tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:48:30 +0000biodiversivistcorn ethanolnuclearNissan LeafDavid RobertssolarVoxnuclear energywindelectric carnuclear powerteslaMark JacobsonRuss Finleyclimate changeelectric bikeglobal warmingrenewable energybiodieselbiodiversiisthybrid electric bicyclenuclear wasteGristJesse JenkinsLeafRFAa123biofuelcleantechnicaelectric bicycleethanolhybrid electric bikeBob WallaceMichael ShellenbergerZachary ShaHanbicyclecoal vs. nuclearpopulationrenewablesseattle100% renewableBob DinneenEnvironmental ProgressIEAJames ConcaTwitterUCSantinuclearbiodiversityelectric carsmonbiotnuclear costwind energyA2BColumbia nuclearConsumer Energy ReportGrist MagazineLazardsModel 3Robert McCulloughSeattle city councilSeattle timesbatterybicycle accidentbicycle helmetboltbrad plumercellulosiccharging nissan leafchernobylchevy boltcosta ricadogsgas worksgeorge monbiotglobal warming takes a breakgreenpeacehonda insighthummerhybrid cari Mievlizardlow carbonmatt ridleymongabaynatural gasnrelnuclear fukushimanuclear subsidyoutgreenpanasonic batteryparasitesplug-inpriusred queenrevkinsolar energysolar hot watersolar paneltesla Model stesla model xthoriumtuna787Ad Council and the USDA Forest ServiceAlice in EVland Part II; The Hall Of MirrorsAn elegy for the oceansArgentinaBMW i3BarakahBernie SandersBoeingBramble Cay MelomysBrazilBreakthrough InstituteBreederBuenos AiresCD changerCall of LifeCantwellCerradoChevy VoltChinese wildlife tradeChristopher KlugClean TechnicaClimate feedbackColumbia GeneratingColumbia Generating StationColumbia Generating StationDERDiesel GolfDiesel JettaDisarming the Food to Fuel ConflictE-15E85EIAEVangleistEastern USEdison 2EnergiewendeEnergy MattersEnergy NorthwestEsteros del IberiaF-150Food DeficitFord FocusFord PintoFred PearceFremont solstice paradeFrench nuclearGMGerman coalGilliganGot deck?Greg LandenGrowth energyGrowth energy adGulf of MexicoHanford emergencyHanford nuclearHuff PoIEA Renewable Energy Medium-Term ReportIRENAIllinois energy billInsightIvanpahJacobson TwitterJames Conca SeattleJessie JenkinsJon TaltonJulian SimonKnittelKshama SawantKulongoskiLCOELeaf BatteryLeaf test driveLennoxMITMP3Mark LarsonMark Z. JacobsonMcCulloughMcKinseyMidwest DroughtMitsubishiModel SModel XNO WAR FOR OILNPRNatureNew Belgium Tour de FatNicholas KristofNissan class action lawsuitNuScaleNuclear bankruptcyOrgegonianP-patchPBSPantanalPaolo FranklPapua New GuineaPassive battery coolingPaul ehrlichPeabodyPhysicians for Social ResponsibilityRadiationRadioactive wolvesRichlandRobert RapierSEVASUCSatsopScienceSea foodSeattle P-patchSeattle nuclearSinghSolar thin filmSouth Korea nuclearSovacoolSporadic Power Glut EffectSteve EverleySteven PinkerTemperature impact on battery lifeThe Rational OptimistThe Species AllianceThird wayTony WilliamsTwitter debateUtility of the futureV2HVEVAVolkswagenVolkswagen scandalWeatherizationWendoverWhoopsWind and SolarX PrizeYarisYouTubeabsorberadirondackadirondakalec baldwinamory lovinsanimal liberationanimal shelteranti-nuclear indoctrinationanti-nuclear indoctrination victimsantiques road showapple computerarmchair climatologistarmchair climatologistsattenboroughbaboonbaktiantorobald eaglebankruptcybat deathsbat mortalitybatsbattery recyclingbeerbefore the floodbelo montebestbuybicycle boxbicycle cambicycle camerabicycle face sheildbikebike boxbike cambike camerabike helmetbike to workbike to work weekbill nyebiodiverrsivistbiofuel mythbiofuel mythsbiofuel subsidybiomassbird deathsbird killsbird mortalityblink chargerblue carblue finblue fin tunabluecarbluefinbluefin tunabluefin tuna fukushimabook reviewbrave new climatecaldicottcaldicott nuclearcaldicott nuclear powercalico projectcarbon emissionscarbon footprintcarbon sinkcarbon taxcarbon tradingcash for clunkercash for clunkerschargepointcharging leafcharging stationcherryclackclean energyclimate cover-upclimate gateclimate solutions 2climatologistcoalcoal biodiversivist energycoal remediationcommunismcompetitive birthingconservation reserveconsumptioncool kidscooper's hawkcopenhagencorncorn lobbycorporatocracycost of nuclearcoulomb technologiescrocodilecrystalytecurtaildead zonedecarbonizedesert tortoisedinneendisqusdistributed energy resourcesdot earthdunning-krugerdysone15ebikeelectric bikeselectric scooterelectric vehicleselephant tuskelwa damemergency poweremissionsenergy debateethanol freeethanol subsidiesevangelistsextinctionextinction eventfarmerfear mongeringflex fuelfoodfood vs fuelfood vs fuel biofuel corn ethanol biodiversivist E10 super10forest firesfrackingfrogfukushimafukushima bluefin tunagag rulegarbage truckgas furnacegasoline pricesgerman energy transitionghost bikegigafactorygillisglobal coolinggolden motorsgreat hornedgreen energygreen hairgreen parrotsgreenhouse gasesgtmhelen caldicotthuffington posthummingbirdhybridhydropowerhypoxiaimperiumindianapolis 500indoctrinationindoctrination victimsindy 500inlet temperaturesinsectsinsulatedintegration costsinternet debateivory tradejapanese nuclear reactorjatrophajettajim hansenkepcolapdoglawnslead-acidleaf charging stationleaf cold weatherleaf orphanleaf rangeleaf whiskeylivestocklivestock's long shadowlngmac computermalnutritionmandatemaria cantwellmetal roofmilitary industrial complexmilitary presence in the Middle Eastmill valleymine tailingsmini nuclearmolten saltmonbiot nuclearmonbiot nuclear powermonterey baympgemutationmutualistsnational coffee daynature climate changenext big futurengnimbynissannissan leaf orphannucleanuclear energy global warmingnuclear power debate biodiversivistnuclear powerplantsnuclear safetyo ethanolobamaocean acidificationoil sandoil spilloragnutanoregon biofueloregon ethanolorphaned nissan leafoverpopulationpalm oilpanasonicpeak coffeepebble bedpenis gourdphantom loadsphotovoltaicplastic bagsplastic grocery bagsplug-in solarpogiespolice cruiserspoliticspollpop-inporrittpower outagepowerstream V2Hpro-choiceproteinpublic chargerspvcr UCSrabid foxremediationrenewablerenewable energy worldrenewable fuels associationreprocessing nuclear waste UCSresourcesrhinocerous hornrooftop solarrough-skinned newtsami groversanyoscandalsearchingerseattle bicycle boxseattle bike boxshellenbergershutterssierra clubsimonsimon holmessixth extinction eventsmaller is bettersolar invertersolar powersolar rooftopsouth koreasport utility cupstatusstellasubsidytabloidtailingstar sandtin foil hattiny green bubbletransmission coststribalismtrickle downtrickle-downtuna fukushimaunpluguranium mine tailingsv2gveganveganismvehicle to homeviolet-green swallowwaterboardwaterboardingwhack-a-molewhich is worse coal or nuclearwhite nosewildernesswind farmswind mortalityyou are not so smartCombine the neologism diversivist (similar to progressivist but defined as one who promotes diversity) with the Greek root bio to make yet another neologism and portmanteau, biodiversivist--one who promotes biodiversity.https://www.biodiversivist.com/noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-6024706160539088907Sat, 18 Sep 2021 18:03:00 +00002023-12-24T13:21:24.025-08:00biodiversivistbook reviewJulian Simonmatt ridleyPaul ehrlichThe Rational Optimist&nbsp;Photo courtesy of s.red via FlickrArticle originally published in 2011.Just how rational are we? Had the optimists not prevailed would the Titanic have sailed? I've read most of Ridley's books and have recently read my favorite, The Red Queen-Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature for the second time. I was looking forward to this book, which started out good. He spends an inordinate amounthttps://www.biodiversivist.com/2011/01/book-review-rational-optimist-how.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-4610599714061134320Sat, 14 Apr 2018 22:25:00 +00002022-10-27T09:19:27.907-07:00biodiversivistindoctrinationtribalismyou are not so smartIn a nutshell, indoctrination is all about creating an "us verses them" mindset ...to create imaginary ingroups and outgroups. Facts are irrelevant. The following podcast made it clear to me how and why indoctrination works. Go here for the transcript of a podcast titled Tribal Psychology&nbsp;on the You are Not so Smart (a celebration of self-delusion) website. I suspect that the grammatical https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/04/breaking-cycle-of-anti-nuclear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-8080654616040600569Sat, 10 Mar 2018 21:21:00 +00002018-04-15T05:51:28.376-07:00cleantechnicagtmtabloidteslav2g My old Leaf, my new Bolt, and a Tesla Model S From a comment field under a GTM article: Me: I just bought my second generation electric car because my old car battery has finally reached the point that I can't reliably do my commute without hitting a fast charger. That would have happened sooner had the utility been sharing it. Anonymous anti-nuclear indoctrination victim: Actually, no: https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/03/breaking-cycle-of-anti-nuclear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-9105152009268842113Sat, 24 Feb 2018 00:41:00 +00002018-03-11T06:29:14.981-07:00BMW i3boltModel 3tesla Tesla Model 3 I wrote an article last year titled Which Electric Car Would you buy, Bolt, 