admin answers:

Oil companies would not willingly work toward research renewable energy, because once a low cost solutions are made available they would be out of work, even we enact a law require them do it, they would find ways to work around it, remember the low efficiency wind power turbines? That was a total waste of money.

It’ll be more efficient to tax oil companies heavily, drive the price of oil up. Once oil is very expansive (like now), investors will begin looking into developing renewable energy. Because the investors are putting their OWN money in, the projects will be better monitored, more efficient. Also, when oil price is high, consumers are more willing to switch, demand for renewable energy will be up, driving price up, supply will naturally move up.

Alas the world will be saved by capitalism

admin answers:

Hey T M Good Question.

Have a look at [Link 1] I think it will help flesh out your project.

Focusing in on the population curve: have you wondered why it’s shown to flatten out (sigmoid growth)? And more importantly do you believe that it will simply flatten out? [Link 2 & 3]

I think we’re in for a bit of boom and bust regards global population levels. Declining fertility rates (not contraception) and lack of access to basic requirements (clean food and water) will eventually mean that the population will reach equilibrium – a starvation equilibrium. But declinig natural resources, shifting enironmental conditions, competition for scarsening resources and habitable areas (leading to wars – and we’ve seen that in Iraq already) combined with the environmental impact of global warming; put all this together and I recon we’re headed for a population crash.

Best wishes LT

PS: Making statements that could possibly be construded as acknowledging the bleeding obvious, namely that we are trashing the planet big time and that we are, for example responsible for global warming – is a rather contentious area and as you have seen with at least one respondent, likely to lead to a ‘naysyaer’ back lash. Don’t be put off – you’re spot on with your observations – and remember the debate on environmental issue has now moved on – the debate is OVER, we are screwing up the environment and behaving irresponsibly, that’s now the offical position. However, for some people no matter how much evidence is brought forward, no matter how bad the weather gets or how many species go extinct, no matter how many people starve to death or are displaced from their homes due to rising sea levels or drought or other climatic changes, they’ll never believe that it’s us to blame – that’s because they have alterior motives (namely vested self interest, greed and/or stupidity) which are over riding their morals (assuming they have any) and common sense (again assuming they have any).

admin answers:

To some extent, WE THE PEOPLE are demanding it.
Given that we demand cars that accelerate 0 – 60 in a few seconds and
also SUVs that can carry the whole tribe + camping gear and still cruse
at 80 … We demand JET AIRLINE transport that makes possible
breakfast in L.A. And dinner in Miami on the same day.
We demand ever faster computer toys & ever larger HD TVs
( TV = Propaganda machine ) anyhow …

WE all know that consumerism is NOT sustainable, however
every “black Friday” there is a stampede to get into the mall and buy stuff!
Little plastic things & all sorts of crap! The modern world is overloaded!

The levels of consumption are appalling and nobody is backing down from their
level of consumption …. I got MINE & I’m hanging on to it, everybody else can
cut-back!

Its a sick sad world!

admin answers:

Nothing.

You might look at experimenting with Piezo technology- the technology of your microwave pressure transducer beeper, and more often stereo tweeters.

It is a family of compounds that compress or expand depending on alloy, and they will produce current when stressed as well- which is how your digital point of purchase scales work. (accelerometers)