Category Archives: Sustainability

Changes Too Quick to Follow!

Posted on June 7, 2022 by climatechangefork

Figure 1 – Brooklyn College graduation at Barclays Center My summer break started last week. A day after Memorial Day we had our first in-person commencement ceremony since the start of the pandemic. It took place in the local Barclays … Continue reading →

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The Role of Oil Companies in the Energy Transition

Posted on May 17, 2022 by climatechangefork

In last week’s blog, I included a citation from Nicholas Kusnetz’s article, “What Does Net Zero Emissions Mean for Big Oil?” which pointed out: Most glaring is that none of the companies has committed to cut its oil and gas … Continue reading →

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“Peak” Oil:  Self-Limiting or Open-Ended?

Posted on March 15, 2022 by climatechangefork

The Age of Oil started around 1800, when drilling techniques started to become available to extract oil from the ground. Figure 1 shows the oil price changes normalized to a constant US$ (2014) from the American Civil War until 2015. … Continue reading →

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Petrostates

Posted on February 8, 2022 by climatechangefork

Right now, in the energy transition, there is an emerging weaponization of energy. Russia’s confrontation with the West over Ukraine is the present focal point. The following two publications provide some details: “What Happens if Russia Cuts Off Europe’s Natural … Continue reading →

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Back to the Energy and Population Transitions: Electrification and Brain Drain

Posted on February 1, 2022 by climatechangefork

In this blog, I will look at the ongoing global energy transition and the declining populations of rich countries around the world. I am specifically interested in attempts to redefine sustainable energy sources, as well as the ways in which … Continue reading →

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The Math of the American Commitment

Posted on December 7, 2021 by climatechangefork

A short entry appeared in the Scientific American journal in the middle of the COP26 meeting: “Doing the Math on Biden’s Climate Pledge.” The author was trying to explain how the Biden administration—only three months after assuming control from an … Continue reading →

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The American Commitment

Posted on November 30, 2021 by climatechangefork

COP26 ended with a unanimous decision on how to accelerate the global effort to mitigate climate change. This included plans to assist developing countries in their adaptation efforts and to monitor progress in these areas on an annual basis. It’s … Continue reading →

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Conclusions From COP26

Posted on November 23, 2021 by climatechangefork

This semester, I am teaching two courses directly related to climate change. I start both with an exploration of the basic science involved. It’s a multidisciplinary topic that requires using first principles to address the overlap of the physical, natural, … Continue reading →

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Managing the Energy Transition: Specifics

Posted on November 16, 2021 by climatechangefork

Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, may have asked, “what good is it to save the planet if humanity suffers?” (September 21, 2021) but this week, in the context of COP26, the current CEO of Exxon expressed a different … Continue reading →

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Managing the Energy Transition on a Global Scale

Posted on November 9, 2021 by climatechangefork

Figure 1 Figure 2 I have been (starting on September 21st) focusing on energy companies’ transitions away from fossil fuels; many are finally realizing that such global shifts are necessary if we cannot implement an acceptable way to capture the … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Energy, Sustainability, US | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment