1
Walking the walk / Re: Heating with wood or pellets ? and air heat pump ?
« on: October 17, 2020, 09:52:32 AM »
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2
The politics / Re: Abortion
« on: October 12, 2020, 09:50:15 PM »
A ban on abortion will only make it impossible for poor people. The other ones will go abroad.
Poor people are always the victims. In the Old Testament, the idea that the population suffers because of the sins of the king is often repeated. I believe that it is true, it's not the taxi driver that chose to have a combustion engine, but he will suffer more than the people who decided that oil was the way to make it work.
Here it would be the same, the poor will have kids that they can't feed, and the rich will abort abroad, just because the rich decided that abortion was a sin worse than any other.
I never said that abortion is ok, I just said that our society doesn't give any choice to many people, so we have to live with it.
If you really are against abortion, the way to do it is sexual education as well as free homes and healthcare for single mothers, men ready to marry single mothers and to adopt their kids.
Poor people are always the victims. In the Old Testament, the idea that the population suffers because of the sins of the king is often repeated. I believe that it is true, it's not the taxi driver that chose to have a combustion engine, but he will suffer more than the people who decided that oil was the way to make it work.
Here it would be the same, the poor will have kids that they can't feed, and the rich will abort abroad, just because the rich decided that abortion was a sin worse than any other.
I never said that abortion is ok, I just said that our society doesn't give any choice to many people, so we have to live with it.
If you really are against abortion, the way to do it is sexual education as well as free homes and healthcare for single mothers, men ready to marry single mothers and to adopt their kids.
3
The politics / Re: Abortion
« on: October 12, 2020, 09:04:26 PM »
Well, I'm sorry to tell you that I'm scared that the actual president if reelected could start a nuclear war. Furthermore if Covid continues that way, you will get your million death and also quite many AGW death.
Is abortion worse than extinction ?
I don't understand how you can trust a guy who lies all the time and used to be pro choice untill it was not helping him anymore.
Is abortion worse than extinction ?
I don't understand how you can trust a guy who lies all the time and used to be pro choice untill it was not helping him anymore.
4
The politics / Re: Abortion
« on: October 12, 2020, 06:46:54 PM »
Life is complicate, I know Catholics who support death penalty, I know Catholics driving big SUVs, I know Catholics taking drugs, I know Catholics using the service of sex workers... there are even stories of priest raping nuns, buying products that are not fair trade... Abortion is awful, but I don't believe that it is an issue that should excuse any other misbehavior of a politician.
In the Bible, there is a place where Jesus says that the one that is without sin should through the first stone to punish some sexual misbehavior. Let's keep that in mind.
The prohibition of alcohol was not a great success, let's try not to repeat history with abortion. The first step would be to accept that girls are pregnant and give their children in adoption, but I don't believe that many Catholics are ready to accept it.
In the Bible, there is a place where Jesus says that the one that is without sin should through the first stone to punish some sexual misbehavior. Let's keep that in mind.
The prohibition of alcohol was not a great success, let's try not to repeat history with abortion. The first step would be to accept that girls are pregnant and give their children in adoption, but I don't believe that many Catholics are ready to accept it.
5
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 12, 2020, 07:24:21 AM »Tom, aren't the words of your own Pope a bit more weighty that some church bulletin?Abortion is an easy fight because it doesn't require any involvement, just some protests in front of hospitals. Helping poor people or refugees is much more difficult and requires much more time and money, and if you start thinking why they are poor, you could become a dangerous leftist.QuotePope Francis has released a new papal document in which he criticizes everything from the toxicity of social media to Catholics’ single-minded focus on abortion...
"Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate, for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development.
Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection."
I'm wondering how such clear papal proclamations are being taken in by you and the folks of similar mind in your circle. Do you just blow off the Pope when he isn't saying something you want to hear?
https://www.vox.com/2018/4/11/17220108/pope-francis-catholics-conservative-abortion-gaudete-exsultate-twitter-church-apostolic-exhortation
It is also quite easy to get horrible pictures, and everybody finds babies cute, much cuter than a refugee coming over the border.
6
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 11, 2020, 08:19:34 PM »Actually I expect most of the violence is neither Left or Right...not political at all.Maybe you're right, but political violence is something specific because it targets people who are totally innocent, and is done in order to gain power. It destroys democracy, and once the violent one is installed, it is quite difficult to get him out.
I's drug lords fighting each other, muggings, assaults...mostly done for reasons not having anything to do with politics.
And the violence, while it has been rising the last couple years, is nothing like it was in the ACW, or in Europe in the World Wars. The scary thing is worrying about it getting that bad again.
The violence of criminal organizations is something that a democratic society should be able to control, even if it is not always easy.
I'm living in Europe, so I can't testify about what's happening in the US, but in the news over here, we only see political violence coming from the alt-right, excepted sometimes people reacting to planned provocations.
8
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 11, 2020, 03:53:48 PM »How do the riots that occurred after the George Floyd murder fit into this?I would say that most riots occur when people are angry, demonstrate and loose control. Nothing to do with any alt-right or left.
On the other side of the road during the George Floyd riots, it seems like the alt-right was well organized. The main problem with riots is how they are used by organized groups to gain power and influence, this is why I believe that non violence is the only way out, and it is required if you want to be heard by all the people who don't really care.
9
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 11, 2020, 09:22:04 AM »
There can't be an alt left because the term is new and we don't have a violence problem on the left political side.
Maybe we will see some alt right people trying to motivate some leftists to do something violent, just to scare people before the elections.
