Energy Transition Engineering

Diagnosis of a Green Techno-Miracle Mythosis (GT-MM) An infectious thought virus that distracts from necessary change without causing any change. Dr. Susan Krumdieck, 2014 At Risk Populations: The most susceptible people will have preexisting anxiety about the subject of the GT-MM, but little resistance due to low technical knowledge levels Symptoms:   The GT-MM thought virus can be identified by careful observation: ·       presents with a green color ·       presents with a nearly lifelike computer generated image ·       presents as a solution to a problem, but the solution analysis is always missing ·       presents as a "nearly ready" technology ·       presents with call for further funding or government investment ·       presents with images, words and symbols that are non-technical but seem technica...

Climate Emergency  Outrage Outrage has been one of humanity’s key evolutionary strategies as we must have social structures in order to survive. People who behave in anti-social ways must be called out and corrected in some way or they would pose a threat to the whole. When we perceive something being unfair or wrong and against our code of social conduct, then we, as a group (it is a group behaviour) call-out, shame, and express our outrage at the perpetrator. This shared outrage is the necessary vehicle for carrying out ostracisms and punishments that again, keep the group together. Think about it, we probably individually have too much empathy to be able to convict and sentence and imprison someone for 15 years for possession of a stolen TV. Could any of us individually carryout the socially mandated punishment to cut off the hand of a person who stole bread… but as an outraged group, yes we can carry out some pretty horrific punishments. Researchers have found th...

The Perspective Shift of The BigDO Does your point of view really matter? From one perspective, the problem is demand, consumption, consumer choices. From the other perspective the problem is supply, and the fact that every barrel of oil extracted from source rock becomes CO 2 . Does it matter how we look at it? The outcome depends on the action. Action can be focused on the cause or on consequence -   upstream or downstream. The main greenhouse gas causing global warming is CO 2 . The ways the climates around the world are changing due to this extra thermal energy forcing is causing problems. The rate of CO 2 emission must decrease and the rate of uptake in the biosphere must increase. Logic dictates that CO 2 emissions can only decline if oil, gas and coal production all decline. Logic dictates that if oil production was decreased, the way things would be re-engineered, consumer choices would change, businesses would transition, and the future would be ...