1–6 of 493 entries categorized:

Economics

Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air

July 3, 2009

in Books and literature, Economics, Geek stuff, Internet matters, Science, The environment

David MacKay’s Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air is a remarkably engaging book; it has certainly kicked off and contributed to some very energetic discussions here. The book, which was written by a physics professor at Cambridge and is available for free online, is essentially a detailed numerical consideration of renewable forms of power [...]

{ 0 comments }

Pumped and multi-lagoon tidal systems

July 3, 2009

in Economics, Science, The environment

Many forms of renewable power generation, such as wind and solar, suffer from differing power output depending on how intense the natural energy source is at any particular point in time. One neat exception to this is a tidal barrage with multiple lagoons. By managing the water level in each, it is possible to smooth [...]

{ 0 comments }

What does 5% of global GDP mean?

July 1, 2009

in Economics, Politics, The environment

Over at FiveThirtyEight.com (the pollster site made famous by the Obama election), there is an interesting response to Jim Manzi’s opposition to climate change action. Manzi argues that climate change will ‘only’ cost 5% of global GDP, 100 years from now, so we shouldn’t worry too much about this. The obvious responses to this are [...]

{ 3 comments }

Climate change impacts in the United States

June 30, 2009

in Economics, Politics, Science, The environment

The United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has released the most comprehensive report so far on climate change impacts in the United States: Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States. The USGCRP consists of thirteen departments and agencies of the US federal government.
Some of the key findings include:

Climate changes are underway in the [...]

{ 0 comments }

Ontario rethinking new nukes

June 30, 2009

in Canada, Economics, Geek stuff, Politics, The environment

Apparently, the government of Ontario is reconsidering its decision to build more nuclear power plants, due to concerns about cost overruns and the status of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL). The province was previously planning to spend $26 billion over the next few decades, expanding and refurbishing nuclear reactors.
Apparently, the Ontario government has rejected [...]

{ 3 comments }

Looser collusion laws for oil sands producers

June 29, 2009

in Canada, Economics, Law, Politics, The environment

Apparently, Canada’s Competition Bureau is considering loosening rules on collusion to benefit oil sands producers. Specifically, the proposed rule would permit firms to coordinate on megaprojects, without risking criminal charges for anti-competitive behaviour. Firms could do things like plan staggered construction schedules, to try to avoid the large increases in costs that accompanied the run [...]

{ 0 comments }

← Previous Entries