Maybe we will see some alt right people trying to motivate some leftists to do something violent, just to scare people before the elections.
10
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 10, 2020, 05:17:15 PM »
The alt left might not be fully extinct, you still have some guerilla in Colombia, but what's left is not much compared to the alt right.
11
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 10, 2020, 02:16:59 PM »AGW is the second greatest issue of the day. LGBTQ+ are still human. Humans are not another animal species we are human, not squid, starfish, earthworm or otherwise sexed organisms.God's Mercy is unlimited and anybody can turn back to him. Please remember it before organizing Hell and Paradise. I believe that abortion is one of the few sins where most people really show repentance.
And as for violence, a “Christian” who murders an abortion doctor will end up lower in Hell than the doctor, because he has besmirched Jesus’ Holy Name.
Anyway, it is out of topic.
There was an Alt-Left, but it was in the 60' and 70', some still in the 80', with money provided by the USSR. That's an old story. Remanent are for example the guerilla in Colombia, drugs are also a good source of money for alt left and right. What's happening in Venezuela, I would describe it as Alt Nationalism. I don't really know if it is left or right, but it is the concept of getting back national wealth in national (friendly) hands.
The left has a problem when they concentrate on people, when they miss the fact that the boss is part of a system and not a specific person. Non violent opposition has always been against oppressive systems, not against oppressors.
Added :
Just like with abortion, the doctor is not the issue, but the fact that the girl is pregnant (because of a rape, of a lack of education, of whatever is the issue), and why do we have such a social pressure that adoption can't be an issue for most cases ?
12
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 10, 2020, 11:02:21 AM »The question to ask then is what if there is zero immigration and still we do not feed our citizens, still do not house our homeless, still do not provide healthcare to all? Do we expel citizens?
Of course yes, that's what the poem is about, first the socialists, than the trade unionists, than the jews, than me. Most of the time, the next task is started before that the one before is finished.
Well, I still believe that we are all "guilty" regarding the actual situation. Politicians are elected, and we also chose to buy products of companies that don't treat correctly their workers.
13
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 10, 2020, 10:10:10 AM »
The problem is not the immigrant, it's the boss. So the issue is not to stop immigration but to get reasonable wages for the workers.
An Alt Right solution will only provide even more power to the boss who probably as connections with these groups, a Martin Luther King Jr solution could bring real solutions.
It's a hard way to go, and I guess what we all can do is, as much as possible, to buy local, organic and fair trade.
When you buy products of major corporations, you know where the money goes. With local, organic or fair trade products, you may hope that it helps where it is most needed.
An Alt Right solution will only provide even more power to the boss who probably as connections with these groups, a Martin Luther King Jr solution could bring real solutions.
It's a hard way to go, and I guess what we all can do is, as much as possible, to buy local, organic and fair trade.
When you buy products of major corporations, you know where the money goes. With local, organic or fair trade products, you may hope that it helps where it is most needed.
14
The politics / Re: The Alt Right
« on: October 10, 2020, 09:51:17 AM »
Maybe you already heard this "poem" :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...
This really is the issue, I think everybody has some tendency to find the differences annoying, and it is what the Alt-Right type of group use to convince more people to follow them, to pull on a string and slowly transform people's view of the wold. If you would directly see the final picture, you would be so choked, but with a lot of work and of time, most people can change their point of view, or think that the goal is more important than the way to get there.
Unfortunately, politics is only about the way to get there, because the goal is the same for everybody, to bring health and happiness to everybody living on a limited territory (USAID promoting development abroad is also about providing a peaceful world for the USA, and about providing markets for US products).
So it is very important to protect the difference.
Looking at the fruits of a politician is way more important than to listen to what he says. The way is the goal.
Quote
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...
This really is the issue, I think everybody has some tendency to find the differences annoying, and it is what the Alt-Right type of group use to convince more people to follow them, to pull on a string and slowly transform people's view of the wold. If you would directly see the final picture, you would be so choked, but with a lot of work and of time, most people can change their point of view, or think that the goal is more important than the way to get there.
Unfortunately, politics is only about the way to get there, because the goal is the same for everybody, to bring health and happiness to everybody living on a limited territory (USAID promoting development abroad is also about providing a peaceful world for the USA, and about providing markets for US products).
So it is very important to protect the difference.
Looking at the fruits of a politician is way more important than to listen to what he says. The way is the goal.
15
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: October 04, 2020, 09:04:37 PM »
Money vs. physics: who will win?
Physics wins at the end. But it could take a long time.
I really think that peak oil is real, that conventional oil peaked before 2010, and that non conventional oil needs high prices to be an alternative. So I wonder what will happen after Covid ? Will we have bankrupted oil companies and a restarting economy that would make a huge increase in oil prices ? Unfortunately, increasing production takes time so economy could only crash again.
Energy transition is also a way to get out of that game.
I guess we all know a little bit more about exponential growth now that Covid has come to explain it to us. Economical growth is also an exponential growth, around 2% per year, and here also physics will win.
16
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: October 04, 2020, 08:52:37 PM »Do you remember Kodak, diminishing returns usually can't last too long because many costs are not related to the produced volume.
Yes, I did understand your point, but you've ignored mine, and just repeated nonsense. When it comes to economics, harnessing renewable energy is a matter of producing manufactured goods.
When in human history has any major manufactured good ever shown a pattern of diminishing returns for any extended period of time? We essentially always see the opposite, economies of scale and efficiencies of production.
You're casting vague dire predictions about a phenomenon that hasn't been observed and is not being observed now.
Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence. You've provided none.
