Category Archives: Energy

What if we really tried to save our civilization? An introduction to Plan B

Posted on January 9, 2020 by

Our society and, indeed, our way of life is facing an existential threat. The situation is grim, but not hopeless. These words could have been used to describe the threat faced by the world’s democracies in 1939, and they could … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy and the Environment, Energy, History of technology, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Pragmatic, inclusive energy discussion works

Posted on February 26, 2018 by

Here’s one data point for the debate about communicating nuclear power: The approval rating of nuclear power in Finland has risen by a whopping seven percentage points in a year. In Pyhäjoki, where the Russian Rosatom is building its highly-contested … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Nuclear energy & weapons | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Power and the (European) anti-nuclear power movement

Posted on November 14, 2017 by

This post contains some thoughts about the history of the anti-nuclear movement and in particular the European anti-nuclear movement as a struggle for power and empowerment; it’s posted here for convenience and as a reference, and as a caution against … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, History of technology, Nuclear energy & weapons, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

I’m no longer advocating for clean energy; here’s why.

Posted on July 26, 2017 by

My Finnish readers will already know that I announced some time ago that I’m done with energy/climate change discussions. I’ve been following the debate actively since about 2007 and have been writing about it since late 2010. I’ve written two … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

Confidence in 100% RE plans is poorly justified and may be dangerous

Posted on June 21, 2017 by

The recent publication of an unprecedented critique against the so-called “WWS” 100% renewable energy (RE) scenario has re-ignited the debate about the feasibility of renewable only energy scenarios in the United States and abroad. This is a long-overdue debate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, History of technology, Nuclear energy & weapons | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Why I support almost all measures to reduce CO2 emissions – in one graph

Posted on April 10, 2017 by

(Click here for a larger version of the image. Feel free to re-use as well.) Climate change is not the only environmental problem we’re facing, but it’s the most critical. Many people agree, but as we’ve tried to explain in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Infographics, Nuclear energy & weapons, What they aren't telling you about nuclear power | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Over 100 Finnish election candidates – Greens included – call for small reactors for district heating

Posted on March 16, 2017 by

More than hundred candidates in the upcoming municipal elections in Finland have signed a statement calling for Finnish cities to explore the possibilities of using small nuclear reactors to provide district heating. Interestingly, among the signatories are significant numbers of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Nuclear energy & weapons | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

Two fallacies that explain A LOT about energy discussions

Posted on March 14, 2017 by

I’ve been following the energy discussions actively for a decade now. Despite some incremental improvements, the debate goes round and round much the same way as it did in 2007: everyone agrees in public that we need to quit fossil … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, History of technology | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

What does research say about the safety of nuclear power?

Posted on March 10, 2017 by

I’ve been answering almost exactly the same answer to multiple discussions where people make claims about the safety of nuclear power, so I think it’s time to create a single post with collected information, links, and explanations. This is intended to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Nuclear energy & weapons, What they aren't telling you about nuclear power | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

“Environmental NGOs knew the truth about climate change”

Posted on March 1, 2017 by

Note: This text from 2043 has been delivered to me through a curious spacetime anomaly. Hopefully it only represents one possible future, not the future. Multiple self-styled “environmental” organizations issued stark warnings of the catastrophic risks of their energy plans more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, What they aren't telling you about nuclear power | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment