitive dissonance when a Government who professes to think that climate change is the defining issue of our generation can’t face down a few blustering […]
Filed under: Ecological impacts, Emissions reduction | 111 Comments »
Here’s an Op Ed I had published in today’s Adelaide Advertiser newspaper. A supporting piece from the paper’s reporters is here. For more on the British plans for new nuclear power, see here and here. —————————————— WHETHER you are primarily concerned about climate change, or energy security, the British Government’s choice to build 10 new […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 130 Comments »
The following guest post by Steve Kirsch presents a persuasive case that cap-and-trade systems (also called an emissions trading system[ETS]) are NOT the right way to put a price on carbon. This is relevant to the US Waxman-Markey bill, and Australia’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme [CPRS]. Instead, a ‘fee and dividend’ approach is advocated. Read […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction | 44 Comments »
Atoms for peace — uranium and thorium power. This is the fit and proper use of nuclear technology in the 21st century, as a means to generate enormous amounts of cheap, convenient, reliable, clean electrify to supply the burgeoning needs of an energy-hungry and carbon-overloaded world. Yet there is no denying that nuclear technology has other uses. […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 25 Comments »
Guest Post by Geoff Russell. Geoff is a mathematician and computer programmer and is a member of Animal Liberation SA. His recently published book is CSIRO Perfidy. For his previous post on BNC about the Integral Fast Reactor, read “Rethinking Nuclear Power“. —————————- UK Economist Lord Nicholas Stern is the latest in a growing list, […]
Filed under: Ecological impacts, Emissions reduction | 59 Comments »
Guest Post by Tony Kevin. Tony holds degrees in civil engineering, and in economics and political science. He retired from the Australian Foreign Service in 1998, after a 30-year career during which he served in the Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister’s departments, and was Australia’s ambassador to Poland and Cambodia. He is currently an honorary […]
Filed under: Climate change Q&A, Emissions reduction | 23 Comments »
Concerns continue to mount over climate change — driven by spiralling carbon emissions, dwindling global oil supplies — fomenting ongoing regional conflicts, air pollution — including sulphates and soot leading to chronic health problems, degraded waterways and forests — caused by acidification and heavy metal pollution. The list goes on, and these are just the […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 60 Comments »
Here are two useful items I want to highlight. The first is a policy and review paper on climate change written by Katherine Wells, entitled “Recent Climate Change Science, Global Targets and the Global Climate Emergency“. Katherine, a lawyer, is a former Chair of the South Australian Premier’s main environmental advisory board, the Premier’s Round […]
Filed under: Climate change Q&A, Emissions reduction | 16 Comments »
The following is a response from Peter Lang to various comments made in the post “Does wind power reduce carbon emissions?“ Energy Storage Energy storage, at the scale required to make wind power a reliable source of dispatchable power, is uneconomic. This link provides comparative costs of energy storage technologies. Even without energy storage wind […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 235 Comments »
Guest Post by Tim Kelly. Tim works as a Principal Climate Change Advisor in the Water Industry and is a regular contributor to Brave New Climate. It was disappointing this week to see the level of confused and incorrect statements and criticisms in the media regarding GreenPower. Yes there are problems with GreenPower both currently (before an […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Renewable planet | 20 Comments »
Update: Listen to me on ABC Radio, talking about nuclear power, fast breeder reactors, renewables, and the inevitability of growing societal energy demand. This also features an interview with Dr Jim Green, and my response. It runs for about 16 minutes in total: http://tr.im/vXE2 —————- Published in the Adelaide Advertiser, 4 August 2009 (pg 18). This opinion […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 63 Comments »
I’m in Japan this week, attending the 1st Asian Heads of Research Council Joint Symposium in Nagoya, with a follow-up workshop for training junior researchers later in the week. This is my fifth trip to Japan, but it’s always an exciting place to visit. Today, after an intensive morning session at which I gave a […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 38 Comments »
Here is the follow-up post on the IFR by Steve Kirsch. The first can be read here. This is long (loooong), but it really says it all. Steve worked on a tonne of revisions to this piece before finally submitting this to HuffPo. It has been checked and confirmed by a bunch of the key […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 49 Comments »
Here is something written by Steve Kirsch, and published recently on the Huffington Post. It is obviously highly relevant to our discussions on IFR and ETS bills in Australia, so I thought BNC readers would find it of interest. I’ll ask Steve if he wants to join in the commentary herein… Waxman-Markey: Three Tough, Unanswered […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 37 Comments »
Oil, and its major liquid-fuel derivatives (petroleum [gasoline], diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel), are incredibly convenient energy sources. They are energy dense, easily combustible yet relatively stable, and represent an abundant, naturally available energy carrier. Oil underpins our massive modern transport fleet. But what do we do when the oil runs dry (or, indeed, as […]
Filed under: Emissions reduction, Nuclear Energy | 58 Comments »
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