78 thoughts to “Open Thread, Non-Petroleum, December 1, 2020”

  1. What to think about this news ?

    GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS INC ACHIEVES BREAKTHROUGH IN RESEARCH OF NEW BATTERIES FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

    Jacksonville, Florida, Dec. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The research and development department of Global Warming Solutions, Inc. has found a very cost-effective way of producing a solid electrolyte for batteries that can be used for EV. The company has already started laboratory testing of the battery’s electrochemical cells.

    The company’s approach in developing a new type of battery used in EV will be based on sodium as an active material in the battery anodes versus lithium which is more commonly used. Sodium has a number of advantages over lithium e.g.; resources for its production are immeasurably larger and its price on the market is ten times lower than that of lithium. In addition, the battery cathode does not contain scarce cobalt. This opens up opportunities for rapid growth in both development, and battery production for electric vehicles by costing much less than usual.

    The company is in the final stages of filing a worldwide patent application for a new EV technology based on this sodium-based device.

    1. There are literally thousands of possible battery chemistries, using a surprising number of elements, in a variety of combinations. Many of these can be made to work, and probably many could be competitive if they received a vary large amount of investment. In this kind of situation, slightly sub-optimal combinations may win if they get a head start. Lead, Nickel, iron, sodium, vanadium….the list is very long. I’m fascinated to see how long lead-acid hangs around, due to the inertia of investment.

      OTOH, lithium is an especially good candidate, being especially reactive. A key metric is energy density: energy per pound, energy per litre. Li-ion is very good at that. Many other chemistries are cheaper but don’t have the same (or better) energy density. Can you find that metric for this particular battery?

  2. Nick,

    This is how the article continues:

    The first results we are seeing in our laboratory tests of new electrochemical cells are very encouraging,” says Artem Madatov, GWSO chief scientist. Calculations based on measurements of the cell characteristics showed a battery capacity of 8 MJ / kg. This means that with a battery weight of 300 kg (661 lbs.), a light truck can travel for about 750 miles on a single charge. Another important feature of our battery is the absence of the so-called “memory effect.” E.g.; during long-term operation of the battery, its electrical capacity does not decrease. Durability of the cathode and anode will allow recharging the battery about 2000 times. Thus, operating an EV for 1,500,000 miles will not require a battery change.

    GWSO Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vladimir Vasilenko noted that the low cost of sodium batteries has expanded the market for the sale of our new product. In addition to the electric car industry, other market niches are opening up, such as major capacity batteries for electric ocean-going ships, electric boats and yachts. Existing markets, such as the market for stationary electrical energy storage, will also expand significantly. At the same time, the development of battery production will not be limited by the rate of lithium supply. “We plan to double the sales of our products year over year, ”said Dr. Vasilenko.

    1. Han,

      This looks too good to be true. 8Mj per kg is about 10x as good as current li-ion batteries (that’s about 1 kWh per pound – for comparison, Tesla batteries are about 90kWh per 900 pounds). I looked at their site: it’s got a lot of big claims. They talk about international patents(?!) and seem to play odd games with stock listings.

      1. Nick,

        Thanks for your answer. Apart from bringing false hope to the world, it seems they were looking after ‘pump and dump‘ their stock.
        Are you the Nick that is writing for many years on this site about renewable energy ?

  3. Stephen , your post on the last thread “Head in Hole,

    I was under the impression you lived in India…

    Everything is there in the North Sea for it to happen: the resource, the skill set, the remaining fossil fuels to make the transition, the need to retrain workers. Maybe it won’t happen but that doesn’t change the fact that it is happening right now. ”

    Ok, because something is available should we just go and get it (or do it )?. Puberty blockers are available ,should we use them , methane hydrates are also available ,should we mine them . I like the dialog of Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry ” Man’s gotta know his limitations ” or even better from Teahouse of the August moon , Glenn Ford ” Man must find the balance between his ambition and limitation ” . Somethings are best left undisturbed . Let “Sleeping dogs lie ” . My post was about the financial bankruptcy of the EU and not about the technological aspect of renewables ,which has already been well discussed here . I will make a separate post on the financials’ here in EU and why nothing can continue as is today .
    As to my situation , I have dual nationality Indian and Belgique . For 50% of my working life I was in India , 25% in Budapest(Hungary) and 25% in Belgium .Now in Belgium since last 12 years . Speak English, Hindi, Urdu, Dutch and Hungarian fluently .I am past expiry date (70 next year ). Greatly influenced by ” limits to growth” , “Overshoot” and Matt Simmons . Be well .

    1. Hey H in H, consider this on EU bankruptcy.
      Europe has entered its post growth phase and is getting older, a long contraction is now due. No longer is the growth of the last 500 yrs able to based on the expropriation of wealth from other continents, and on the backbreaking work of billions who have had no means to fight back.
      So, we shouldn’t be surprised to see a very painful transition period to this new scenario. For many this started on a serious scale in the late 1490’s.

      Nonetheless, a smaller Europe will still have a lot of people in this post carbon peak era.
      Many may have to give up some things, like bananas and winter vacation travel, or retirement, perhaps.
      (Same for Americans).

      But the forces of collective EU economic might and planning will do what it takes to get as much energy as possible to keep warm, keep moving, and keep working.
      Financing for the big wind build-out will be prioritized, as it already is. It is now the easiest and least expensive energy for these countries to develop.
      Just because you and I are getting older, doesn’t mean the world will stop churning.

      -interesting cultural mix you have experienced in your life. your language literacy is very impressive

      1. Hicks , thanks for your appreciation of my background . Now getting back to the nitty gritty .You said “But the forces of collective EU economic might and planning will do what it takes to get as much energy as possible to keep warm, keep moving, and keep working.
        Financing for the big wind build-out will be prioritized, as it already is. It is now the easiest and least expensive energy for these countries to develop.
        Just because you and I are getting older, doesn’t mean the world will stop churning.”

        Hicks , the world will keep churning (at least I hope before I kick the bucket) , I know we are at “peak civilisation” . I am aware of the benefits of this . Jesus , I hope it never ends . If it ends all will suffer . Heck ,are there any winners in a war? There are only looser. My son,daughter,grandson,grandaughter etc . What pleasure do I get by saying ” I told you so ” .? Await my post on the financing of the projects in the EU . At this moment the crises in Europe is that is that Hungary and Poland have blocked a Euro 800 billion package for revitalisation of the European economy . Last post (sleep time) ,the 800 billion is all debt and most important only digital money with no collateral .
        .

        1. Hole- I am still waiting for you to be right on any point.
          Maybe someday, if I live long enough.

      2. No longer is the growth of the last 500 yrs able to based on the expropriation of wealth from other continents, and on the backbreaking work of billions who have had no means to fight back.

        There’s no question that European colonial powers exploited their colonies. But I haven’t really seen evidence that Europe would not have been able to achieve something similar to it’s current level of industrialization without them. Would Europe or the US have been greatly harmed by not importing oil from the M.E.? Would it have been harmed by a lack of sugar from the Caribbean? The UK by a lack of cheap tea or cotton thread from India? Is China industrializing at it’s rapid pace because it’s exploiting other countries?

        I’d be curious to see a real analysis of this question. I’ve seen general arguments like this before, but I don’t think I’ve seen anything rigourous. Have you seen something?

        1. One of the interesting lesson from WWII is what Germany and Japan did after the war. Both went on expansionist rampages to exploit the resources of their neighbors and failed disastrously. After the war they stuck to their knitting, focused on their inner strengths and achieved a sort of world dominance without trying to steal anything.

          The whole idea that you can get rich by stealing your neighbors resources is dying. So is the idea that you need to import resources. Demand for oil was one of the big drivers of WWII. It is what made Japan invade Southeast Asia, with Pearl Harbor to protect its flank, and what made Germany invade the Caucasus, with Stalingrad to protect its flank.

          But renewables are much more evenly distributed than fossil fuel. There is plenty of wind and solar energy in Europe, so energy imports will soon start falling. Generally speaking, there will be a shift away from resource rich economies in the coming decades.

        2. I take it you haven’t studied the history very deeply.
          Europe has taken gold and silver and copper from every corner of the world. Lets not forget to mention the lumber, the spice, the fur, the meat and the grain, silk and cotton.
          The slave and peasant labor by the of hundreds of millions.
          If they didn’t like the terms, they took it by sword, by gun, by cannon, by Gatling,
          Read up on the Opium Wars, or the history of Rhodesia, the Crusades, or the Incas. Hell, the whole of the Americas. Or any other place in the world. They took most the world and clear cut it, and strip mined it, and plowed every inch of good land.
          Expropriation of wealth on a scale… unimaginable.

          1. haven’t studied the history very deeply

            Don’t make assumptions. Look closely at your arguments: they’re broad but shallow. They need actual evidence. For a good statement of another perspective, see Alimbiquated’s comment.

            So…

            Europe has taken gold and silver and copper from every corner of the world.

            Sure. But what good did it do? Precious metals are mostly a currency, not a real asset. So, when Spain stole gold and silver from the New World it felt rich for many decades (El Siglo de Oro), but it was disastrous. In effect they stole from the rest of Europe by inflating the local currency, and they destroyed their economy by Dutch Disease: they became lazy and their domestic industries shrank. When the gold ran out they were in deep, deep trouble, just like Venezuela is today as oil prices fall.

            So, again: have you seen real quantitative , systematic analytical evidence (as opposed to historical narrative) for the idea that colonial exploitation was necessary for industrial development in Europe and the US?

            1. American gold and silver drove innovation in Europe because it produced demand for ocean going ships and navigation equipment and the other requirements of colonization like financial markets to raise the huge sums needed, and the weaponry needed to conquer foreign lands. It also created whole new businesses, like sugar and tobacco. Europe got really rich and had strong incentives to find cutting edge technology, like chronometers.

              All that silver and gold also allowed Europe to import goods from all around the world. The West had a large trade deficit in manufactured goods with China up until the second half of the 19th century, when China collapsed. This was paid for with American silver, and after the Opium War with opium, and was mostly luxury goods like silk and porcelain. India was a major exporter of textiles to Europe until the British shut the trade down. Europe also imported warm climate products like cotton and spices, and as time went on even basic food like wheat from overseas. Slaves were sold from Africa to America to finance imports from America like sugar, tobacco and cotton.

