A Thought Experiment Reflecting on Rio+30? Or, Merely the Result of Heat Stroke? Because I roam the desert a lot, the UV Index is something I pay attention to. It is an international standard that measures the strength of ultraviolet radiation
It had been 0n my mind for some time. Picacho Peak is a fascinating and major focal point of the Arizona landscape, located perhaps 40 miles north of Tucson. I wanted to once again explore both the peak and its
A serious essay on the need to retire our old arguments and economic thinking. It is time that we, all of humanity, stopped using 18th-century economic paradigm(s) to solve vastly different 21st-century challenges. For starters, the global population has grown
Yes… If we invest in a more productive infrastructure and a more energy-efficient economy (and as I’ve said before, if we retire our old arguments and thinking!) If we choose to run a business-as-usual investment and spending pattern over the
Climate scientists are shocked by the intensity and scale of floods in Germany. In the West and Pacific Northwest of the United States, we’ve had record-breaking heatwaves. In fact, June 2021 was the hottest June on record for the United
Hydropower is being left behind. Yet hydropower remains the largest source of U.S. renewable energy, but why is it no longer growing? And why is a resurgence crucial for both society and for our economy? The concept of using water
What if… we could harness the mechanical vibrations of everyday objects we interact with and turn it into electrical energy? What if the fibers moving around in the pockets of our favorite shirts and pants could charge our cell phones while wearing them, or the motor mounts in our cars were also energy-reaping shock absorbers that re-charged the car battery while also powering other devices?
There is an ongoing, slow erosion of the economy. . . Even as the burdens of growing waste and the cost of climate change continue to grow. The good news is that the Biden Infrastructure Plan is a step forward that might bolster our lagging infrastructure and weakened economy to a positive benefit. But it is just a down payment on the scale of effort needed if we are to succeed as a nation. Indeed, as a global economy!
It is decidedly time we took a fresh look at the economics of job creation. And if we do so? Then we will find that investments in energy efficiency, clean renewable energy, other energy productivity upgrades, as well as decarbonization improvements can all create a larger and more sustainable number of jobs. Yes, the new employment opportunities include construction and manufacturing jobs as well as the many jobs created when the energy bill savings are spent locally.
In 2019, the 331 million people living within the United States spent an estimated $1.2 trillion to meet their combined needs for an array of energy services (EIA 2020). That is equivalent to an economy-wide per capita energy bill of about
There is neither a law of physics nor economics that prevents us from quadrupling the productive use of energy and other resources. Rather, it is much more an issue of imagination and our political will to get it done.
– John A. “Skip” Laitner