The Peak Oil Crisis (Dec. 31, 2014)
I know that it is getting harder all the time to believe that there really is a “peak oil crisis” lurking out there waiting to engulf our civilization and create all sorts of havoc. Nearly every day now oil...
Why should we even bother?
Let’s be honest, if you’re aware — at any meaningful level — of the full nature of the human (un)sustainability crisis, you’ve probably asked: Why bother? After all, the problems are so big and intractable–a climate march, Keystone XL...
Fracking Fracas: The Trouble with Optimistic Shale Gas Projections by the U.S. Department of Energy
On December 3, 2014, Nature published “Natural Gas: The Fracking Fallacy”, which suggested that the forecasts of the Energy Information Administration (EIA) for four major U.S. shale gas plays were wildly optimistic, based on a comparison to forecasts for...
With Water, Life Returns to the Colorado River Delta
Seeds of a riverbank willow wait to be released by the wind along the Colorado River. An experimental pulse of water during the spring of 2014 was designed to regenerate habitat in the Colorado Delta. Cheryl Zook/National Geographic Last...
Going nontoxic—and staying in business
By Chuck Collins, Polly Hoppin, originally published by Yes! Magazine In 1996, Guatemalan immigrant Myra Vargas and her Venezuelan husband Ernesto bought J&P Cleaners, a neighborhood dry cleaner in Boston. But something always smelled funny. “The chemicals we used—we...
The Oil Price Crash of 2014
Oil prices have fallen by half since late June. This is a significant development for the oil industry and for the global economy, though no one knows exactly how either the industry or the economy will respond in the...
The Shocking Data Behind Shale Oil
Hooray, oil is suddenly much cheaper than it used to be. That’s great news, right? Not so fast. For certain it’s not good news for those counting on a continued rise in US oil production from the "shale miracle"....
FRACKING AMERICA: Visualizing the Virus (Is it Worth It?)
In the past decade, we’ve fracked 80,000+ wells in the United States. WE AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET. Learn a LOT more at shalebubble.org DISCLAIMER: Well locations and numbers are approximations based on best available data.
McKibben stepping down but fighting on
My wife Sue and I are in Sweden this week—the Swedish Parliament is honoring me (which really means all of you) with the Right Livelihood Award, the so-called “alternative Nobel Prize.” We’re all in good company—the other honorees are...
6 Ways a Food Co-op Can Change the Economy
Post Carbon Fellow Janelle Orsi’s keynote speech at the Berkshire Cooperative annual member meeting, November 1, 2014.