Latest Articles

It will have lasers

WorldCarFans has caused a bit of a blog uproar by posting what it claims is a spec-ed out sketch of the 2008 Prius (larger version here). According to Jalopnik, the new Prius will, depending on who you believe … … have a turbo, a diesel engine, a plug-in feature, a rooftop solar panel, a methane […]

Venture capitalist predicts

While I’m turning over the microphone to Vinod Khosla, he also sent along his thoughts on the prospects for alternative fuels and clean tech in 2007. Lots of interesting and contestable stuff therein. It’s below the fold; have at it. Ethanol Cellulosic plants are real — at least six in construction Tariffs on their way […]

Umbra on tree planting

Dear Umbra, My wife recently heard a program on NPR where an expert on global warming said that planting trees in the Northern Hemisphere plays a negligible role in fighting global warming, while playing a significant role in the Southern Hemisphere. Do you have any light to shed on this? Randy Cunningham, Confused Tree-Hugger Cleveland, […]

Venture capitalist says cellulosic rules

After I ran the section of the interview with Terry Tamminen on ethanol, venture capitalist Vinod Khosla (whom we interviewed here) contacted me and asked to respond. Naturally, I said yes. His response is below the fold. —– Terry Tamminen: Right now, obviously, corn ethanol is not a very good bargain — depending on where […]

Expressing energy in terms of oil is misleading

Pardon my smugness -- it comes from being raised in a land that uses the metric system. So this idea that's been making the rounds -- expressing energy content in "cubic miles of oil" -- don't impress me much. Why not cubic cubits?

Fortunately, someone's done the heavy lifting of criticizing this idea a bit more thoroughly:

New report says there’s a ton waiting to be used

From an MIT press release: A comprehensive new MIT-led study of the potential for geothermal energy within the United States has found that mining the huge amounts of heat that reside as stored thermal energy in the Earth’s hard rock crust could supply a substantial portion of the electricity the United States will need in […]

Do You See What IPCC?

World braces for much-anticipated international climate report Tired of guessing what President Bush will say tomorrow, some have moved on to guessing what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will say Feb. 2. Thanks to leaks from the ranks of more than 2,500 scientists and officials involved in the multi-year creation and review of the […]

All This Progress is Making Us Woozy

Massachusetts to join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative after all Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D), reversing a decision by predecessor Mitt Romney (R), has announced that his state will join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a now eight-state pact that seeks to cut Northeast emissions beginning in 2009. “We want everyone to know that Massachusetts will […]

Capsize Does Matter

Beached British cargo ship leaks oil, shipping containers, motorcycles A damaged British cargo ship beached off the country’s coast is leaking oil, losing containers full of toxic materials, and threatening a World Heritage Site. On a happier note, it’s provided a beachcombing bonanza, with items including BMW motorcycles, exhaust system parts, and wine barrels washing […]

Will Dingell obstruct on climate change?

Apparently, John Dingell is not sitting idly by as Nancy Pelosi sticks a thumb in his eye on global warming.

An editorial in the NYT mentions that he has sent out a "quiet little letter to the members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce ... he said he would put climate change at the top of the committee agenda this year and, for good measure, would invite Al Gore ... to testify first."

The editorial paints Dingell as less of an "obstruction" than others have: