The Economist questions organic farming: But as global food prices soar, hurting the poor in particular, environmentalists may find organic farming trickier to promote. Organic farming produces far less than conventional intensive methods, and so more land must be farmed for the same yield.
This hardly seems sustainable (“tankers” in this case contain water): Every day for the next six months two tankers will leave the port of Elefsina near Athens, bound for Cyprus. After four years with no substantial winter rainfall, Cypriot water reserves are at their lowest since 1908. h/t Adam in the comments
The decline in the price of diesel has continued for the fifth consecutive week, according to EIA.
“Reality is a sandwich I did not order.” – Zippy and Zerbina
Nate Silver, a statistcis guy better known for his baseball work, has turned his skills to the world of politics. (h/t Dan McKay, who is also the one who turned me on to Silver’s baseball stuff)
New Mexico politics quote of the week: I can honestly say I think I would recall being cited for urinating in a bush. And I don’t think I would urinate in a bush at a police station. Jerome Block, in today’s Journal
So you’re in a product marketing meeting for a major toy company that’s developing an Indiana Jones Special Edition Mr. Potato Head. And you are pure inspiration: “Why not call it `Taters of the Lost Ark’?” A product cycle later, you walk into your local K-Mart, and there it is. How cool would that be, …
Everyone seems to agree that renewing the current federal renewable energy tax credits is a good idea. So why isn’t it happening? My colleague Mike Coleman in this morning’s Journal: Virtually every member of Congress claims to support extending tax credits to the fledgling wind and solar industries. But despite a half-dozen chances and a …
Matt Wald has a story in this morning’s New York Times that illustrates what increasingly seems like the core issue associated with the energy transformation now underway. Wald writes about a rapid rise in demand for Amtrak train tickets, which is turning out to be more cost-effective ways to get around. Market forces may have …
The Economist, in this week’s edition, has a remarkably optimistic take on the global energy picture: Wind power is taking on natural gas, which has risen in price in sympathy with oil. Wind is closing in on the price of coal, as well. Solar energy is a few years behind, but the most modern systems …