AT&T is also a similar story.
Each time that a technology fades away, you have such a story.
17
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: October 04, 2020, 08:28:22 PM »Lets wait until Covid19 is under control to see who is right. I really wonder what will happen, if people will fly again as much as in 2019, or if the economy will be so much down that it can't restart as fast as many people hope.
Well, no. Oil demand went down in early 2020 because people stopped flying and driving due to the pandemic.
Although the pandemic will eventually end, oil demand is not expected to reach 2019 levels because the underlying trend is moving the world away from oil.
Forget peak oil (production). It was a failed theory from 20 years ago that never materialized. Moving goalposts as not to include "unconventional" oil or to disregard prices doesn't make peak oil true.
You mean "yes."
And oil demand continues to rise because, as this article points out, around 85 pct of the world population live in developing countries, with, as I pointed out earlier, 71 pct earning below $10 daily:
https://www.rigzone.com/news/shell_is_wrong_global_oil_demand_can_only_increase-21-nov-2018-157509-article/
[...]
EV could be much cheaper if people would be reasonable and wouldn't want more autonomy that required. I'm pretty sure that we will see sometimes in the future cars with minimal autonomy with the possibility to extend the range for a limited period (holidays?).
Petrol is and might be forever the easiest product with a high energy density available, but combustion implies a lost of 2/3 of the energy, which makes it possible for other energies to be competitive.
I see as only way to have a peak demand that people really reduce their flying, and climate change that will reduce the need for heating. Cooling should be possible with renewable. If politicians had the courage to limit the size of motors, this would also help.
18
Walking the walk / Re: Heating with wood or pellets ? and air heat pump ?
« on: October 03, 2020, 08:30:33 PM »
We found a solution to the excess of infra red radiation of our wood stove.
There is a German company producing shield for stoves. You can see the model in the middle of this page https://www.metallwaren-schuerer.de/ofenzubehör.html
Even if the window of our stove goes like 20 cm above the shield, it works fine because enough infra red radiation is captured by the shield.
It gets quite hot, you have to be careful with kids, but I don't think that it could be hot enough to burn dangerously.
It is very light, you can put it between the Stove and the wall when you don't need it. It is 100% Iron, it won't burn. You can even place it to protect just some people if others want to enjoy the infra red.
If somebody is interested, you have to look for "Schürer Metallwaren Ofenschirm", but the cheapest reseller I found has a web-site that is only in German.
There is a German company producing shield for stoves. You can see the model in the middle of this page https://www.metallwaren-schuerer.de/ofenzubehör.html
Even if the window of our stove goes like 20 cm above the shield, it works fine because enough infra red radiation is captured by the shield.
It gets quite hot, you have to be careful with kids, but I don't think that it could be hot enough to burn dangerously.
It is very light, you can put it between the Stove and the wall when you don't need it. It is 100% Iron, it won't burn. You can even place it to protect just some people if others want to enjoy the infra red.
If somebody is interested, you have to look for "Schürer Metallwaren Ofenschirm", but the cheapest reseller I found has a web-site that is only in German.
19
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: October 02, 2020, 02:38:07 PM »
Same thing for renewable, when investments are required, it's always good to know what the EROEIs are. Mainly if you have a few processes one after the other (PV=>hydrogen=>car or PV=>battery=>car).
20
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: October 02, 2020, 02:34:17 PM »
Regarding food production, EROEI is half relevant. It is relevant if you want to compare different production methods, for example organic and traditional, but it is not relevant regarding tools. Who cares of the scythe produced enough energy to compensate the embedded energy, the ax is there to produce the needed wood.
21
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 26, 2020, 12:37:15 PM »
I think yes, but never had time to look for the details. I have seen weird documents for final customers with solar self consumption.
22
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 25, 2020, 06:29:53 PM »
There is a very efficient green washing of electricity going on, at least in Europe. You can have a 100% renewable contract, be delivered with Nuclear or Coal power, and your supplier just has to buy certificate to fulfill the requirements. It is even possible to get a contract 100% solar, the certificates used being based on summer production, even if your contract is for the whole year.
There is another issue, but I'm not sure of the details. I believe that certificates regarding renewable energy are based on theoretical production, not the real one, so if your PV production breaks down because an inverter has a problem, you still can sale the certificate. I think that you can even use the electricity yourself (self consumption) and still sale the certificates.
There is another issue, but I'm not sure of the details. I believe that certificates regarding renewable energy are based on theoretical production, not the real one, so if your PV production breaks down because an inverter has a problem, you still can sale the certificate. I think that you can even use the electricity yourself (self consumption) and still sale the certificates.
23
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 24, 2020, 07:32:55 PM »
When I think about it, EROEI should only be used to evaluate how a process changes over time. Did the EROEI of solar panels, oil production... increased or decreased ? What does it means for us?
If for example even if the EROEI of coal mining is 4500% (guess) and the one of producing electricity with coal is 30%, it still is the second that makes coal mining interesting. When comparing different systems, only the EROI can really be used.
The EROEI of the global process can also be considered, but coal mining with electricity production would be around 45*0.3 or 1500%, which is getting closer to renewable, but renewable require way less financial investments and way less maintenance, so it is the increased EROI of the renewable that makes the energy transition possible.
If for example even if the EROEI of coal mining is 4500% (guess) and the one of producing electricity with coal is 30%, it still is the second that makes coal mining interesting. When comparing different systems, only the EROI can really be used.
The EROEI of the global process can also be considered, but coal mining with electricity production would be around 45*0.3 or 1500%, which is getting closer to renewable, but renewable require way less financial investments and way less maintenance, so it is the increased EROI of the renewable that makes the energy transition possible.
