Recent content by ralfy

Behind the Numbers on Energy Return on Investment

I am referring to drugs in general.

For your first point, what you have are not "capitalist rules" but the absence of such, as the patent holder has no say on the matter, and what you call the "anticapitalist" government allows anyone capable of manufacturing the drug to do so. Given such a circumstance, there is less incentive...

The Federal Reserve is essentially a private consortium of Wall Street banks, which with robber barons have been controlling the U.S. economy for more than a century. Given that, one cannot argue that it is an enemy of the U.S. Rather, it controls the U.S. economy. The problem is that Trump's...

If prosperity cannot be maintained given limits to growth, then religion may return, but not in the way most imagine.

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The issue may also be seen in light of population aging.

I got the info from another forum, i.e., something like a 22-pct average in regular religious service attendance in industrialized countries and around 40 pct in developing ones, with declines starting during the early 1960s. I can't find the article that I read a few months back about mega...

From what I know, Church attendance, etc., has been going down steadily since the 1960s, and more so in places where prosperity is growing. The catch is that prosperity is ultimately based on availability of energy and material resources, and that in turn is affected by limits to growth.

Also, check out "Why EROI Matters". One reason why energy returns for renewable energy are low is because oil is needed (as fuel and petrochemicals) for mining, manufacturing, and shipping of various components for renewable energy as well as for infrastructure (from road networks to electric...

The second sentence of your message refers to the need for "capitalist rules" but the third sentence argues that we don't need them.

Vietnam could have gained that without the war and two million deaths. Also, it learned from China, which started during the late 1980s. Finally, the difference is that in these countries the Communist Party is still in control while in the U.S. political parties work for Wall Street...

If climatologists and geologists are right, then tipping points for irreversible effects of climate change and limits to growth are close. In order to avoid them, those in the middle class will have to not only avoid products ranging from disposable utensils to condoms but cut down their...

For petrochemicals in general, they are used for fertilizer, implants such as heart valves, stormwater barriers, household and industrial cleaning agents, refrigerants, artificial joints, much of pharmaceuticals, emergency gear, ink, gels, medical equipment (including syringes and tubing)...

According to the EIA, shale oil won't last because it has low energy returns. That's why the industry had to incur significant levels of debt, burn through cash flows, lay off thousands of personnel, and sell off assets to deal with low oil prices. KSA will follow given higher water cuts in Ghawar.