Continuing our discussion on atomic energy. Chris Williams says nuclear is no solution to global warming — it’s dangerous, expensive, and can’t be deployed quickly enough.
Archive | Energy
Socialists debate nuclear, 2: Still no nukes!
Michael Friedman says our primary task is not to offer technological solutions to capitalist ills, but to offer social solutions that incorporate the technologies most amenable to our social goals. Nuclear doesn’t fit the bill.
Corporate power blocks global energy transition
A new report shows why an energy revolution is needed, and identifies the powerful forces that stand in the way.
A socialist defends nuclear energy
A contribution to an important debate. Is nuclear power essential or an unacceptable threat?
Oil, energy and capitalism: An unpublished talk by Barry Commoner
“Oil companies do not operate for the purpose of producing oil. They operate for the purpose of producing maximum profit. To solve the energy crisis, we have to reorganize our economic system.”
Lac-Mégantic and the presumed innocence of capitalism
The Lac-Mégantic disaster shows once again that capitalists are self-interested, uncaring, anti-social actors, not worthy of presumptions in their favor.
Bolivia puts people and environment before profit
Federico Fuentes: The government of Latin America’s poorest country is taking natural resources out of the hands of multinationals, and using that wealth to fight poverty
To save the earth, nationalize the energy industry
Energy is far too important to our future to be left in the hands of corporate directors and investment bankers.
Stop the dash for gas! Activists shut UK power plant
“This action is in defence of the global commons, which are under sustained attack by polluting fossil fuel companies”
Thirst for power: How coal, nuclear and gas waste our water
Over half of all of the fresh, surface water withdrawn from the environment in the U.S. today is used by power companies. They take the profits, and society pays the price.
Capitalism's destructive quest for extreme energy
To keep the fuel flowing, oil companies are radically increasing the potential for environmental catastrophe. The fight against extreme energy is also a fight against the very soul of an irrational system.
Green energy won't save the earth without social change
The most popular techno-fix for global warming is green energy. If energy companies would only deploy wind, hydro, solar or nuclear, then emission-intensive fossil fuels will eventually disappear. But will that work?
Natural gas: another magic bullet that won't stop climate change
“If you take 40 years to switch over entirely to natural gas, you won’t see any substantial decrease in global temperatures for up to 250 years. There’s almost no climate value in doing it.” ++++++ by Mike Lemonick Climate Central, Feb. 28, 2012 Remember how ethanol was going to save us? It was the perfect solution […]
No time to waste on transition to green energy
Even if we convert totally tomorrow, it would be decades before the transition from coal-based power brings temperature benefits. We have delayed too long already and it is time to get started. +++++++++++++ by Kate Ravilious Environmental Research Web, Feb 16, 2012 If the entire world adopted ‘green’ forms of energy tomorrow, how long would it […]
To protect energy profits, Capital gambles with humanity’s future
by Steve Drury People and Nature, December 14, 2011 After 12 days of wrangling, posturing, wheeling, dealing, cajoling and demonstrating, delegates at the 17th UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa failed to reach agreement by its scheduled close on Friday 9 December. It took a further 36 hours of “negotiations” to cobble together […]
Natural gas: no solution to climate change
New Suzuki/Pembina report exposes Canada’s wrong-way policy on natural gas production. (more…)
Clean energy is possible, practical, and essential – now!
It is fully within our means today to make the alternative energy dream a green reality. All the technologies exist. Unless we want to consign humanity to a broiling, toxic swamp called earth, alternative energy is an imperative. (more…)
Three fallacies spread by renewable energy deniers
Those who deny that renewable energy can meet society’s needs use tactics that are almost identical to those of climate change deniers (more…)
IPCC: Renewables could provide 80% of global energy by 2050
When a cautious and conservative group like the IPCC goes this far, we can be certain that much more could be achieved by a society committed to ecological sanity (more…)
The limits to energy efficiency
“Historical evidence shows unequivocally that advances in energy efficiency have not led to any declines of aggregate energy consumption.” (more…)