24
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 24, 2020, 06:49:08 PM »
To come back to the EROEI of tool production, two important points have to be considered. The first one is that tools and machines used to require much less metal than they do now. A train built in 1900 was mainly made of wood, a car or a pickup truck built before WWII was not only much lighter, but also contained much less embedded energy. So the energy used to build a modern tool might have nothing to do with the energy required to produce such a tool.
The second point I want to say is that when steel was produced for a scythe in 1700, the energy came mainly from wood, and it was so until humanity learned to produce coke in order to feed the steel production system. So the question was not if the scythe could produce enough food kWh to cover its production kWh, but if it was a useful way to use steel which was in very limited supply. EROEI only makes sense when we talk about energy production in the context of an industrialized world were food is not energy, but a commodity, and were energy is in oversupply. We talk about it now because we feel that we should limit our energy consumption, not because we have to. If we think back at a traditional farming context, energy was limited and the question was not yet if some uses made sense, but if they were possible. Maybe the scythe didn't produce as much energy as it was required to produce it, but the ax did it and it kept in balance the energy system.
added :
So, I find Bruce's question very good, but wouldn't use the EROEI to try to find an answer, but rather check how much energy is required to produce food and check if, in a renewable world, we can get as much energy for our food production. The question could also be how much energy we need to save in order to be fully renewable and able to produce the food we need.
The second point I want to say is that when steel was produced for a scythe in 1700, the energy came mainly from wood, and it was so until humanity learned to produce coke in order to feed the steel production system. So the question was not if the scythe could produce enough food kWh to cover its production kWh, but if it was a useful way to use steel which was in very limited supply. EROEI only makes sense when we talk about energy production in the context of an industrialized world were food is not energy, but a commodity, and were energy is in oversupply. We talk about it now because we feel that we should limit our energy consumption, not because we have to. If we think back at a traditional farming context, energy was limited and the question was not yet if some uses made sense, but if they were possible. Maybe the scythe didn't produce as much energy as it was required to produce it, but the ax did it and it kept in balance the energy system.
added :
So, I find Bruce's question very good, but wouldn't use the EROEI to try to find an answer, but rather check how much energy is required to produce food and check if, in a renewable world, we can get as much energy for our food production. The question could also be how much energy we need to save in order to be fully renewable and able to produce the food we need.
25
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 23, 2020, 07:50:16 AM »
I haven't followed the tread regularly lately, so maybe I will repeat some thing that has already been said.
When working with EROEI, there is a major difference between the consumed energies (FF, wood...) and wind or solar.
If you have an EROEI of 900 % on a consumed energy, it means that you loose 10% of the collected energy during the production process.
If you have an EROEI of 500% on wind or solar, you get 4 times more energy than what you use during the production process.
This is for me a major difference that also makes wood a second choice, only better than fossil fuels if it is local. We need to save the forests, and wood can be a CO2 storage if it is used for example to build houses. We are in a climate emergency, even if the house will only be there for 100 or 200 years, it's already a good deal.
When working with EROEI, there is a major difference between the consumed energies (FF, wood...) and wind or solar.
If you have an EROEI of 900 % on a consumed energy, it means that you loose 10% of the collected energy during the production process.
If you have an EROEI of 500% on wind or solar, you get 4 times more energy than what you use during the production process.
This is for me a major difference that also makes wood a second choice, only better than fossil fuels if it is local. We need to save the forests, and wood can be a CO2 storage if it is used for example to build houses. We are in a climate emergency, even if the house will only be there for 100 or 200 years, it's already a good deal.
26
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 20, 2020, 11:06:23 AM »
It was a normal office, just that we were working mainly for renewable energies and the boss was very ecological.
I didn't take care of the worms, but the system was organized so that liquids could come out, these are also good as fertilizers. It was very simple and should be easy to produce with different sizes of plastic buckets and lids. You have to search a little bit on internet, there was also a special process to get all the worms in the upper part when the compost had to be emptied, but like I just said, I didn't take care of it.
I didn't take care of the worms, but the system was organized so that liquids could come out, these are also good as fertilizers. It was very simple and should be easy to produce with different sizes of plastic buckets and lids. You have to search a little bit on internet, there was also a special process to get all the worms in the upper part when the compost had to be emptied, but like I just said, I didn't take care of it.
27
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 19, 2020, 08:25:30 PM »
I worked for a year and a half in an office with a worm compost and it worked fine. When there was not enough food for them, they received some cardboard.
28
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 19, 2020, 06:55:37 PM »
Hi Manning,
I have in fact 2 times the 1qm compost. One that I fill, and one that rests. When the filling compost is full, I empty the resting compost and refill it with the filling compost making sure that everything is well mixed.
That's the theory, but most of the time I use the resting compost before the other one in full. With the vole, I mixed the filling compost before it was full because I wanted to check if it would be living in the compost.
For your situation, you should try Worm Composting. It works very well inside, doesn't smell. I didn't find any webpage in english with picture. Here is one in french https://www.fermedumoutta.fr/comment-marche-un-lombricomposteur.html . You have to look for lombricompost if you want more, even videos.
I have in fact 2 times the 1qm compost. One that I fill, and one that rests. When the filling compost is full, I empty the resting compost and refill it with the filling compost making sure that everything is well mixed.
That's the theory, but most of the time I use the resting compost before the other one in full. With the vole, I mixed the filling compost before it was full because I wanted to check if it would be living in the compost.
