Environment

After friend told me “I am not interesting in electric cars because I will wait for hydrogen cars”, I checked and found that future unlikely.  It turns out that hydrogen cars were never “the ultimate” and only viable as an interim step on the path to electric cars. Background: Hydrogen Myths and Misconceptions Summary. I […]

Yes, big oil clearly has a vested interest in arguing against climate change and downplaying risks, but on the other hand, aren't there also vested interests exaggerating and overstating the risks of climate change? Effectively 'big renewables', 'big science' or 'big climate'? This is a look at the financial might on each side of the argument, and the respective motives for each side to overstate their case. Is this really a balanced fight, or is it more like the might of 'big tobacco' vs 'whistle blower medical research' all over again?

At least, not alone. Solar and Wind have proven to be successful partial cost effective substitutes for fossil fuels, neither wind nor solar is stored energy. Without strategies and adding stored energy available on demand, it is impossible to reach the goal of removing reliance on fossil fuels. Consider home solar. With solar panels you can reduce your electricity costs, but to go 'off grid', you need a battery or other energy storage for the solar power. Yet, the need energy storage is being installed, but not connected to the grid.

In the race to stop CO2, there are many scams involving hydrogen, but are the public or the backers being scammed? There are many myths, and in the end, Hydrogen is a light, but inefficient battery solution. This is an exploration of where Hydrogen may be a solution, and where it just does not add up.

Shrek: No. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.Shrek Instead of a single immune response, the human immune system can be though of as having several layers of immune response, that all fade at different rates. Immunity is a complex set of different layers all subject to change over time at varying rates, making comparison between immunity following vaccination or infection highly time dependant.

Moving to EVs is going to increase electricity requirements, and at a time when there is already a technical challenge to more the electricity supply to "green" source. But what it electric vehicles could solve the "green power grid" problem, provide energy security, and avert a threat of increasing inequality? It turns out dream scenario is definitely possible, but can be fully realised only if the home charging problem be solved.

Someone recently suggested to me that vaccines represent an experiment, and people are the guinea pigs. It is a very valid point that vaccinating an entire population is an experiment, and there are risks. The real questions becomes, what are those risks, does the “payback” justify the risks, and are steps to minimise risks adequate. […]

Yes, the Earth is overpopulated by normal definition of overpopulation: population beyond sustainable carrying capacity. Clearly we are not existing sustainably at this time. The environmental footprint per person, multiplied by the number of people, equals a total footprint that is too large for nature to absorb. However, as is repeated over and over, we […]

The Australian prime minister (Malcolm Turnbull) was interviewed on the ABC program ‘7:30’ answering questions on government policy regarding tax concessions for real estate investments.  The Prime Minister spoke of the need to retain a specific tax concession because reducing the concession would reduce demand, and to reduce demand would result in lower prices.  The […]

The whole “my body my choice” is perfect for polarisation, as you can be outraged because: People are being forced into medical choices for their own bodies. or People are making selfish choices that can cause harm to can harm others. Whatever you believe, “my body my choice” drives polarisation. I will look into each […]

You would think a new variant of concern could not be a good thing, but it fact it is possible. The update (Dec 5th) is that while is is clear a variant could help, that variant may not be Omicron. Although this page will record data on omicron over time, given how long the virus […]

Hasn’t The Planet Always Been Finite? The Finite Planet Of The 21st Century Pre-1650 and “Sustainability”, A Seemingly Infinite Planet. The Economics of Finite Planet. Enter Sustainability. Hasn’t The Planet Always Been Finite? Theoretically “yes”, but in practice for humans “no”. Every resource is finite, but for most of history, every resource, at least at […]

As established in the previous exploration: Overpopulation, Starvation is the last symptom, overpopulation is exceeding 'carrying capacity'. Reducing the number of people is counterproductive if the action to reduce population, reduces carrying capacity. If society was to collapse, then even with 1/10 the people, we could still be overpopulated relative what we could then support.

In nature, we define overpopulation as when the population is beyond number the environment can sustainable without environmental damage. Those warning of overpopulation, will often resort to warnings on the eventual starvation that would occur following environmental collapse. However, there are those who profit from overpopulation and are so rich they would not starve anyway, […]

I read recently about reasonable people protesting over post vaccination deaths in South Korea, echoing stories from around the globe about the underreporting of deaths following vaccination. Can most of these deaths be just coincidences? This question has me seeking the real story on what is happening, not just with deaths following vaccination, but also with deaths from the virus. Almost one year after my initial exploration of vaccine efficacy and safety, now there is data, not just projections, so it is time for a review, and this question needs answering for any such a review.

Are Covid-19 vaccines safe, or is there a risk of long-term side effects, or even changes to our DNA? Which vaccine is the most effective, and are the statistics from trials real? Someone asked me if am I worried about long term side effects from vaccines, prompting me explore what I could discover.

This is a follow up to “mid 2021, can we live with Covid-19”, as significant further information has become available. Currently updated as at August 22nd. Will Vaccines end the Covid-19 problem, or is it an ongoing threat? Risks vs Optimism: A range of futures is possible. Looking on the bright side. The Worst That […]

(go here for link to latest update) This is a collection of facts on the ‘novel’ coronavirus, together with some discussion on myths and surprises such as: how quickly it could all end we do not know the mortality rate how the world will probably forever changed the debunking and fact exploring on topic of […]

Media reports, and government data, repeatedly presents ‘numbers of Covid-19 cases‘. However, the data presented is not the number true count of all cases numbers, but some fraction of cases that have been confirmed by testing. It is typically not even governments best guess of case numbers – it is the smaller number: ‘confirmed cases‘. […]

The media paints a very misleading picture as to the main threat presented by Covid-19. The risk for society overall that forces governments to adopt lockdowns is the risk of overloading hospitals. For most individuals, the greatest threat is not to their own health, but the fear that they getting infected, it could trigger a chain of infections and if a parent or grandparent of a friend dies in the outbreak, then that could have resulted from their infection.

Overview. There are No Heroes: Morrison – Djokovic. The Timeline. Overview. Novak Djokovic had committed a nightmare public relations mistake, appearing to gloat at having managed an exemption from the vaccination requirements for the Australian Open tennis tournament. Not necessarily a crowd favourite to begin with, Djokovic’s public announcement of the exemption that he had […]

The severity of Covid-19, is as variable as the severity of a car crash, because just as with car crashes, infections range from so mild they are inconsequential, to severe.

Industrial/Growth Age Characteristics (discussed in detail later in the post) automation replaces manual labour time to travel continually decreases automation and culture spreads around the globe population growth is unprecedented economic markets expand rapidly the Christian religion is the dominant religion of the revolution Have I missed any? Most likely yes. Information/Eco Age Characteristics (again, […]

Abstract: There is a population ‘catch 22’ in that some countries with underlying  population reduction continue to grow their population through immigration because these same countries are most attractive to potential immigrants. This hides the underlying population reduction, and produces an illusion that populations always grow. If you read this, chances are you live in […]

This is a snapshot of the pandemic as of March 2021, looking at what life is like in Sydney Australia, and looking out at the world. The most recent case of a person infected in NSW , the state with Sydney as its capital, outside of quarantine was on March 17th and was a person […]

Secret Covid-19 Future: The Truth From a politician? It seems in Australia we have a genuine conspiracy to deceive the public. This is a conspiracy in two steps, with many conspirators only committed to the more benign step one, but likely being drawn into the more worrying step2. The Two Step Conspiracy: The People Don’t […]

I have been following Covid-19 since January 2020 I felt the world too complacent, through to today March 17 2021, when I now fear there may be too much faith in vaccines. Israel has been at the forefront of vaccination, and should provide an early indicator of what to expect. So today I thought I […]

So far around 75% of countries who have lived with Covid19, most often not by choice, and around 25% of countries have lived in the shadow of Covid-19, but through elimination, mostly without Covid-19. Vaccinations may allow living with Covid-19 to be more palatable, but they also provide an opportunity for more countries to eliminate […]

Preventing 1.5°C Was Never Going To Happen. But Action Is Getting Real. So, Where Next?

To examine information on climate science, or anything else really, you need to a sceptic. In the battle to come to a conclusion on climate science there are a number of hurdles to clear. The biggest difference between people is a which step they give up and either believe, or see it as too hard. […]

Covid-19 has made many phrases like ‘flattening the curve’ become part of News broadcasts, political announcements, and even everyday conversations. But, what is the curve? Why is there a curve to flatten? This post explores, the ‘curve’ and finds how herd immunity is the sole factor that produces the ‘bell curve’ resembling shape. Creating Your […]

October 2021 Update: Provax vs antivax. The Real Impact of Vaccines is a score, not binary. Spread With Delta Variant (6.5). The score on spread reduction: 2x? 3x? The score on death prevention: 10x reduction? Vaccine passports: Good and Bad! Original Content: July 2021 Confirmation of reality: Extensive spread even when vaccinated. We Know Elimination […]

There is conventional wisdom: too many cups of coffee can be bad for you. There are also, a surprising number of of extremely rigorous reports confirming a certain number of cups of coffee per day may be a good thing. What is most often missing is the definition of ‘a cup’. How big is ‘a […]

June/July 2021: Covid-19 may seem to be under control- but we are not there yet. The World Picture: Snapshots Of Instability. Australia: The Great Delta Experiment. Vaccination Chaos, Politics. India: First Impact Site of Delta, and a dramatic recovery? UK: Reopening, seriously? US: A mystery to the decline in cases? Israel: 80% immunity and still […]

At this time (7th April), there is much talk of ‘peaks’ and ‘flattened curves’. There are suggestions that ‘the worst may be over’. Talk about lockdowns being relaxed or even removed. An outbreak running from start to end is a journey. With Coivd-19 that journey may include trials worthy of a journey in a Lord […]

No, I am not saying we anyone should be calling Sars-Cov2 the US virus. What I am saying, is that there is a real risk unless there is some caution, some people could start pointing the finger at the US, for new outbreaks of Covid-19 as time progresses. Consider, the US is currently the largest […]

The question of how the outbreak of Covid-19 started could end up changing the balance of world politics. It is that big. This page reviews the various origin stories, and I will update this page if more comes to light. No, it did not start in a wet market in December. When were the Earliest […]

Sources Of Energy, and sustainability. 1: Solar energy. 2: gravitational/kinetic energy. 3. Nuclear energy 4: Thermal energy from the earth. Energy Usage Heat, Light, Electronics, Kinetic Power Storage Chemical potential, electrical potential, gravitational potential Renewable & Sustainable Renewable Sustainable Examples Original sources of energy, and their sustainability. There are few actual original sources of power. […]

In the 1970s, there were the 'Oil Crises'. Then, and at other times it has been suggested that one key reason for moving to renewables, is that as there is only a finite supply of fossil fuels which will come to an end one day. But when? There is also a mistaken belief that 'peak oil' projections are a result of supplies of fossil fuels becoming exhausted.

Our Sun is our very definition of white in colour, as can be seen in photos from space, and larger than most stars. Despite this, our Sun is a yellow dwarf! The page explores a few facts and myths about our star, the Sun.

2020 is regarded by many as ‘anus horribilis’. Enter 2021 and the hope for better, however dangerous assumptions, including that with a vaccines and a new year all will be fine, create a very real threat that 2021 may be no better than 2020. We come into 2021 armed with vaccines, but with Covid-19 case […]

There are many many myths about vaccines. Ranging from they are all part of some conspiracy, through to they are a miracle solution to Covid-19. Myths that place too much faith in vaccines can cause ‘Covid-19 complacency’, which could make things even worse in 2021 than even 2020. This post focuses on myths that place […]

The wealth differential is increasing not just between rich and poor individuals, by in the corporate world as well.  I have been thinking about the increasing trend towards monopolies and the problems with modern government structure and monopolies. Starting with some thoughts on the background, and then why monopolies may be on the increase. The […]

It is already January 20 here, but in the US, it is still very early in the morning, and the inauguration of President Biden awaits. So does the release of Covid-19 statistics for the day, and although numbers may be delayed until tomorrow, the US will likely record a tragic daily record of over 5,000 […]

Radio waves, microwaves, millimetre waves, infra-red, visible light, ultra violet, x-rays, gamma rays… …… can seem so different, yet they are all electromagnetic radiation. All are composed of the same fundamental particle: the ‘photon’. All photons, travel at the ‘speed of light’ (or the ‘speed of photons?’), have the properties of a wave, and interact […]

I read how recently NASA revealed that a large asteroid came close to colliding with Earth, and had gone undetected until it was almost upon us. An article about the ‘volcanic winter’ that could follow such an event had me wondering: “Does the Earth need meteor strikes to avoid greenhouse gas runaway destroying life on […]

Current Australia is one of places in the world where you are least likely to become infected with Covid-19. Keeping it that way, is extremely difficult when a significant percentage of international arrivals can bring the virus into a country only enduring cursory changes to lifestyle in the face of the pandemic. The fragile freedom […]

There is a lot of focus on climate change caused by humans, as there should be! But this focus can miss just how fragile the environment is even with us breaking things. Some of the surprises are in store when we examine climate change in nature. It turns out that drastic changes reducing the Earths […]

Aside from the fact that society does not normally accept harming 1% of the population as an ‘acceptable risk’ (e.g. we ban toys that present a choking hazard even though 99% of children would not choke on them), which is the main reason people object to the statement, what is the actual basis for the […]

This post started out examining the research suggesting approximately 50% of the population were already naturally immune to Covid-19 from the outset. I review this research in this post, as well as what I think is the even more significant question: how could Covid-19 spread as it has, if 50% of people were already immune? […]

“The places they were using to hold up, they are having a big surge. I don’t want that. I don’t want that. They were holding up names of countries, and now they are saying ‘whoops’,” Trump said.  “Even New Zealand, you see what is going on in New Zealand. They beat it, they beat it. […]

In a world of conspiracy theories, complacency and ‘Coronavirus fatigue’, will people simply follow guidelines because you ask them, or do you need to coerce or even enforce compliance? Various authorities have also been sending signals, or even creating rules, that discourage compliance. Sometimes this is deliberate sabotage from outside, but more often the sabotage […]

Russia has announced it now leads the world by being first with a tested, safe and effective vaccine against Covid-19. Jokes (and there have been a few) aside, how real is this? Could this vaccine, or any other, be ready, tested, safe and effective anytime soon. Russia, The Jokes, The Reality Is a phase 3 […]

This post is on ‘the reasons for complacency’, I will cover the impact of complacency in another post. Despite governments either advising, or even requiring, adherence to a set of guidelines, people do not always comply. In the end non-compliance stems from a personal judgement that any negative outcomes from non-compliance are either overstated, or […]

In 2020, it should be possible to use technology to significantly aid with track and trace capability. However, it seems government attempts to apply technology all too often become entangled in a power struggle that results in design compromises and ultimately an inferior solution. Does government have to be this compromised? The Power Struggle: Big […]

I have previously posted how every version strategy for dealing with Covid-19 can be considered a form containment strategy. The only variation between strategies is the boundaries of containment. The following rules apply for all strategies: too many cases: increase restrictions few enough cases: reduce distancing restrictions What changes with strategy is what is considered […]

Currently (at time of writing) in Australia, life is relatively ‘covid free’. Restaurants and shops are open, sports are being played, and even without limits on crowd numbers in some states. Yes, just over 100 people have died, but the last death now seems a long time ago. Not quite the success of a star […]

The Virus Strikes Back. Around 4 weeks ago Australia ‘the lucky ‘country’ had almost stumbled to eradication of Covid-19, but and I had the feeling that the luck was in danger or running out. Now, 4 weeks later, the situation has deteriorated. That deterioration calls into question the the official ‘suppression not eradication’ strategy. This […]

The response of every state or country to to Covid-19 amounts to containment governed by: A ‘too high‘ level when cases are too high, triggering increased lockdown measures and social distancing restrictions A ‘low enough‘ level where it is considered safe to then relax lockdowns and/or social distancing restrictions What obscures that fact that all […]

The most popular phrase in addressing Covid-19 quickly became ‘flattening the curve’. I suggest the unintended consequence of this phrase has been a dangerous misunderstanding of the nature the pandemic. With containment measures often dictated by politics, this misunderstanding may lead to a huge number of unnecessary deaths. In the US, this confusion is already […]

There is a myth that 'there is always climate change', but the reality is. climate on the Earth has been remarkable stable. While Mars and Venus have changed by hundreds of degrees, yet remarkably, and despite our Sun getting 45% hotter since the planet was born, temperatures on Earth have changed very little. Understanding how Earth has maintained a relatively stable temperature, is key to understanding climate on Earth.

“The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said at the White House during a meeting with President Donald Trump. CNN: April 29th It this time remdesivir is not yet FDA approved, but it will be ‘fast-tracked’. The announcement came in a letter […]

To the left there is a graph, from a site supporting climate action, trying to put a cost on inaction. This graph has no data for prior to 2100. From the graph, the cost in 2100 will be double The cost on 2100 will be less than double the cost of inaction, and in 2200, […]

It can seem like the word is divided between those who will who will not accept any evidence of anthropogenic climate change, and those who will not will not listen any questioning of the need for action to prevent climate change. Reality is neither group is correct because no case is 100% certain.  Even the […]

If we are alone, why? If we are not alone, where is everyone? There should be well over 11 billion planets in our galaxy with a potential to host life, yet all our searches have not found anybody out there. Update: Yet we don’t have evidence all evidence so far, seems to suggest life emerging […]