              I would say the main early benefit of colonialism in the premodern era was the wealth and demand it created, not the raw materials for industrial use. That came later, in the 19th century. I guess cotton was the earliest example, and it played a big role in the industrial revolution.

            2. Al,

              Gold and silver aren’t real wealth. They aren’t productive assets – they won’t keep you warm, or feed you, or keep the rain out, or make stuff you can sell. They’re symbols and media of exchange. An excess of gold & silver did enormous harm to Spain, holding it back for centuries: partly by stifling domestic industry, and partly by creating a culture of living off of others rather than being productive and self reliant: an exploitive culture. They then exported that authoritarian and exploitive culture to S and Central America, where it did enormous harm to their progress – everyone wanted to be an exploiter who did nothing, rather than a productive person who got no respect in that culture.

              Precious metals stolen by Europeans from America and used to finance a long term trade deficit and consumption of things like silk, porcelain (and tea!) was also not good for the development of Europe’s domestic manufacturing (or it’s mental health).

              Cotton is different: its actually useful. OTOH, Europeans did more than import cotton, they added value with their mills to make useful products. So the question I’d ask is: how much difference did the terms of trade make? If Britain didn’t colonize India, how much would that have changed the price paid by the East India Company for raw cotton (or thread)? And how much would that cost difference have affected the British weaving industry?

    2. because something is available should we just go and get it (or do it )?.

      Really? You’re arguing that the EU shouldn’t pursue wind power, or renewables in general??

      1. Hi Hole in Head, I don’t have your number of years but I’ve been working my entire life to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy, so yes I’m very excited about the prospects for North Sea wind and think they should be pursued full speed ahead. Will it succeed? I’m old enough to know that I’ll never know in advance, having warned my friends and family repeatedly in 2002 that peak oil was only two years away (for an example of the many times I’ve been wrong). But shit man, you gotta try, we all can’t just sit around and wait to die.

        1. Stephen you weren’t that far off for the peaking of “conventional crude oil”. Ken Deffeyes predicted “tongue in cheek” Thanksgiving Day 2005 and it might be that actual date for the actual peaking of conventional crude oil production. The wrinkle was the non conventional ramp up and we have seen how that has worked out both in supply, money spent, and debts owed.

          The 2019 Exxon Mobil Energy Outlook Presentation: A view to 2040 has a graph of conventional crude and condensate peaking around 2005. Here is the link to the report and actual graph:
          https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/-/media/Global/Files/outlook-for-energy/2019-Outlook-for-Energy_v4.pdf#page=31

          Hope this helps when you think you need to lick your wounds…

          1. Except that none of the peak predictions made that distinction.

            And, if you compare the actual prices paid by oil importers (like the US, EU, Japan, etc) over the last 10 years to the price they would have paid without LTO….LTO was enormously beneficial even taking into account the losses by producers on LTO itself.

            Probably the planet would be better off without LTO production, but oil importers certainly were helped in a narrow financial sense.

            1. Agreed, without LTO, we would have been hurting big time. With wind, PV, other renewables, and EVs, we have a better change of ameliorating our predicament.

    1. Thanks Alimbiquated.

      Good piece, perhaps too optimistic (or at least as optimistic as me).

      I like the following chart from that piece. As always clicking on chart will bring up a larger view.

    2. “The Peak No One Saw Was Coming”…
      …except for Ron of course

  7. So much of civilization and the history thereof is a matter of chance that in my humble opinion at least, it’s impossible to say how European civilization, and other dominant civilizations, might have developed without importing the resources ( often violently, very true!) of other peoples.

    One thing does seem very sure to me, this being that history has moved far faster than it would have otherwise without this exploitation.

    The local people here in the America’s would eventually have developed industrial civilizations of their own……… but WHEN is an open question. My guess is that without contact with Europe, this development might have happened in another five hundred years…….. or maybe another five thousand years…… who knows?

    Personally I believe that most of us miss an extremely important point in believing that Europe must regress economically over the coming years.

    Certainly the LEVEL of economic activity in industrial terms may decrease, and imo it’s going to decrease.

    But let’s not forget the built infrastructure that coming generations will inherit. It needs maintenance, rather than from scratch construction, for the most part, and maintenance is mostly about skilled manpower rather than raw materials.

    The critical industry will be energy, and Europe will find ways to solve energy problems.

    Sometimes I think I’m the only person here who REMEMBERS just how powerful LEVIATHANS, nation states, truly are, when the chips are down.

    There are no guarantees, but any modern country with a basically well established industrial/ consumer economy can, with good leadership, divert the necessary resources to solving existential problems such as shortages of energy.

    Sure such diversions generally require wartime style government management of the economy……. but when the alternative is collapse……. most countries will go the war time economy route.

    If a modern European country were to divert just HALF of what’s spent on new cars, tobacco, and alcohol, not to mention unnecessary travel for pleasure, etc, the construction of a doubly over built wind and solar energy industry would be a piece of cake.

    If the typical middle class( including reasonably prosperous working class ) American family would cut it’s expenditures for motor vehicles in half, which can VERY EASILY be done at the household level, with no SERIOUS lifestyle sacrifices, that would free up money enough to upgrade the family house to near net zero energy status within five or six years.

