Tag Archives: Environment

27.5.2022 – What is good in life, on feedback loops possibly leading to collapse

In early 2002, I had an epiphany. I had been depressed for months and queried whether there is even any point in living any more: in the long run, we are all dead, and whatever we achieve will crumble in … Continue reading

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20.5.2022 Friday – On extinction risk, commons risk, “natural disasters”

Extinction risks or X-risks are an interesting research topic that, however, has its own share of problems. I have one article in the works about some of its blind spots, and will be getting back to the topic later. Meanwhile, … Continue reading

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

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 , , | 1 Comment

Technology in a Post-Growth World: Lessons from the 1970s AT Movement

Hello again! This post about lessons we could learn from the 1970s Appropriate/Alternative Technology movement is derived from a presentation I gave at Helsinki Sustainability Science Days 2019, 9.5.2019. The entire presentation can be found here. The above presentation and … Continue reading

Posted in Economy and the Environment, History of technology, My publications, Notes in process, Politics, post-scarcity | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

What climate strikers ought to know about our economic system

Dear participants of the climate strike and all the other friends of a livable future! First of all, I’d like to thank every single one of you for your work defending a future for all of us. In my eyes, … Continue reading

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Why I believe we ought to build a spacefaring civilisation

The successful launch of the Falcon Heavy is a milestone, and it has raised again the important question: should we humans try to create a spacefaring civilisation, even if we could?   This is a philosophical question, and answers to … Continue reading

Posted in SETI, Aliens & Space | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

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 , , , | 30 Comments

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

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

What does research say about the safety of nuclear power?

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 , , , | 23 Comments

“Environmental NGOs knew the truth about climate change”

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