Chris Rhodes |
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Author
Biography: Chris Rhodes. www.fresh-lands.comProfessor Chris Rhodes is a writer, speaker and researcher who became involved with environmental issues while working in Russia during the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. He studied chemistry at Sussex University, earning both a B.Sc and a Doctoral degree (D.Phil.); rising to become the youngest professor of physical chemistry in the U.K. at the age of 34. A prolific author, Chris has published more than 400 research and popular science articles (some in international newspapers, e.g. The Independent and The Daily Telegraph) along with two books, "Toxicology of the Human Environment" (Taylor and Francis, 2000) and "Radicals on Surfaces" (Kluwer, 1995). His first novel, "University Shambles" was published in April 2009 (Melrose Books) http://universityshambles.com. His first children's picture book was published in 2011 (Brushytail Books), http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hippy-Happy-Hippopotamus-Christopher-Rhodes/dp/1908186003. Chris is also an acknowledged poet, and a collection of his poetry "Fresh-Lands", for which he was awarded a merit-based scholarship grant from the US-based "Cole Foundation for the Arts", is included in a recent anthology: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Bakers-Dozen-Foundation-Collection/dp/1449097480 He writes a blog ("Energy Balance") http://ergobalance.blogspot.com, discussing contemporary and future energy and environmental issues, http://ergobalance.blogspot.com which has garnered a strong and growing international readership, and on the strength of it he gave a recent invited lecture tour of the United States. He writes a regular column at http://scitizen.com and his work has been featured on: Forbes, Oil Price, the Oil Drum, Energy Bulletin, The Economist, Energy Insights, Peak Oil News, and numerous other sites. He is an Editor of the journal, Science Progress. He has given a variety of interviews to the media, both in Europe and in the U.S., on radio and on television, in connection with environmental issues, including on BBC Radio 4's "Material World", and he is a registered "Media Expert." Latest invitations include a series of international "Cafe' Scientifique" lectures regarding the impending depletion of world oil. He is a frequently invited speaker at universities, conferences and public venues across the world. In 2003, he formally left academic life to pursue his consulting firm ("Fresh-Lands Environmental Actions") which works toward improving environmental conditions both in Europe and in countries of the former U.S.S.R., such as the Republic of Armenia. Chris has received various honours, including being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1996) and President of the Royal Society of Chemistry ESR Group (1996). He was awarded a Higher Doctorate (D.Sc) by the University of Sussex (2003), and elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (2012). He is a Vice-President of The St. Paul's Trust Centre (a Liverpool based, Christian charity for disadvantaged young people), a member of the Society of Authors, and a member of the Royal Society of Literature. He was elected Chair of Transition Town Reading (2014) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (2016). |
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Contributions |
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“Peak Oil” is Nonsense… Because There’s Enough Gas to Last 250 Years.12 Dec, 2012 05:46 pm By confusing a reserve and a resource, and ignoring the energy requirements for extracting unconventional gas and oil, e.g... | ||
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Threat of Population Surge to "10 Billion" Espoused in London Theatre.5 Sep, 2012 01:34 pm In a lecture given at the Royal Court Theatre in London, Professor Stephen Emmott gave a chilling account of what will happen to the Earth and its resources... | ||
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Current Commentary: Energy from Nuclear Fusion – Realities, Prospects and Fantasies?5 Sep, 2012 01:27 pm Recent reports of the Energy Catalyzer or E-cat device raise again the spectre of cold fusion, amid excoriating reactions from mainstream scientists,... | ||
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Shaky Foundations for Offshore Wind Farms14 Feb, 2012 10:00 am Offshore wind farms are far more difficult and expensive than developing on-shore wind power. If the UK is serious about providing 25% of its electricity... | ||
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Global Warming is No Threat?14 Feb, 2012 09:56 am A group of 16 eminent scientists has written a letter to The Wall Street Journal arguing that climate change is no imminent threat,... | ||