    The price of one new car at forty thousand bucks would be more than ample to add triple glazed windows, extra insulation, and ten thousand watt solar system and large battery to a new construction single family 2000 square foot house. Money left over for super efficient appliances and lights and maybe even a heat pump……. ONCE we get our shit together and do things the way they’re done in Germany…… in a WORKMANLIKE fashion with plenty of competition among well trained contractors.

    Peaking and declining populations won’t need a hell of a lot of new fundamental infrastructure…….. except in the energy industry.

    But compared to the alternatives, the cost of building out wind, solar, long distance transmission lines, electric cars, mass transit, etc etc ……. well that cost is trivial.

    It can be and will be paid, barring POLITICAL mismanagement on the grand scale.

    1. I here you (and I am glad to).
      Europe will be an interesting test case for other parts of the world to observe.
      I think there is little doubt that a downsizing is in the cards.
      Its older, poor growth in the good areas, loss of the the great competitive advantages that is responsible for much of the flourishing times, and its now a time in which the great fossil fuel energy boom is past peak.
      But like you say, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a horrid collapse.
      It depends on how its managed, and how people behave.
      People didn’t have to fight big wars, or commit ethnic cleansing on a grand scale.
      But they sure seem prone to do these things.
      In fact I’d be shocked if Europeans suddenly learned to behave themselves. The religion hasn’t helped them be kind or orderly or considerate of others yet.

      There is now talk of using ‘perpetual bonds’ to fund the EU economic machine. These bonds pay small interest indefinitely, but the principle never gets paid back. Its a last ditch effort to fund an essentially bankrupt country. They will fund the Great Wind Energy Buildout centered on the North Sea this way, if that’s all they can muster. So far, they haven’t had to resort to that, but are getting closer.

  8. The OECD defines the term decoupling as follows:

    the term ‘decoupling’ refers to breaking the link between “environmental bads” and “economic goods.” It explains this as having rates of increasing wealth greater than the rates of increasing impacts.

    There is no empirical evidence supporting the existence of an eco-economic decoupling near the scale needed to avoid environmental degradation, and it is unlikely to happen in the future.

    https://eeb.org/library/decoupling-debunked/

    https://theconversation.com/the-decoupling-delusion-rethinking-growth-and-sustainability-71996

    So the next time one of those cornucopians starts bullshitting you about future trends, ask for some supporting data.

    1. >evidence supporting the existence of an eco-economic decoupling near the scale needed to avoid environmental degradation

      Decoupling is certainly happening. Empirical evidence on the future is hard to come by.

      From your second link:
      > But if you think we have limitless solar energy to fuel limitless clean, green growth, think again.For GDP to keep growing we would need ever-increasing numbers of wind turbines, solar farms, geothermal wells, bioenergy plantations and so on – all requiring ever-increasing amounts of material and land.

      Apparently the author does not understand the concept of decoupling. In a decoupled would, by definition, more energy would NOT be required, and thus more wind turbines etc. Whether that will happen is moot, but saying decoupling won’t work because it won’t happen is begging the question.

      Anyway the author doesn’t understand “ephemeralization”, as Buckminster Fuller put it, at all. Consider computing, for example. It requires memory. Since I first started playing with computers in 1976, the price of memory has fallen by 99.9999%. That’s a conservative estimate. It was a PDP-11 computer with 128K memory, and it cost roughly $100,000 in today’s dollars. Now I can buy 128 GB, a million times more memory, for something like $700.

      That price reduction is possible because the size of the components has been massively reduced. Buckminster Fuller’s claim was that technology allows us to do “more and more with less and less until eventually you can do everything with nothing”.

      1. On second reading, maybe the problem is the definition of decoupling, which you tie to economic/ecological decoupling only. To me it just means the end of any correlation, and when I talk about it I usually refer to energy decoupling. The links seem to refer to what I would call decarbonization or something.

        All I’m saying is that growth in energy consumption doesn’t correlate with economic growth.

        1. “maybe the problem is the definition of decoupling, which you tie to economic/ecological decoupling only.” – Alim

          It’s got nothing to do with MY definitions. Perhaps if YOU create your own definitions for words you’ll be able to damped the reality. How would you like to define it, conveniently?

          The OECD defines the term decoupling as follows:

          the term ‘decoupling’ refers to breaking the link between “environmental bads” and “economic goods.” It explains this as having rates of increasing wealth greater than the rates of increasing impacts.

          2. You might send the link for your quote. This use of the word may be related to the specific context of the quote.

            Decoupling is a general term used for a lot of things, and there is plenty of literature using it the way I have.

            Here for example:
            https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/final-energy-consumption-intensity-5/assessment

            And here:
            https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652612006877

            And here:
            https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42452-020-2855-4

      2. Alimbiquated,

        The data for World real GDP vs Primary energy consumption from 1982-2019 has an R squared of 0.9917, it might change as it did from 1974-1982 with slope changing significantly due to a transition away from fossil fuel. So far, no significant change in slope for 37 years.

        1. I don’t know why we should care about overall primary energy consumption. All that matters is fossil fuel consumption.

