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Tag Archives: coal
Why Malthus Got His Forecast Wrong
Most of us have heard that Thomas Malthus made a forecast in 1798 that the world would run short of food. He expected that this would happen because in a world with limited agricultural land, food supply would fail to rise … Continue reading
Posted in Financial Implications, Food issues
Tagged coal, energy consumption, food supply, Malthus, oil, oil price, peak oil, technology
160 Comments
Climate Change: The Standard Fixes Don’t Work
World leaders seem to have their minds made up regarding what will fix world CO2 emissions problems. Their list includes taxes on gasoline consumption, more general carbon taxes, cap and trade programs, increased efficiency in automobiles, greater focus on renewables, … Continue reading
Posted in Energy policy, Financial Implications
Tagged carbon dioxide, China, climate change, CO2, CO2 emissions, coal, elasticity of oil supply, jobs, natural gas, oil supply
122 Comments
Why Natural Gas isn’t Likely to be the World’s Energy Savior
We keep hearing about the many benefits of natural gas–how burning it releases less CO2 than oil or coal, and how it burns with few impurities, so does not have the pollution problems of coal. We also hear about the … Continue reading
Posted in Alternatives to Oil
Tagged coal, fracking, natural gas, natural gas exports, oil
91 Comments
The Long-Term Tie Between Energy Supply, Population, and the Economy
The tie between energy supply, population, and the economy goes back to the hunter-gatherer period. Hunter-gatherers managed to multiply their population at least 4-fold, and perhaps by as much as 25-fold, by using energy techniques which allowed them to expand … Continue reading
Posted in Alternatives to Oil, Book draft, Food issues, Introductory Post
Tagged coal, deforestation, economy, electricity, energy supply, erosion, GDP, hunter-gatherer, Hydroelectric, oil, peat, petroleum, population, soil fertility, top soil
158 Comments
World Energy Consumption Since 1820 in Charts
Figure 1 shows the huge increase in world energy consumption that has taken place in roughly the last 200 years. This rise in energy consumption is primarily from increased fossil fuel use. With energy consumption rising as rapidly as shown … Continue reading