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Transition Town, Reading,18 Nov, 2011 09:54 am The Transition Town movement has spread across the United Kingdom and there is one based in Reading, in the south east of England... | ||
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The 10 Commandments – Guidelines to Surviving in a Post Peak Oil World4 Oct, 2011 02:56 pm The transformation to a lower-energy lifestyle is essential and complex in the face of peak-oil. Here are a few suggestions of some of the more immediate... | ||
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EU Set to Stockpile Rare Earth Elements (REEs).13 Sep, 2011 03:23 pm In order to address the shortfall in REEs for vital renewable energy projects caused by China's restriction of them onto the world markets for its own... | ||
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Dr Richard Pike (1950-2011) and Peak Oil.9 Sep, 2011 09:33 am Dr Richard Pike, former CEO of the Royal Society of Chemistry, has died of cancer. He had worked for B.P. and in his opinion there was maybe twice as much... | ||
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Natural Limits to World Wind Energy?20 Jul, 2011 10:39 am From a thermodynamic analysis, it is estimated that the amount of energy available in the Earth system to be extracted by wind-turbines is limited at 18... | ||
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Fracking Does Contaminate Groundwater With Methane, But Jury Still Out On Process Overall13 May, 2011 12:15 am A study by Duke University has shown unsafe levels of methane gas in water taken from wells closer than 1000 m to gas-shale hydraulic fracturing ("fracking")... | ||
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"Electric Cars Should be Called Coal Cars": The Heretic.13 Apr, 2011 10:24 am Even if we could make enough electric cars fast enough to curb our oil consumption significantly, the provision of green electricity for them remains a... | ||
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Rare Earth Elements and Thorium Power.22 Mar, 2011 04:08 pm Thorium is present in the ores of rare earth elements rendering the processing-waste radioactive. Rather than burying it underground in concrete thorium... | ||
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Endangered Elements: Threat to Green Energy.8 Feb, 2011 11:00 am Demand for rare earth elements (REEs) is projected to exceed current supply, 97% of which comes from China. Since neodymium and dysprosium are needed for... | ||
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British Power is all Wind.14 Nov, 2010 08:37 pm Despite the opening of the new Thanet wind-farm in the English Channel, the present rate of development of wind-power indicates that Britain will struggle... | ||
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Australia Plans to be Carbon-Neutral by 2020.25 Aug, 2010 10:48 pm By means of a huge new installation of concentrating solar thermal (CST) and wind-power and the electrification of its transportation infrastructure,... | ||
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Blame Big Bad B.P. For Now, but Where Is the Next Oil to Come From?22 Jun, 2010 09:32 am The Deepwater Horizon oil-spill is an unquestionable tragedy, but if there is any defining message to be drawn from it, it is that the age of cheap,... | ||
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Report Says, Algal Biofuels May Not Cut Carbon Emissions, but Read it More Closely.8 Apr, 2010 09:48 am According to a life-cycle analysis, growing algae to make biofuels is overall worse in terms of carbon-emissions than growing land-based crops like corn... | ||
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North Sea Oil and Gas may Provide One Third of Britain's Energy by 2020.3 Mar, 2010 10:11 pm The North Sea could still be providing one third of Britain's energy by 2020, but only if there is serious investment made and soon. | ||
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Venezuela May Yield Twice as Much Oil as was Thought.25 Jan, 2010 04:23 pm The Orinoco oil sands belt in Venezuela may yield 513 billion barrels of oil, or more than twice as much as was previously reckoned... | ||
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Carbon Particles a Factor in Climate Change?2 Dec, 2009 08:15 am Black carbon particles from burning oil-based fuels and biomass, particularly in developing countries, are not only a health-hazard but may also contribute... | ||
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Go Nuclear to Avert Climate Change2 Nov, 2009 02:58 pm It is proposed by the U.K. government's chief scientific advisor that we should go for nuclear to avert climate change but time and uranium supplies are... | ||