2018 Leaf, Model 3, Model S, or Model X? and received some really excellent advice in the comment field. It's decision time because I'll soon be commuting to a location just out of round-trip range of my 2011 Leaf and I don't want to hit a fast charger as part of that commute. The Tesla Model 3 https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/02/ive-decided-on-chevy-bolt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-1600217361632045465Fri, 16 Feb 2018 18:24:00 +00002018-04-15T06:06:23.184-07:00 Back in the day, Senator Bernie Sanders was using Grist Magazine to lobby against government assistance for nuclear energy on the grounds that it's a mature industry. I might agree with him if it really were a mature industry and if renewables really could carry the day without it. But it isn't, and renewables can't. Always irritates me to watch ignorant politicians screw with my children's https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/02/breaking-cycle-of-anti-nuclear_16.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-768626573476842884Thu, 15 Feb 2018 21:34:00 +00002018-04-22T15:59:25.975-07:00anti-nuclear indoctrinationcurtailinlet temperaturesIn their zeal to attack nuclear energy, the anti-nuclear crowd reached argument overkill (or one of its many synonyms) long ago. As is the case with climate skeptics, for every anti-nuclear argument put to rest, like in a game of whack-a-mole, another springs forth to replace it. Use of nuclear power is untenable because of: High water Low water NRC water temperature limits EPA water https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/02/breaking-cycle-of-anti-nuclear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-8419379753224877772Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:30:00 +00002018-04-14T16:13:17.870-07:00anti-nuclear indoctrination victimsindoctrination victims From a comment under one of my articles: &nbsp; "It's pretty obvious that tons of people have gotten duped on nuclear energy. Do you (or anyone else) have an idea why that is?" &nbsp;My reply: Start by listing all of your favorite nuclear war apocalypse science-fiction novels and movies. Conflate nuclear weapons with nuclear power stations. Terrorize the public with false claims like "https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/02/breaking-cycle-of-anti-nuclear_13.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-5479538347318737451Sun, 11 Feb 2018 16:04:00 +00002018-02-13T09:12:47.652-08:00David RobertsJessie JenkinsI highly recommend this excellent presentation by Jesse Jenkins explaining why (assuming it's possible) an 80% wind and solar grid is not likely a good idea. From a Tweet by Joris van Dorp: I first encountered this argument in an article last year by the anti-nuclear David Roberts writing for Vox. My response: Above, Dave puts a pair of sentences back-to-back to give you the impression that https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/02/breaking-cycle-of-anti-nuclear_11.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-331844549806006763Thu, 25 Jan 2018 03:33:00 +00002018-04-15T06:02:19.681-07:00mine tailingstailingsuranium mine tailings Above is a photo I took of a Toucan while I was in the Brazilian Cerrado. Not a birder, have no idea which species it is. I'm including because it brings me pleasure and as a reminder of why I blog about the environment. Below is a collection of quotes from comments under a pro-nuclear article at Grist: The "waste" problem from nuclear power isn't the "spent" fuel, it's the tailings piles https://www.biodiversivist.com/2018/01/breaking-cycle-of-anti-nuclear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-4649494242189260586Sat, 25 Nov 2017 04:44:00 +00002018-01-24T19:37:14.012-08:00biodiversivistnuclear wasteWendoverYouTube Above images from Nuclear Energy Waste--Making Mountains Out of Mole Hills The YouTube video, The Nuclear Waste Problem was published on November 21, and went viral with about half a million hits in a few days. I learned of its existence when it was presented to me as irrefutable evidence for why nuclear can't be part of the climate change solution. Technically, it's quite well done. The https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/11/peer-review-of-wendover-productions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-4448237868370014723Wed, 15 Nov 2017 21:44:00 +00002018-01-24T19:41:03.893-08:00simonTwitterMore Twitter activity from Simon. He starts by asking: nuclear twitter: does anyone have a simple LCoE for a nuclear power station? i'd love to better understand the economics. If he's an energy expert, I have to wonder why he's asking for data from strangers on Twitter. You wouldn't see the likes of James Hansen doing that for one of his many papers published in Science and elsewhere. And as https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/11/simon-holmes-court-thinks-100-renewable.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-1658736525068941285Wed, 08 Nov 2017 22:10:00 +00002018-02-11T07:08:22.978-08:00biodiversivistdecarbonizeEnvironmental ProgressMichael Shellenberger Figure 1 Environmental Progress has a new study out that I found very compelling.&nbsp; It's just raw data arranged in a manner that paints a global picture. Critics can't punch holes in it by attacking assumptions chosen because it doesn't have any. In a nutshell, it shows a strong global correlation between nuclear energy use and lower carbon intensity, but no such correlation between wind https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/11/environmental-progress-power-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-7489858189872404335Sat, 28 Oct 2017 20:10:00 +00002017-11-11T12:41:55.542-08:00biodiversivistnuclearRuss Finleysimon holmesTwitterThis post is motivated by a Tweet by Simon who very much thinks he has an open mind about nuclear energy ...like all antinuclearists, but like all antinuclearists, he really doesn't. He's like the creationist who would love to believe the theory of evolution ...if the data would only support it. Classic case of self-delusion combined with a little cognitive dissonance. His Twitter homepage introhttps://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/10/simon-holmes-court-would-support-fast.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-4591236224483208264Wed, 25 Oct 2017 00:09:00 +00002017-10-28T10:56:15.846-07:00biodiversivistinsectsmonbiotRuss Finley More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers Insectageddon: farming is more catastrophic than climate breakdown In a nutshell, no insects = no ecosystem. I recently took a trip to the Brazilian Cerrado and Pantanal. Click on this link to see photos and videos of somehttps://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/10/now-for-bad-news-75-decline-in-insect.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-5405864382727191742Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:03:00 +00002017-10-28T10:55:23.680-07:00biodiversivistkepcoRuss Finleyshellenbergersouth korea Update 10/25/2017: Moon announced that he still plans to phase out nuclear even though they will finish the two under construction, which makes no sense. Build two brand new power stations only to close them down? Call me a cynic, but he probably thought the citizen group would vote against finishing the reactors, taking the all the heat (used as scapegoats). Plan backfired, so, time will tellhttps://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/10/first-good-news-south-koreas-nuclear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-1858043287561177798Wed, 20 Sep 2017 20:47:00 +00002017-09-20T13:47:11.735-07:00 As a kid, did you ever play a game where you try to talk with someone while under water? That's what it's like to debate someone on Twitter. This page serves as a place holder for Disqus comments about Twitter comments. Twitter is great for disseminating links but was not designed for discussion or debate. Go to the comments section under this page to join in ...or just lurk.https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/09/twitter-debate-new-oxymoron.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-520678677595412642Sun, 17 Sep 2017 16:39:00 +00002017-10-18T20:25:30.905-07:00BrazilCerradoPantanal I’ll be blogging this week about my trip to the Brazilian Cerrado and Pantanal, where there is still a great deal of biodiversity left, although, how much longer it will be there, I can’t say. There’s an assortment of insects crawling across my computer screen as I type. I’ll be sticking random photos that I’ve taken while here into the posts.Click on any image to initiate a https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/09/trip-to-brazilian-cerrado-and-pantanal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-2702772063154634324Thu, 17 Aug 2017 22:50:00 +00002017-10-18T20:27:36.757-07:00100% renewablecommunismMark Jacobsonnimbytrickle downtrickle-down Figure 1: Trickle-down solar collector test rig When I first saw the paper critiquing Jacobson's 100% renewables plan (see here, here, here, and here) I thought to myself, “If he denies there are any mistakes but then makes changes, I'll know that the critiques had at least some measure of validity.” Lo and behold, after denying that there were any mistakes, he immediately made revisions to https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/08/more-thoughts-on-robustness-of-mark.