          Further, why would we be surprised that world primary energy consumption has risen with GDP? Efficiency is valuable, but most of the world needs more housing (with HVAC and lighting), communication and transportation, etc. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that energy consumption is still rising.

          1. Alimbiquated,

            Primary energy from BP statistical review of World energy and real GDP data from World bank (at market exchange rates. The data covers 1982 to 2019 and is annual data for the World on both horizontal and vertical axes.

          2. Al,

            Keep in mind that BP is presenting data on primary energy, and they convert wind and solar electricity to “equivalent” primary energy by dividing it by .38 (the average thermal efficiency of European oil-based generation some time ago).

            1. Nick,

              BP has updated their methodology a bit the assumed average thermal efficiency now changes over time, see last sheet for description.

              You mentioned that we should look at fossil fuel only vs real GDP, there is a distinct bend at around 2012/2013, chart below shows the possible change in slope, this slope may change further as the energy transition proceeds. Click on chart to make it readable

            2. Dennis,

              Thanks, that’s encouraging. A 56% reduction in FF per GDP growth does seem to support an argument that “decoupling” is happening. We’re seeing something similar with light vehicle sales: as EV sales rise, ICE sales begin to stagnate or fall.

              If you happen to have the time, it would be interesting to stratify this: perhaps charts for OECD, China and Rest Of World.

  9. MOST COUNTRIES ARE STILL CHOOSING FOSSIL FUELS OVER CLEAN ENERGY

    To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — which scientists say would avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change — countries need to wind down their fossil fuel production by 6% every year between now and 2030, according to the 2020 Production Gap report. Instead, countries are on track to produce an increase of 2% per year. And as governments pour money into their economies in a bid to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, they risk locking the world into a climate disaster by investing more heavily in fossil fuel industries — such as power, aviation, and car manufacturing, according to the new analysis from the Stockholm Environment Institute, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), E3G and the UN Environment Programme.

    https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/02/world/climate-production-gap-fossil-fuels-intl-hnk/index.html

    1. Meanwhile,

      REPORT SHOWS HOW THE NATION’S GAS EXPANSION PUTS AUSTRALIANS IN HARM’S WAY

      A new Climate Council report released today sheds more light on the problem of Australia’s expanding gas industry. It reveals in alarming detail how gas emissions are cancelling out the gains won by Australia’s renewables boom. It also shows how gas emissions are almost certainly under-reported, and uncovers the misleading claims underpinning the Morrison government’s gas-led economic recovery.

      https://phys.org/news/2020-12-unjustifiable-nation-gas-expansion-australians.html

    2. CNN is all about providing clickbait these days because they care more about advertising money instead of journalism. You need a better citation or else your cancelled.

      1. My source — The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Feel better?

        THE PRODUCTION GAP: THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN COUNTRIES’ PLANNED FOSSIL FUEL PRODUCTION AND GLOBAL PRODUCTION LEVELS CONSISTENT WITH LIMITING WARMING TO 1.5°C OR 2°C

        “Governments are planning to produce about 50% more fossil fuels by 2030 than would be consistent with a 2°C pathway and 120% more than would be consistent with a 1.5°C pathway.”

        https://www.iisd.org/publications/production-gap-discrepancy-between-countries-planned-fossil-fuel-production-and-global

        1. Maybe I could get to believing that, but we’ll have to wait another 10 years and find out.

          1. Jared, by the time we enough proof to satisfy the likes of you, the degree of pain that will be ‘baked in the cake’ will be more severe. What does that mean in the real world-
            Things like flood and fire victims on a much greater scale than you have seen yet in your life.
            Things like chaotic migrations on a much greater scale than you have seen yet in your life.

            This list of big disruptions is much bigger than is acknowledged by most people.

    1. The evolution of Chevy trucks has taken drivers from an America that drove on wooden wheels and muddy streets to a country where Bluetooth hands-free connectivity is an important vehicle feature. As the needs of the American public have changed and the country has grown, the capability of Chevy trucks has met the needs and desires of the many, following the road of progress from the farm to the city and back again. One hundred years of progress may not seem like very long, but looking at Chevrolet’s landmark moments over that century paints a clear picture of the changes in lifestyle and technology across the United States.

      https://www.autoinfluence.com/the-evolution-of-chevy-trucks/#:~:text=The evolution of Chevy trucks has taken drivers,the farm to the city and back again.

      ZERO CRASHES, ZERO EMISSIONS, ZERO CONGESTION

      Our Path to an All-Electric Future

      GM is on its way to an all-electric future, with a commitment to 30 new global electric vehicles by 2025. We are aggressively going after every aspect of what it takes to put everyone in an EV because we need millions of EVs on the road to make a meaningful impact toward building a zero-emissions future. GM is positioned to design, engineer, and produce EVs for every style and price point, and we are rapidly building a competitive advantage in batteries, software, vehicle integration, manufacturing and customer experience.

      Climate change is real, and we want to be part of the solution by putting everyone in an electric vehicle.