For your situation, you should try Worm Composting. It works very well inside, doesn't smell. I didn't find any webpage in english with picture. Here is one in french https://www.fermedumoutta.fr/comment-marche-un-lombricomposteur.html . You have to look for lombricompost if you want more, even videos.
29
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 15, 2020, 07:03:59 AM »
Hello Ralfy,
I think I found the problem in your logic :
Communism was killed by Stalin, and Social Democracy died when the cold war ended in 1989. Once the USSR disappeared, there was no reason anymore for large companies to be afraid of a "socialist" revolution.
Even the US left wings movements are not real socialists and respect private property and the general capitalistic organization. You also do because you talked for example about debt that has be repaid which would be problematic for the oil companies.
In the limit of growth, the concept is not to go up and stay there, but to go back down on a sustainable level, by choice or by fate. Unfortunately choice doesn't seem to work. In fact it is everyday more about consuming everything and having afterwards no more resources to continue a "normal" living.
Massive industrialization will not happen, it is just impossible because growth is limited by resources, and what the US use per capita is just not available, it even seems not to be available anymore for parts of the US population.
Renewable energy transition is for me the concept that we should go back as fast as possible to a sustainable level of energy (and other resources as well) consumption. You say it yourself, we need 131 years for the transition, but our oil consumption is only sustainable for something like 5 to 25 years, so we are in deep **** and I see a reduction of consumption as the only way out.
Reducing consumption means economical crisis, so we are in deep **** again.
Added : renewable energies makes it possible to have a higher sustainable living, so they are very important for me. Reducing consumption makes more money available, and using it to develop renewable energy is the best thing that we can do right now, but the lifespan of the equipment is an issue.
I think I found the problem in your logic :
Given all that, what type of planning will be needed? It has to be, as one study pointed out, socialist, and on a global scale, involving at least 143 countries. Some experts in energy add that it will have to start immediately, with large amounts of investments transferred to renewable energy. Some experts in fields connected to climate change argue that all of the oil underground has to stay underground, that 400 ppm is beyond tipping point, and that something like more than half of economic activity in general has to end, with what remains focusing only on basic needs.
Communism was killed by Stalin, and Social Democracy died when the cold war ended in 1989. Once the USSR disappeared, there was no reason anymore for large companies to be afraid of a "socialist" revolution.
Even the US left wings movements are not real socialists and respect private property and the general capitalistic organization. You also do because you talked for example about debt that has be repaid which would be problematic for the oil companies.
In the limit of growth, the concept is not to go up and stay there, but to go back down on a sustainable level, by choice or by fate. Unfortunately choice doesn't seem to work. In fact it is everyday more about consuming everything and having afterwards no more resources to continue a "normal" living.
Massive industrialization will not happen, it is just impossible because growth is limited by resources, and what the US use per capita is just not available, it even seems not to be available anymore for parts of the US population.
Renewable energy transition is for me the concept that we should go back as fast as possible to a sustainable level of energy (and other resources as well) consumption. You say it yourself, we need 131 years for the transition, but our oil consumption is only sustainable for something like 5 to 25 years, so we are in deep **** and I see a reduction of consumption as the only way out.
Reducing consumption means economical crisis, so we are in deep **** again.
Added : renewable energies makes it possible to have a higher sustainable living, so they are very important for me. Reducing consumption makes more money available, and using it to develop renewable energy is the best thing that we can do right now, but the lifespan of the equipment is an issue.
30
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 13, 2020, 08:08:27 AM »
Hello Ralfy,
I don't know how to say it, but I feel that you are locked in ideas of the "old normal". You refer to Ugo Bardi, which means that you have a good understanding of the situation, but here is a quote out of his blog :
https://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-triumph-of-catastrophism-how-greta.html
Here is another quote of the same person about predicting the future : https://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-predict-future-confessions-of.html
I think that right now, the 3rd point is the most important. Have any tipping points been reached with Covid 19 ? I'm sure, but I don't know which ones, I guess nobody knows.
"Wait and see" doesn't mean sitting in a chair watching television, it means that when acting, you should keep in mind that planning right now is impossible, and that could be one of the reason why recovery might be so difficult this time.
It means that short term has become much more important for companies, but long term also became much more important, because if you chose the wrong business, there will be no way to keep it running.
I have no answers, only questions, and I am very worried.
Regards,
Etienne
I don't know how to say it, but I feel that you are locked in ideas of the "old normal". You refer to Ugo Bardi, which means that you have a good understanding of the situation, but here is a quote out of his blog :
https://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-triumph-of-catastrophism-how-greta.html
Quote
Then, of course, all what I said up to now will turn out to be wrong if we see the famed "recovery." Most people seem to think that once we have a vaccine for the dreaded little monster, everything will return to normal in the best of worlds. But that's questionable, to say the least. Someone who understands that there won't be a "normal" anymore is Charles Hugh Smith of the "Of two minds" blog. Below, let me report an excerpt from one of his recent posts where, among other things, you can find an excellent illustration of how the Seneca Effect works.The situation has changed so much with the Covid19 that I feel that we have to "wait and see", that the rules that have been good since the industrial revolution might not work anymore.
Here is another quote of the same person about predicting the future : https://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2020/01/how-to-predict-future-confessions-of.html
Quote
1. Always trust thermodynamics
2. Always mistrust claims of marvelous new technologies
3. Always remember that the system has unpredictable tipping points
I think that right now, the 3rd point is the most important. Have any tipping points been reached with Covid 19 ? I'm sure, but I don't know which ones, I guess nobody knows.
