As the U.S. and global oil industry continues to disintegrate under the weight of increased debt and the Falling EROI – Energy Returned On Investment, analysts are still suggesting that solar and wind power are the solution to our energy problems.

While there are many good reasons solar and wind can’t provide us with the necessary energy needs in the future, the most import one is that it takes the burning of a massive amount of coal, natural gas, and oil to manufacture renewable energy sources.

When Bali’s Mount Agung started rumbling last September, authorities on the Indonesian resort island — mindful of the destruction the 3,000-meter volcano had caused in 1963 — began warning residents to evacuate. Tremors of varying intensity continued until Nov. 21, when it finally began to erupt, forcing as many as 140,000 people to seek refuge. More than four months later, it still hasn’t stopped.

Concerning global sea level rise, Professor Ole Humlum believes the planet will see only “8-15 cm rise by the year 2100”. And though most scientists agree man is warming the planet through CO2 emissions by burning fossil fuels, Prof. Humlum wrote that the figure for CO2 climate sensitivity is completely in dispute.

SPOTLIGHT: As the influence of religion has waned, we’ve placed science on a pedestal – mistaking it for an oracle of truth.

BIG PICTURE: Richard Harris has written a startling book about the state of medical research. The preface to Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions includes a warning about scientific naivety:

New study in the Journal of Physics, using a Hydide Earth model (HE) predicts production of gases at high depths. Considered factors were geoneutrino fluxes, temperature profiles of super deep boreholes and experimentally observed increase of the ocean temperature. [1]

Judd Legum is an editor for the Center for American Progress, where he oversees their “Climate Progress” blog.  Over the years, in his role as editor, he oversaw or wrote some 160+ articles about me on their pages, misrepresenting my research and political views.

Image copyright ESA/NASA

Thunderstorms are some of the most spectacular events in nature, yet what we can see from the surface of our planet is only the beginning. There are bizarre goings on in Earth’s upper atmosphere, and a new mission aims to learn more about them.

Launched to the International Space Station on Monday, the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM) will observe the strange electrical phenomena that occur above thunderstorms.

This image is packed full of galaxies! A keen eye can spot exquisite elliptical galaxies and spectacular spirals, seen at various orientations: edge-on with the plane of the galaxy visible, face-on to show off magnificent spiral arms, and everything in between.

More than £100 million was paid out to energy firms that own wind farms last year to switch off their turbines and stop producing electricity, according to new research.

According to analysis of official figures, the wind farms generate an average of 40{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} more funds when their turbines are turned off than when they are running.

OSU marine ecologist receives prestigious National Science Board award

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The National Science Board is honoring Oregon State University marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco with its 2018 Vannevar Bush Award.

The award recognizes “exceptional lifelong leaders in science and technology who have made substantial contributions to the welfare of the nation through public service in science, technology, and public policy.”

At the same time, hundreds of feet inland and deep underwater where even remote-controlled submersibles cannot venture, the warming ocean is also chipping away huge swaths of Antarctica’s frosty underbelly. According to a new study published yesterday (April 2) in the journal Nature Geoscience, ice is receding deep below eight of Antarctica’s largest glaciers at an alarming rate — roughly five times faster than it should be. If this marine ice recession continues, it could lead to a total collapse of the world’s largest ice sheet, the study found. [Images of Melt: Earth’s Vanishing Ice]

“Our study provides clear evidence that retreat is happening across the ice sheet due to ocean melting at its base,”