      Mary Barra
      Chairman and CEO

      https://www.gm.com/electric-vehicles.html?ppc=MICROSOFT_700000001963580_71700000075931055_58700006500471849_p58772097829&gclid=c8c86ffc2aa3190160323030ab5385bd&gclsrc=3p.ds&&d_src=313715&d_adsrc=4137267&d_campaign=71700000075931055&d_site=MICROSOFT&d_adgroup=58700006500471849&d_keyword=+gm +all +ev&gclick=

    2. Survivalist-“I understand that the cornucopians have some product endorsements.”
      Is there some guild where I can sign up to get paid for these endorsements? Thank in advance.

      Who falls under this label ‘cornucopian’? Seems to be a particular state of denial- The human problem of overshoot is a technical problem to be solved by innovation and proper behavior?
      Good luck with that project.

      “Cornucopian, label given to individuals who assert that the environmental problems faced by society either do not exist or can be solved by technology or the free market. Cornucopians hold an anthropocentric view of the environment and reject the ideas that population-growth projections are problematic and that Earth has finite resources and carrying capacity (the number of individuals an environment can support without detrimental impacts). Cornucopian thinkers tend to be libertarians. Thus, they tout capitalism as an essential feature of human progress and see no moral or practical need for legal controls to protect the natural environment or limit its exploitation. “

      1. The technical remedies of overshoot are in the rear view mirror. It’s the faith based denial or ignorance of science obstructing the commonsense of knowledge. No better example than America’s current handling of the Covid virus.

        I guess it’s just evolution eliminating the weak

      2. The state of Washington would be on my short list of a future home. Currently living 2.3 miles from waters edge at an elevation of 10 feet in what once was the mouth of the Santa Ana river. Protected by 13 foot high flood channel walls. That were raised by 2 feet 25 years ago and the requirement of mortgage flood insurance eliminated. I have yet to meet anyone who understands the situation. My guess is it will be another 20 to 50 years before reallity sets in. When the first time the walls get breached big time.

      3. I think that “cornucopian” as a term isn’t very useful. It used to be used to describe someone who thought that oil supplies were unlimited. The long definition above seems to simply describe a modern US conservative, who values corporate profits and the short-term wellbeing of billionaires above everything else. A modern US conservative simply denies climate change because it hurts FF industry profits. They deny the need for population planning because they do not care about women’s rights. Women bear and care for children, and do not want to be baby factories.

        1. It’s a bit more sinister than that. Conservatives oppose abortion and contraceptive rights because they want an ever increasing supply of labor, to permanently weaken labor’s negotiating power against capital.

          1. S.Hren, some conservatives may think that way, but I doubt if it’s many. As an ex-evangelical I can say they opposed abortion because they saw it as murder; abortion also promotes casual sex, as does contraception; all linked to sex outside marriage being wrong (in their eyes). From an evangelical point of view, the Democrats are all part of society’s collapse as it turns its back on “American values”. Just sayin…

            1. John,

              I think you have to look beyond people’s superficial feelings. In this case, preventing murder should be a top priority, so a person who describes abortion as murder ought to oppose other types of murder, such as capital punishment…but they don’t, particularly. Preventing murder should override all other priorities, so they ought to be so eager to prevent abortion that they promote contraceptives…but they don’t.

              Clearly, they simply don’t like things that prevent children, and they’re willing to resort to police coercion to do it. IOW, they want to force women to have children.

  11. Great news for Astronomy buffs: Hayabusa-2 is home.

    “A Japanese capsule carrying the world’s first asteroid subsurface samples shot across the night atmosphere early Sunday before landing in the remote Australian Outback, completing a mission to provide clues to the origin of the solar system and life on Earth. The spacecraft Hayabusa2 released the small capsule on Saturday and sent it toward Earth to deliver samples from a distant asteroid. At about 10 kilometers (6 miles) aboveground, a parachute was opened to slow its fall and beacon signals were transmitted to indicate its location in the sparsely populated area of Woomera in southern Australia.”

    1. Hey Doug, astronomically and geologically, do you have any thoughts about what’s going on with all these monoliths suddenly appearing around the world?

      1. ANGELEYES —

        L.O.L. No, I have no astronomical or and geological thoughts on monoliths. Unless, of course, you are referring to ancient (or even modern) monuments with alignments that coincide with equinoxes, solstices, etc. I do recall visiting a field of “monuments” at a war memorial in Italy where over a hundred countries had sent stone slabs of their “most famous” facing stone. Canada’s was Labradorite treasured for its remarkable play of color, known here as labradorescence. Great fun for a geologist to be able to wander around and see famous examples of beautiful rock from around the world!

        Apparently (BBC World news) an anonymous collective called The Most Famous Artist has taken credit for the monoliths in Utah and California.

