Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Buying a $45k Chevy Volt is not a realistic option for most, so how could we reduce our consumption of liquid fossil fuels for transport? Physicist runs rule over the options (and, yes, the answer does include taking the bus)
It's China. And in particular China's environment. Because that's the basis of China's economy. The carbon-fuelled industrial model that Britain pioneered 200 years ago is reaching its apex here. And perhaps its end
Can economic growth continue indefinitely? No, said the physicist to the economist. And here, in a delightful re-creation of a recent dinner conversation between the two, is why not
There are differences between oil resources and oil reserves. And there are differences between oil shale and shale oil. And those differences are big. Although to listen to some politicians recently, you might not think so
Nicely done. Photo gallery with scenes from 24 world cities observing Earth Hour, a symbolic gesture to raise awareness about energy consumption. Click the photos to watch the lights go out
Physics professor decides to investigate, and cut, his domestic energy use. Living in San Diego may help, but he managed to get his utility electricity consumption down to a tenth of comparable local homes. This is how he did it
"My husband has kind of a weird job," she said. "He'd rather not live around other people." I sat up in the chair. "What does he do?" "He's a nuclear diver." "A what?" And so begins an investigation of a very dangerous job
When oil prices last spiked in 2008, surging consumption in emerging markets was to blame. This time round it's geopolitics. Disruptions in South Suden, Yemen, Libya constrain supply. As will tighter sanctions against Iran
BP oil spill has been cleaned up and life has moved on, right? "There was no better way to assess the Gulf's health than by traveling around and sourcing one of my favorite meals – seafood gumbo – in the heart of bayou country"
One year after the nuclear disaster, the worst fears have receded. But more than 100,000 people are still exiled from their homes, with no medium-term prospect of return. They can go back for day trips though, as the FT discovers
Worse than that, it's producing the opposite of its intended result. Oversupply of certificates, economic downturn, German efforts to reduce overall energy consumption have made quotas so cheap that more coal is being burned
Gulf between fossil fuels and alternatives is huge in many ways. We cannot simply shift sources of energy. Instead, there'll be a transition. And that will involve large-scale exploitation of alternative fossil fuels
Image by Chandra Marsono on Flickr
