Why do you think energy from wind and solar have become cheaper than from fossil fuels lately in so many places? I’ve asked many people lately. Most people answer economies of scale, technological advances, simplifying production, and factors about manufacturing solar and wind tools. I’d like to point out how expensive fossil fuels have become. Have you heard of the La Brea tar pits? Here’s Wikipedia’s description: La Brea Tar[…] Keep reading →

Walking around my neighborhood during Thanksgiving, the streets are nearly empty, the city quiet. I can think with less interruption. There’s still too much litter from too many people buying disposable things. Various sources tell me that without artificial fertilizer, which require fossil fuels, the Earth can support a population of 3.7 billion people. Since we can’t use fossil fuels forever, I don’t know how we think we’ll get by[…] Keep reading →

Frankly, I don’t see many signs of hope for us to handle the environment. Walking around my neighborhood, I’d say maybe 20 percent of people are wearing masks. Bars and restaurants are packing people within six feet of each other. Headlines about Texas, Florida, and Arizona show people’s cavalier attitudes leading to opinion over nature. Still, here are a few signs of hope. Ozone: humanity banded together to ban CFCs.[…] Keep reading →

I just finished watching Planet of the Humans, a documentary on people working on the environment, as well as many people claiming to, who aren’t, though many mean well. As you might expect, many people have told me about it. It was uncomfortable but I’m glad I watched it. It’s free on YouTube. Here it is to save you a click: My thoughts My mom asked me what I thought[…] Keep reading →

This episode puts together the most important and fundamental considerations about the environment: What works The basic cause contributing to all environmental problems Earth’s carrying capacity An attainable bright future A means to reach it that has worked on a smaller scale It feels to me like a solid TED talk. On Alan Weisman: 250: Why talk about birthrate and population so much? 248: Countdown, a book I recommend by[…] Keep reading →

People ask, “Josh, do you really think you can make a difference?” or comment that what I or anyone does won’t matter. In the first part of this episode I describe how I think our environmental future will unfold—the outcome I consider most likely. It’s not pretty. I foresee a lot of gloom and doom about nature, but however much problems in nature, I think human reactions will be more[…] Keep reading →

What is Earth’s carrying capacity? Why is it important? Many ask how we will feed 10 billion people. Mathematician way of asking is if we can feed so many and if so how. Maybe we can’t. First, don’t want to know. While it depends on many assumptions that aren’t hard or measurable numbers, like standard of living, distribution of resources, and technology, we can say it’s maximum misery per person.[…] Keep reading →