  12. Talk about making your parent’s proud!

    COLORADO STUDENT, SCIENTIST NAMED TIME’S ‘KID OF THE YEAR’

    “I was like 10 when I told my parents that I wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology at the Denver Water quality research lab, and my mom was like, “A what?” Rao told Jolie. She said that work “is going to be in our generation’s hands pretty soon. So, if no one else is gonna do it, I’m gonna do it.”

    https://phys.org/news/2020-12-colorado-student-scientist-kid-year.html

  13. The good news:

    SWIFT, SHARP EMISSION CUTS COULD SLOW WARMING ‘WITHIN 20 YEARS’

    “If governments put in place measures to hold long-term temperature rises below 1.5 C, the risk of experiencing unprecedented warming rates would be 13 times lower in the next 20 years, compared with a scenario with continuing heavy reliance on fossil fuels.”

    https://phys.org/news/2020-12-swift-sharp-emission-years.html

    The bad news:

    COAL, OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION TO BLOW CLIMATE TARGETS DESPITE PANDEMIC DIP

    “While some governments have promised a green recovery to the coronavirus pandemic, fossil fuel producing nations are planning to increase output of coal, oil and gas to levels inconsistent with commitments to limit global heating. The analysis by four major research organizations and the UN Environment Programme is based on government data from eight major fossil fuel producing countries accounting for 60% of global supply: Australia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Norway, Russia and the US. All but India updated their production plans ahead of the pandemic.”

    https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/12/02/coal-oil-gas-production-blow-climate-targets-despite-pandemic-dip-report-warns/

    1. Most likely not.

      If a miracle cure is announced on Facebook or Youtube first, then it’s likely as real as the discoveries that the earth is flat.

      1. Well, they’re taking it all the way to the senate:

        Dr. Pierre Kory, president of the FLCCC Alliance testifies before Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs looking into early outpatient COVID-19 treatment

        WASHINGTON, D.C. — DECEMBER 8, 2020: Appearing as a witness Tuesday morning before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs – which held a hearing on “Early Outpatient Treatment: An Essential Part of a COVID-19 Solution” – Dr. Pierre Kory, President of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), called for the government to swiftly review the already expansive and still rapidly emerging medical evidence on Ivermectin.

        The data shows the ability of the drug Ivermectin to prevent COVID-19, to keep those with early symptoms from progressing to the hyper-inflammatory phase of the disease, and even to help critically ill patients recover.

        1. Be sure to take extra vitamin D3, especially this time of year. When they bother to check, the patients with the worst cases are all low on vitamin D.

          “The fatality rate was high in vitamin D deficient (21% vs 3.1%). Vitamin D level is markedly low in severe COVID-19 patients.”
          https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-77093-z

          1. Interesting fact. Even in the tropics at 18° north, with just under two weeks until the winter solstice the sun is more than 45° above the horizon for only about an hour each side of mid day. This is no good for vitamin D synthesis in the skin so many people will be somewhat deficient in vitamin D by some time in January, at the latest. To keep my levels up, I am taking 10,000 IU per day along with 50mg of zinc and 1000 mg of vitamin C.

            1. There have been several studies showing how important Vitamin D is for Covid. Vitamin D Supplements are also slightly more effective than the flu shot at preventing the flu. African Americans typically have low levels of D – not just from the darker skin but also because they are lactose intolerant and are having a much harder time with Covid. In Canada, they add Vitamin D to more foods and are having a much lower fatality rate. If the tests on Vitamin D were for a new drug, it would be considered a major breakthrough / cure but without big pharma it gets no coverage.

              Sounds like you are killing it with your 10,000IU. I’m doing 5000 IU 5 days per week. The one I take also comes with K2, so it’s K2D3 in coconut oil to aid absorption. I’m also taking B12, even if you aren’t doing a plant based diet many people are low on B12.

              The fruit I eat every day has all the C I need. Humans actually have the gene to make vitamin C, but our ancestors got so much out of the food they ate the gene is now inactive.

      2. @GerryF, I’m guessing you didn’t bother to watch the video.

        The Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (flccc.net) was formed back in March to promote an effective treatment for COVID-19. It was spearheaded by Dr. Paul Marik who developed a protocol for treating sepsis back in 2017 based on Hydrocortisone Ascorbic acid and Thiamine. Of course the larger medical fraternity knows that any amounts of vitamin C over and above the RDA (65 to 90 mg a day) only produce expensive urine (/sarc) so he faced a great degree of skepticism with many doctors demanding double blinded, randomized, controlled trials before they would even consider trying it.

        Fast forward to January 17, 2020 and the results of the VITAMINS Trial are presented at a conference of critical care practitioners in Belfast. Dr. Marik who was on the stage during the presentation and did an editorial presentation immediately following it, was highly critical of the study. See:

        “Ethically and morally unacceptable”: Reaction to vitamin C for sepsis trial

        This conference was held before the epidemic in China became a world wide pandemic and very soon after the pandemic reached the US, Marik and others who had been successfully using his protocol to treat sepsis decided to tweak it to treat COVID-19. They achieved outstanding results with Dr. Joseph Varon of Houston, Texas claiming no fatalities at his facility and mortality rates of just 6% at the facility run by Marik in Norfolk, Virginia. One would think that this would be headline news but, no instead, these doctors are being ignored by their colleagues as thousands of people die every day.

        If you watch the video linked to in my original post, the frustration expressed by the three doctors is palpable! Marik at one point implores the authorities to examine the evidence.