"Wait and see" doesn't mean sitting in a chair watching television, it means that when acting, you should keep in mind that planning right now is impossible, and that could be one of the reason why recovery might be so difficult this time.
It means that short term has become much more important for companies, but long term also became much more important, because if you chose the wrong business, there will be no way to keep it running.
I have no answers, only questions, and I am very worried.
Regards,
Etienne
31
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 12, 2020, 10:49:55 AM »
Every energy is interchangeable, but the problem is hat fossil fuels are at such a high percentage, for sure in Luxembourg. So reducing consumption is a need.
The data come from here https://statistiques.public.lu/stat/TableViewer/chartView.aspx?ReportId=12771&sCS_ChosenLang=en
The data come from here https://statistiques.public.lu/stat/TableViewer/chartView.aspx?ReportId=12771&sCS_ChosenLang=en
32
Policy and solutions / Re: Is it really so impossible to use natural sinks to sequester CO2
« on: September 08, 2020, 10:16:06 PM »Certainly some of the sahara is below sea level so should be sustainable and it will introduce moisture back into the local environment and induce precipitation. Reducing the need for desalination.I guess that filling the holes of the Sahara with salted water could be a great way to get salt and moisture, but I'm not sure that, even with a lot of water, salinity can be low enough so that fishes could live in it.
But if we are going to have a rapid deployment of desert forests we'll need large quantities of fresh water to get started.
33
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 08, 2020, 07:36:29 PM »The house owners are in general richer than renters, and these richer people now also get money from the taxpayer to buy and install solar panels, and to insulate their houses. More wealth and independency. And more consumption. All those products need to be made and transported: Higher carbon footprint.Well, here it is the same, but I thought it was a money saving trick. To provide great subsidies that require so much administrative work that it only make sense if you do 3 or 4 things (windows, insulation, heating, ventilation...), so most people don't ask them. I never got any subsidies for my house because I was too early or too late with the products I used.
40 years ago, my grand-mother got subsidies on new windows, some guy came and check and since the old ones were very old, it was ok. Nowadays you need an engineering team to fill the required forms.
34
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 08, 2020, 08:31:02 AM »
I don't think that Nanning needs an e-bike, I think he needs space. If you don't have space, you just can't start anything. I lived 15 years in a small townhouse with a garden of 7,5x8 meters. It was just enough to put a tree, some grass and a few chairs. My wife reads a lot about people trying to produce all the food they eat, and one of these moved from Germany to Sweden because in Germany, nature would just be the most expensive thing. If the ground is cheap, it is covered with windmills, and if it is expensive you just can't afford it.
My townhouse was very efficient regarding energy consumption (built in 1998, and I only used 1000 liters equivalent heating oil per year for heating and warm water, 2 adults, 2 kids), but there was not enough place for gardening, for food processing, for renewable excepted PV on the roof (5x7.5 meters with 2 Velux window for the sunny side), no space to start a business if it would be required... It was just what we needed at that time, but now that the kids are teens, we are so happy that we have more space. The house had about 180 sq meters all inclusive (garage, heating room, bathrooms, entrance hall, sleeping rooms...). What I would call "technical rooms" (garage, heating, washing, storage...) took about 40 sq meters, bathrooms took about 20 sq meters, entrance + stairs was about 25 sq meters, sleeping rooms took about 45 sq meters, and the kitchen with the living room (one big room) was about 55 sq meters. It is a great house, many people have much worse living places here in Luxembourg, but it is just too small if you want to start producing things yourself and need some space for the others to live normally. We had only 2 tables, one for the kitchen and one for the computer.
My townhouse was very efficient regarding energy consumption (built in 1998, and I only used 1000 liters equivalent heating oil per year for heating and warm water, 2 adults, 2 kids), but there was not enough place for gardening, for food processing, for renewable excepted PV on the roof (5x7.5 meters with 2 Velux window for the sunny side), no space to start a business if it would be required... It was just what we needed at that time, but now that the kids are teens, we are so happy that we have more space. The house had about 180 sq meters all inclusive (garage, heating room, bathrooms, entrance hall, sleeping rooms...). What I would call "technical rooms" (garage, heating, washing, storage...) took about 40 sq meters, bathrooms took about 20 sq meters, entrance + stairs was about 25 sq meters, sleeping rooms took about 45 sq meters, and the kitchen with the living room (one big room) was about 55 sq meters. It is a great house, many people have much worse living places here in Luxembourg, but it is just too small if you want to start producing things yourself and need some space for the others to live normally. We had only 2 tables, one for the kitchen and one for the computer.
35
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 07, 2020, 07:18:44 PM »
Roof solar on industrial buildings remains the best concept. The problem is that if it has not been planned from the beginning, the structure of the building could be too weak.
Solar farms are ok if you have areas that are just good for extensive agriculture, where sheep can eat the grass. I am not so convinced of removing land of agricultural use to produce energy.
There are many places where roof solar would be possible, like highways, railroads... The original investment might be higher, but the structure will be there for more than one generation of solar panels. Maybe we will see soon solar panels integrated in nets that could just be hanged over public infrastructure, it could even increase safety by providing solar/wind/rain protection.
Solar farms are ok if you have areas that are just good for extensive agriculture, where sheep can eat the grass. I am not so convinced of removing land of agricultural use to produce energy.
There are many places where roof solar would be possible, like highways, railroads... The original investment might be higher, but the structure will be there for more than one generation of solar panels. Maybe we will see soon solar panels integrated in nets that could just be hanged over public infrastructure, it could even increase safety by providing solar/wind/rain protection.