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-3783304886515230547Thu, 03 Aug 2017 18:00:00 +00002017-10-18T20:28:48.055-07:00biodiversivistclimate changegreenpeaceMichael ShellenbergerRuss FinleyUCS Michael Shellenberger is going after Greenpeace in a series of articles exposing their disingenuous anti-nuclear energy activities. More power to him. Climate change isn't a global conspiracy by scientists to solicit research funding. Climate change is the result of mass global deforestation and the combustion of billions of tons of hydrocarbons that have been stored underground for https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/08/greenpeace-isnt-only-culprit-ucs-sierra.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-741889071108647904Sun, 23 Jul 2017 18:05:00 +00002017-10-18T20:29:18.945-07:00emissionsfear mongeringGilliganTwitter debate Figure 1 Emissions increase resulting from nuclear closures "Twitter debate" is an oxymoron but once in a while I go down the rabbit hole, and when others get involved, it quickly devolves into a confused muddle not too unlike Alice in Wonderland. It started when I responded to a tweet by Jonathan Gilligan: At this point, I mentioned that fear, not economic competition had https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/07/figure-1-emissions-increase-resulting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-2628935388942449205Sun, 09 Jul 2017 17:15:00 +00002018-02-14T09:02:07.214-08:00biodiversivistDavid RobertsMcKinseyrooftop solarsolar rooftopVox Figure 1 NREL Study Results David Roberts has recently published two new somewhat obtuse energy articles: Solar power is already saving lives in the US. Here's how Utilities fighting against rooftop solar are only hastening their own doom The first is a rehash of a joint 2016 Berkeley Labs and National Renewable Energy Lab study touting the benefits of solar titled The Environmental and https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/07/david-roberts-solar-saving-lives-while.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-2170845875167539980Tue, 04 Jul 2017 20:31:00 +00002017-07-24T19:47:06.326-07:00100% renewablebiodiversivistclackMark Jacobson Typical Rube Goldberg machine with its many attendant assumptions and potential failure nodes Proposed coast-to-coast&nbsp; HVDC super-grid with its many attendant assumptions and potential failure nodes Would a continent-sized super HVDC grid be a Rube Goldberg machine writ large? Back in the day, you would have been hard-pressed to find an article on the internet critical of biofuels. https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/07/the-50-nuclear-50-renewables-low-carbon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-6168750862658076137Tue, 13 Jun 2017 15:43:00 +00002017-07-03T11:51:59.960-07:00biodiversivistnrelnuclear energysolarwind Figure 1: From NREL Renewable Electricity Futures Study Very few people out there are arguing for a 100% nuclear future, and most are not arguing for a 100% renewable future. When we toss the extreme views out, the debate is over how much of what. If you bound your debate to electricity generation in 2017 in a given geographical area, say, Seattle, you get: Hydro 87.3% Nuclear 4.7% Wind 3.1https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/06/bounding-renewables-nuclear-debate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-5920413212857931431Tue, 30 May 2017 18:44:00 +00002017-06-12T12:04:07.921-07:00<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/05/do-we-have-tools-to-end-fossil-fuel-age.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3720983493149160502.post-2511383444235029625Wed, 24 May 2017 16:28:00 +00002017-05-25T19:08:48.542-07:00I recently stumbled on a comment by Amory Lovins under an article by Fred Pearce at Yale 360 called Industry Meltdown: Is the Era of Nuclear Power Coming to an End? 360 holds every comment for moderation, which tends to thwart any meaningful dialog but that's a little better than no comment field at all (VOX), and much better than CleanTechnica's method of systematically censoring comments and https://www.biodiversivist.com/2017/05/amory-lovinss-comments-on-fred-pearce.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0