Tag Archives: coal

Why World Coal Consumption Keeps Rising; What Economists Missed

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Gail Tverberg

A primary reason why coal consumption is rising is because of increased international trade, starting when the World Trade Organization was formed in 1995, and greatly ramping up when China was added in December 2001. Figure 1 shows world fossil … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternatives to Oil, Energy policy, Financial Implications | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 59 Comments

Why Malthus Got His Forecast Wrong

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Gail Tverberg

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 , , , , , , , | 160 Comments

Climate Change: The Standard Fixes Don’t Work

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Gail Tverberg

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 , , , , , , , , , | 122 Comments

Why Natural Gas isn’t Likely to be the World’s Energy Savior

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Gail Tverberg

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 , , , , | 91 Comments

The Long-Term Tie Between Energy Supply, Population, and the Economy

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Gail Tverberg

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 158 Comments