Oil Up—or Oil Down?

Pumpjack located south of Midland, TX (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last year’s “Arab Spring” toppled four Middle East governments and threatened thirteen more.

That regional uprising was partially inspired by the rising costs and falling supplies of food.

Modern agriculture has been described as the process of turning crude oil into food.  The relationship between crude and food is seen in the petroleum-basis for fertilizer and for the gas and diesel fuels that power tractors in the field and trucks hauling produce to market.

Thus, the global price of crude oil will largely determine the global supply and price of food.  Therefore, the price of crude will determine how many nations are destabilized, how many governments are overturned, how many people riot before they starve to death.

 

TED: The Future of Nano-Electric Power Generation

Image via Wikipedia

The video below offers a glimpse of nano-technologies that may produce wonders in the near future.  The video is cause for hope and even joy.  But the video is purely about technological possibilities in the production of clean energy.  It does not address political realities such as resistance to the implementation of such technologies by current energy-producing corporations and governments which would rather keep the world in darkness than allow for cheap or virtually “free” energy.

New technology to advance the people’s standard of living is always available–but it’s not always “allowable”.

We shall see.

video  00:10:21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ghhgUmGBjX8#!

 

Japan is Dying II

Image via Wikipedia

On March 31st, I posted “Japan Is Dying” on this blog.  That article was largely a response the the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdowns, but also dealt with fundamental demographic problems:  1) Japan’s economy has been moribund during its “Lost Decade”; and 2) 75% of Japan’s women are unmarried and therefore unlikely to reproduce.

Japan is aging, it’s population is falling, it’s economy is depressed, and the Fukushima radiation may ultimately cause Japan to lose Tokyo and much of northern Japan to a “dead zone”.

Unless at least two or three of those problems are resolved, I doubt that Japan will recover in my lifetime. I wouldn’t be surprised to China invade Japan within the next ten years.

 

Fukushima Disaster Continues

Image by Sterneck via Flickr

On March 11th, A.D. 2011–just 5 months ago–a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and following tsunami caused a catastrophic failure of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  Three nuclear reactors suffered “meltdown”.   Initially, there was great international concern over the radiation leaking from the Fukushima plant which might not merely affect Japan, but also Canada, the United States and potentially the entire northern hemisphere.

Over the next few months, however, mainstream media attention was diverted from Fukushima, people lost interest and today, most Americans don’t recognize the word “Fukushima” or remember the three meltdowns.  It’s amazing how quickly people forget.  It’s amazing how easily we are led by “entertainment” to ignore reality.  It’s not just amazing.  It’s frightening.

 

Chernobyl Roulette

Image via Wikipedia

After Fukushima, the nuclear power industry can’t catch a break.

Record-high flood levels on the Missouri River are threatening the operation of Nebraska’s Fort Calhoun nuclear power generator.  If any one of six Missouri dams breaks, the result could be an “inland tsunami” which might have a result similar to that of the tsunami that hit the Fukushima nuclear power plant.  (Coincidentally, it’s already reported that the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant is experiencing a “level 4″ emergency.  There is some sort of fire taking place in the plant even before the Missouri floodwaters reach the reactor building.)

In Nebraska, we’re seeing another instance of man’s technological hubris being bruised (and potentially crushed) by the forces of nature.

It becomes increasingly apparent that nuclear power is “too hot to handle” and may be too dangerous to be employed anywhere.