36
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 07, 2020, 11:00:20 AM »
The link between entropy and climate change is not straightforward, that's sure, but the fact is that fossil fuels are always somehow burned, which means an important increase of entropy. When you transform sunlight in electricity, you reduce entropy (we are not in a closed system if you only consider the earth), but if the result of that entropy reduction is used to heat the jacuzzi, it doesn't help in any way to limit climate change, it's just a neutral game. Burning wood is also a neutral game.
A neutral game is much better than a loosing one, but we have to keep in mind that while some people heat their jacuzzi with solar panels, other are cooking or working with electricity produced burning coal or gas power-plants.
I'm the first one to recognize that I'm not perfect, that I also use a lot of energy just for fun, but I think that it is important to understand that the "just for fun" also has an impact on climate even if it is fully renewable. This will be the case as long as almost all used energy is not renewable.
A neutral game is much better than a loosing one, but we have to keep in mind that while some people heat their jacuzzi with solar panels, other are cooking or working with electricity produced burning coal or gas power-plants.
I'm the first one to recognize that I'm not perfect, that I also use a lot of energy just for fun, but I think that it is important to understand that the "just for fun" also has an impact on climate even if it is fully renewable. This will be the case as long as almost all used energy is not renewable.
37
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 07, 2020, 09:29:03 AM »Jevons paradox is very important to our predicament, but the second link with the entropy stuff is irrelevant.Hi Oren,
I don't agree that entropy is irrelevant. Many people believe that if they use "green" energy, they can waste it. An electrical SUV is still an SUV, and in most contexts more than what people need to move around. And it does change something regarding climate change if you use your PV electricity to heat with a heat pump or with a normal electrical heater. People shouldn't believe that their jacuzzi doesn't matter because it is heated with PV pannels.
38
Policy and solutions / Re: Renewable Energy Transition and Consumption
« on: September 06, 2020, 09:47:40 PM »
Hello,
I just want to share two interesting links
https://www.faithchangingclimate.com/jevons-paradox
https://www.faithchangingclimate.com/thermodynamics
I just want to share two interesting links
https://www.faithchangingclimate.com/jevons-paradox
Quote
At first glance, Jevons Paradox creates a discouraging situation. It says that every action we take creates and equal or greater opposite action. So, for example, if a person chooses not to drive to work, then the gasoline that he or she saves will be used by someone else. The only way out of this trap is to ensure that we simultaneously reduce demand for the resource. Demand reduction is crucial.And
All attempts to address our predicaments through improved efficiency or consumption are likely not only to fail, they may actually make those predicaments worse unless demand elsewhere, all over the world, is reduced correspondingly.
https://www.faithchangingclimate.com/thermodynamics
Quote
I like very much what that man writes, but I'm not sure that producing PV electricity doesn't reduce entropy.
Energy neither be created nor destroyed (except through the use of nuclear reactions). Hence any proposal to “save energy” cannot work. Nor can energy be “renewed”. We can transform energy from one form to another. For example, we can burn gasoline in an automobile engine to create forward motion. But the total amount of energy involved remains the same.
Whenever energy is converted from one form to another the overall system entropy — a measure of disorder or randomness — always increases. For example, when we burn gasoline in the engine of an automobile some of the energy generated moves the vehicle forward. But more of the energy is discarded as waste heat from the automobile’s tail pipe. Nothing that we do is “sustainable” — every action leads to an increase in overall entropy. It also means that no machine can have “zero emissions”.
There is really no such thing as “clean energy”. Energy is simply energy. Some ways of transforming energy into useful work create generate less entropy than others. But none of them are “clean”.
39
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 06, 2020, 09:01:33 AM »
The vole must be hungry, it starts to eat salads. It's quite annoying because I have planted the winter spinach where it ate all my chards, I thought it wouldn't eat that kind of plants.
In another part of the garden, I even have tomatoes that are eaten.
In another part of the garden, I even have tomatoes that are eaten.
40
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 05, 2020, 08:31:31 PM »I think they are currants or gooseberries.Yes, it's what I meant. Groseilles et cassis in french.
41
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 05, 2020, 02:06:44 PM »
El Cid, Thanks for the info. I'll try. Cardoon is something that I had like once a year as kid, but out of the supermarket. I liked it very much.
General de GerreLasse, these movies are beautifull. If you can ask your friend, there is one thing I never understood in these forest garden, I have one tree in my vegetable garden, and under it, it is much more difficult to grow plants. When I bought the house, it was an area without weeds. In order to grow something there, I need much more watering than in other places. I have another area where I have currents under bigger trees, and I always have to make sure that they have enough light and water. In the Luxembourgish forests, you don't have so much weeds on the ground. Does a forest garden require a place with a lot of water ? I find it beautiful, but plants seems to need light.
General de GerreLasse, these movies are beautifull. If you can ask your friend, there is one thing I never understood in these forest garden, I have one tree in my vegetable garden, and under it, it is much more difficult to grow plants. When I bought the house, it was an area without weeds. In order to grow something there, I need much more watering than in other places. I have another area where I have currents under bigger trees, and I always have to make sure that they have enough light and water. In the Luxembourgish forests, you don't have so much weeds on the ground. Does a forest garden require a place with a lot of water ? I find it beautiful, but plants seems to need light.
42
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 05, 2020, 08:11:35 AM »
Nanning,
I think you have a trauma following your first year of gardening. Gardening how I want it is much about how to find an equilibrium between different plants so that you get something to eat. It's quite difficult, each year has its challenges (this year, I had carrots that needed water between onions that had to dry, I promoted the onions), and you learn each year a little bit more.
