ENERGY

Sergei Zimov could be a visionary capable of reversing much of the damage done by humans over thousands of years, and now threatening the future of life on this planet

JOHN SCHOONOVER—Fossil fuel pollution kills more than three million people every year. It is a disaster in the immediate, and the mid-term. The most omnicidal culprit is coal, a major source of US electricity. In fact, the installed coal-fired electrical generation capacity is about 250.4 GW. What if Biden’s energy policy included a crash program to get rid of the coal menace starting January 20. He has two options: solar/wind or nuclear.

ERIC SCHECHTER—A 26-minute video explaining feedback loops, exponential growth, etc. in nontechnical terms. Transcript (and links) at author’s main blog A 26-minute video explaining feedback loops, exponential growth, etc. in nontechnical terms. Transcript (and links) at http://leftymathprof.wordpress.com/

Today, it is most economically feasible to obtain bulk hydrogen from natural gas. It will cost around $2 per kilo. The development of wind and solar “themes”, even in the most optimistic case, will not lower the price below $3. at the same time, the optimists of the idea proceed from the possibility of bringing the cost to $1. Let’s say they can make a fairy tale come true, then what?

There is a long and repeatedly proven coefficient of conversion of hydrogen to British thermal units through the heat of combustion. Based on it, it turns out that $1 per kilogram of hydrogen corresponds to the price of $7.4 per million British thermal units (BTU). It is from this moment that there is an association with the famous saying “the devil is in the details”.

As might be expected from a shockumentary artist like Michael Moore, his latest outing,  Planet of the Humans, packs a great deal of provocative, at times haunting, and vital information along with debatable truths. Watch Moore’s film, and this video selection featuring critics and defenders in the most important debate of our time or any time.