Deception and financial fakery for friends
A few days ago, I wrote Cronies, henchmen and the future and noted the loss of revenue government derives from natural resources, even though prices have risen dramatically in the…
energy
Prius: a Crystal Anniversary (15 years)
A few Prius-inclined websites noted last week that Dec 10, 2012 marked the 15th anniversary of the Prius’ introduction in Japan. With the Prius (temporarily?) becoming the world’s 3rd-best-selling car…
Marc’s Letter from 2040
The following comes from a short talk on a vision for a zero-carbon BC that I gave at a couple events this Fall. Many have asked for the text so…
Peace region changes
Visit David Suzuki Foundation for links.
Ottawa’s habitual condescension
A study conducted by UBC Fisheries Centre, funded by World Wildlife Fund Canada, notes in the summary abstract, “If are accounted for, all of the projected economic gains from the…
The US once was, but will never again be, the Saudi Arabia of oil
The idea that the US might one day produce more oil than Saudi Arabia, popularized by an International Energy Agency (IEA) report, has gone viral in recent weeks. It’s like…
Nexen & Progress Takeovers Approved: What Next?
The federal government’s announcement on Friday that it is approving two more big oilsands takeovers (by China’s CNOOC and Malaysia’s Petronas, both state-owned suitors) was political tap-dancing at its best.…
Tomorrow on Earthgauge Radio: the Doha Climate Summit special!
Tomorrow on Earthgauge Radio on CKCU 93.1 FM, it’s our United Nations Doha Climate Summit special broadcast. We’ll hear audio from our correspondents on the ground in Qatar and a…
A government of universal deceit
Theoretically, politicians are stewards of the nation's resources and regulators of industries that exploit public assets. Yet those chamberlains receive contributions worth millions of dollars every year from the people…
Earthgauge Radio November 29, 2012: international climate science, Ottawa climate politics, and the growing movement to protect Canada’s waterways
This week on Earthgauge Radio, we’re talking about climate change and the protection of Canadian waterways. I have 3 features on the program today: Radio EcoShock‘s broadcast of a speech…
Geothermal Efficiency Projects
Geothermal power generation has been used all over the world and can be used for power generation of small and large power plants. It can be a local installation that…
Green byelection blues
Alas, the Green Party didn’t pick any seats up in the Nov 26 Canadian federal by-elections. While their strong showings probably count as a real moral victory, I imagine at…
A Solar Powered Combustion Engine May Be in Your Future
This may sound counter-intutitive, but researches have begun a project to build an internal combustion engine (a common car engine) that runs off of solar power. Instead of using gas…
Earthgauge Radio November 22, 2012: 24 hours of Climate Reality and the International Year of Cooperatives
This week on Earthgauge Radio: we’re talking about the U.N. International Year of Cooperatives and featuring highlights from last week’s online 24 Hours of Climate Reality international media event. To…
IEA: Idea that we have reached “Peak Oil” incorrect
A new International Energy Agency report states that the idea of “peak oil” (that the world is essentially running out of oi supplies) is false. The IEA claims that, there…
Newsflash: Canadian PM’s American Idol supports Stephane Dion-esque carbon tax shift
Note: for non-Canadian readers (or, indeed for Canadian readers who don’t follow politics) Stephane Dion was the milquetoast who led the Liberal Party of Canada to its then-worst-ever federal election…
Pacific Island 100% Solar Powered
Tokelau is a small island in the Pacific that has switched it’s entire power grid to solar, this is the first of a few islands in the region that will…
Take from the poor, give to the rich
Further to my comments about homeowners subsidizing industrial power, here is an extract from the blog of Vancouver lawyer Jim Quail, Site C and the Kitimat LNG Export Terminal: Christy…
Solar Panels Break 1/3 Record
Photovoltaic solar panels are measured in terms of how efficient they are at converting light into electricity. Obviously potential energy is lost when this conversion occurs and it has long…
Earthgauge Radio November 1, 2012: PowerShift 2012 featuring Naomi Klein and Bill McKibben
Download: earthgauge-podcast-nov-1-2012.mp3 On Earthgauge Radio this week, we’ll be featuring a wrap-up of the recent PowerShift 2012 conference, which took place over the past weekend in Ottawa and Gatineau. I…