        While looking for the transcript of the FLCCC press conference, I came upon videos of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on “Early Outpatient Treatment: An Essential Part of a COVID-19 Solution, Part II.” Dr. Pierre Kory gave emotional testimony. A clip with the first nine minutes of his testimony is at the following URL:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq8SXOBy-4w

        The entire hearing, courtesy of PBS can be viewed here:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxEDU3BoRm8

        I am beginning to form the opinion that wealthy drug companies have used double blinded, randomized, placebo controlled trials as a mechanism to block the use of cheap, widely available substances in formal medicine. Their crowning achievement was the establishment these types of trials as “the gold standard” in medicine. This was done knowing fully well that the cost of such trials is not trivial, in fact they can be quite expensive as witnessed by the emotional testimony of Dr. Jean-Jacques Rajter to yesterday’s senate hearing. At about 33 minutes in, Dr Rajter outlines how a lack of funding prevents him conducting further proper clinical trials to prove or disprove the efficacy of ivermectin. Trials for any potential therapeutic that cannot be protected by intellectual property claims will not be easily funded. No private organisation will view any such trials as being in their interests. Only government, public health agencies will see any benefit to such studies and even they are subject to intense lobbying from private interests. Q.E.D. I rest my case!

        I invite readers to point out any glaring flaws in my argument and any other reasons why we have not seen any large scale clinical trials of cheap therapeutics that, prove their efficacy beyond any doubt. I am particularly interested in vitamin C and vitamin D.

        For reference I will cite the story of Dr. Frederick Klenner of Reidsville, North Carolina who cured patients during the 1949 polio outbreak in the US with high dose IV vitamin C. There are some eerie similarities with the current situation.

        The Origin of the 42-Year Stonewall of Vitamin C

        1. ISLANDBOY —

          You might be interested in this?

          IVERMECTIN, ‘WONDER DRUG’ FROM JAPAN: THE HUMAN USE PERSPECTIVE

          I became aware of IVERMECTIN several years ago when our vet prescribed it to treat tics on our dog but it seems to be effective against innumerable diseases world-wide, especially in Africa.

          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3043740/

  15. This company failed maybe 10 years ago, but it has risen from the dead to offer a pretty cool electric car.

    Just 2 seats and 3 wheels, but it is super efficient. It requires half the energy vs a typical EV. That allows them to achieve 250 miles of range with a $26,000 price and up to 1000 miles of range in the top of the line version. Also, this allows up to 45 miles per day of charge to be added with the built in solar panels.

    They seem to be using Tesla tech for fast charging and maybe self-driving, which would be extra nice. They built a hybrid version long ago – Jay Leno has one. This EV version just seems cool

    https://www.aptera.us/

  17. Good luck on this.

    GLOBAL ‘ELITE’ WILL NEED TO SLASH HIGH-CARBON LIFESTYLES

    “The world’s wealthiest 1% account for more than twice the combined carbon emissions of the poorest 50%, according to the UN. Their emissions gap report finds that the richest will need to rapidly cut their CO2 footprints to avoid dangerous warming this century. The study finds that the global Covid-19 shutdown will have little long-term impact on the climate. But a strong, green recovery could limit the rise in temperatures to 2C.”

    https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55229725

    1. Meanwhile,

      AUSTRALIA’S RECORD SPRING HEAT ONE-IN-500,000 WITHOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

      “A spring as hot as the one Australians just experienced would come along only once every half a million years without the extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere:” — climate scientist Dr. David Karoly.
      “The analysis is part of a fast-developing field of research known as climate attribution, where scientists analyze the effect of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere on extreme weather events such as flooding, temperature extremes, marine heatwaves and bushfires.”

      https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/10/australias-record-spring-heat-one-in-500000-without-climate-change-analysis

  18. Enough Is Enough

    “…Enough is enough is enough
    Give the fascist man a gunshot…

    Trying and trying again to get this damn thing done
    It can’t done
    Come shoot the fascist with a gun
    ‘Cause it’s stopping us from unity
    We cannot see reality
    Just vanity insanity fusion cannot stand it see
    No man fascist man will ever get me outta the land
    So understand Fusion plan to stop them with a bang
    We sang and sang to make the people all unite
    Not fight but fight because the leaders don’t think right
    You burnt us in the past you know it won’t happen again
    So black and white take a stand and all try to defend
    All of the people and the children who are living in the past
    Just blast and blast don’t make the fascist man last…”

    Timebomb

    “Unattended on the railway station
    In the litter at the dancehall
    Sitting pretty near the fastfood-counter
    In the backseat of a Vauxhall

    I am a timebomb
    A ticking ticking ticking timebomb
    I am a timebomb
    A ticking ticking ticking timebomb

    Stop now
    What’s that sound
    Everybody look what’s going down
    Stop now
    What’s that sound…

    Hear the ticking of your heartbeat beating
    Hear the breaking of their promises
    Hear the smashing of your expectations
    Hear the shattering of half-rhymes…”

  19. WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT mRNA BEFORE YOUR COVID JAB? A PRIMER ON THE HISTORY, SCOPE, AND SAFETY OF mRNA VACCINES AND THERAPEUTICS

    Clinicians will start rolling up their sleeves in just a few weeks to get their first doses of COVID-19 vaccines, both of which use mRNA technology to induce an immune response. For those who want more information on the history and science of mRNA vaccines and therapeutics before getting their jab, here’s a primer.

    https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/89998?fbclid=IwAR3i5aApeUSZpB2yTaGjLcoX9O-j_8YLc17eHoH-it5DfeHWKLC5yRC4ezo

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