Next year I'll have even more flowers in my garden, thank you Général de GuerreLasse for the names, I'll have plastic bottles on iron sticks, and we'll go for another round.
I feel that when you start gardening, just like anything else, there is some kind of honeymoon because the first year, the wild life around you didn't check that you planted things, but they find it out, one after another, and on your side, you have a learning process.
I have a question about cardoon. Does anyone has experience with it ? I have one in it's first year, looks very good, I hope the vole won't eat it. Well when I look in books or on internet, some people plant them every year, and other keep them and it looks like they can eat parts of it every year. Other keeps them and just enjoy the flowers every second year. I'm planning to enjoy the flowers next year, but I wonder what can be eaten the year with flowers. In one blog, they are eating the leaves in the spring but they don't do the whitening in the fall, other say that the flowers can be eaten, but I never found practical tips.
Etienne
I think you have a trauma following your first year of gardening. Gardening how I want it is much about how to find an equilibrium between different plants so that you get something to eat. It's quite difficult, each year has its challenges (this year, I had carrots that needed water between onions that had to dry, I promoted the onions), and you learn each year a little bit more.
Next year I'll have even more flowers in my garden, thank you Général de GuerreLasse for the names, I'll have plastic bottles on iron sticks, and we'll go for another round.
I feel that when you start gardening, just like anything else, there is some kind of honeymoon because the first year, the wild life around you didn't check that you planted things, but they find it out, one after another, and on your side, you have a learning process.
I have a question about cardoon. Does anyone has experience with it ? I have one in it's first year, looks very good, I hope the vole won't eat it. Well when I look in books or on internet, some people plant them every year, and other keep them and it looks like they can eat parts of it every year. Other keeps them and just enjoy the flowers every second year. I'm planning to enjoy the flowers next year, but I wonder what can be eaten the year with flowers. In one blog, they are eating the leaves in the spring but they don't do the whitening in the fall, other say that the flowers can be eaten, but I never found practical tips.
Etienne
43
Consequences / Re: COVID-19
« on: September 02, 2020, 08:30:10 PM »
Luxembourg stopped quite efficiently the 2nd wave, we even reduced the cumulative number of cases. Well, non residents have been removed of the statistics. Luxembourg has about 600'000 inhabitants, and 200'000 employees crossing the border everyday. These 200'000 people can also be tested in Luxembourg, but their cases are not reported anymore, and have been removed of the statistics.
44
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: September 02, 2020, 08:18:14 PM »
A plastic bottle on a metallic bar seems to help to keep the vole away, but it doesn't solve the problem. I still find eaten vegetables, but not so many anymore.
45
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: September 02, 2020, 08:11:20 PM »
Well, we still have the situation that 2020 there is no picture at the north pole where the passengers are all on the ice.
46
Arctic sea ice / Re: Arctic Image of the Day
« on: September 02, 2020, 06:49:32 AM »
The Barents Observer has some pictures of the ice around the north pole.
What surprised me most is that they didn't go on the sea ice for the picture at the north pole. That picture was a "must be" when I registered in this forum.
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/2020/08/mosaic-climate-expedition-shares-scary-photos-north-pole
What surprised me most is that they didn't go on the sea ice for the picture at the north pole. That picture was a "must be" when I registered in this forum.
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/2020/08/mosaic-climate-expedition-shares-scary-photos-north-pole
47
Consequences / Re: COVID-19
« on: August 28, 2020, 08:32:38 PM »
We have a guy at work who got the Covid19, was 2 weeks sick and is now healthy again, but still positive. The medical staff told him that it is not an issue because he could not transmit it anymore. Well, we are all very happy that it is summertime and that he agreed to take some free days and stay home. The medical staff told him he could be up to 6 weeks positive (I guess 2 weeks sick and 4 weeks still positive).
48
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: August 28, 2020, 07:57:10 PM »
Snakes would be nice, but it looks like they like they live close to rivers, which is not really the situation were I live. In Belgium, they are classified as a specie that is disappearing.
http://biodiversite.wallonie.be/fr/natrix-natrix.html?IDD=50334431&IDC=286
I have to check if something is possible, because the sparrow, also an endangered specie, is multiplying like crazy around my home, but gardens are small around here, and I guess a snake wouldn't pass the "wife acceptance test".
http://biodiversite.wallonie.be/fr/natrix-natrix.html?IDD=50334431&IDC=286
I have to check if something is possible, because the sparrow, also an endangered specie, is multiplying like crazy around my home, but gardens are small around here, and I guess a snake wouldn't pass the "wife acceptance test".
49
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: August 27, 2020, 10:15:35 PM »
The mole didn't create any trouble in my garden, and I read that it eats the babies of the vole, too bad my mole seems to have left my garden
50
Walking the walk / Re: Gardening
« on: August 27, 2020, 07:47:53 AM »
I have a monster in my garden. It's called a vole and it eats many things, all what I wanted to eat during the fall. We have already moved the leeks in the deep-freezer, and are preparing the retaliation for next year. We don't want to use poison, so it will be a mix of repellent plants and a limitation of the attracting plants.
Nanning, I'm sorry your experience didn't end well. The soil needs to be worked and improved every year, the challenge was probably impossible to achieve without chemicals because of the social situation. I'm happy that you at least learned a lot.
Nanning, I'm sorry your experience didn't end well. The soil needs to be worked and improved every year, the challenge was probably impossible to achieve without chemicals because of the social situation. I'm happy that you at least learned a lot.