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Regenerative Agriculture: The Transition.11 Sep, 2009 08:30 am In the face of peak oil and in order to curb carbon emissions, methods of farming that depend less on oil and natural gas, respectively to run machinery... | ||
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Can Mushrooms Save the World?30 Jul, 2009 07:08 pm Mycelium may offer a natural source of insecticides, antivirals, biological filters, ethanol fuel from cellulose, the means to clean land contaminated... | ||
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Quantum Dots and Ultra-efficient Solar Cells?1 Jun, 2009 10:43 am Quantum dots - nanocrystalline particles - offer unique advantages in terms of photovoltaic efficiency, resitance to radiation and light payload in fabricated... | ||
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Governments Must Cooperate for "Power-Down" as Oil Runs Out27 Apr, 2009 08:33 am Oil production is expected to fall by around 3% per year, beyond the oil peak. To avert catastrophe, oil-producing nations must agree to reduce their production... | ||
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Peak Oil... Demand for it, that is1 Apr, 2009 02:15 pm It is demand for oil that may peak as governments adapt to the problems of global warming, security of supply and an amplitude of market volatility that... | ||
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Norwegian Power10 Mar, 2009 06:40 pm On the simple R/P ratio basis Britain has 6 years worth and Norway 9 years worth of North Sea oil. Norway does however have plenty of gas left,... | ||
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Thinking Positive - Carbon Capture.9 Feb, 2009 07:59 pm In principle carbon capture using regenerative agriculture, ocean seeding/phytoplankton growth, biochar and algae production, coupled with societal relocalisation... | ||
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Gap Oil21 Jan, 2009 04:52 pm It is Gap Oil not Peak Oil that is the problem. Rising demand for oil will exceed the quantity of it that can be withdrawn from the earth,... | ||
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A Recent History of Oil Prices.28 Dec, 2008 01:39 pm The price of oil has oscillated from an all-time hike of almost $150 a barrel to a low of $30, hand in hand with the credit-crunch and the inextricable... | ||
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Yucca Mountain: Natural Zeolite to Prevent Nuclear Leakage.4 Dec, 2008 09:24 pm The long term security of the Yucca Mountain storage facility for nuclear waste will depend on a complex interplay between human engineering and natural... | ||
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Oil Production Falls by Nine Percent; Civilization Ends.6 Nov, 2008 11:34 am In the absence of new investment to increase oil production, oil output is set to decrease by 9.1% per annum. This is the conclusion of a report by the... | ||
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Biochar.... a Miracle to Save the Planet?14 Oct, 2008 10:55 am Biochar is a kind of charcoal, produced by the low temperature carbonization of biomass. During the pyrolysis process other materials are produced,... | ||
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METALS SHORTAGES.16 Sep, 2008 11:04 am It is not only an impending gap in demand and supply of oil that imposes upon the conservation of human civilization, the pressing and imminent depletion... | ||
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Confusion over Media Report of M.I.T. "Solar Revolution" Claim?28 Aug, 2008 03:44 pm Reports of a new discovery, by a team of MIT researchers, in the popular media are confusing, claiming that a magic "catalyst" has been discovered that... | ||
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Oil Net Trawls Arctic.28 Jul, 2008 04:13 pm While the latest geological surveys indicate there may lie one fifth of the world's unrecovered gas and oil under the Arctic-ice,... | ||
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Oil Shortage a Myth30 Jun, 2008 10:42 am I submitted the following letter to The Independent, in response to an article entitled as above. There is an essential difference between the total volume... | ||
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World Lithium Supplies and Electric Vehicles.3 Jun, 2008 10:58 am In the potential conversion of the world's road fleet from oil-based fuel to electric or PHEV type transport, it is not the amount of lithium in total... | ||
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Saudi to Keep Oil for Itself.6 May, 2008 06:43 pm King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has commanded that some recent finds of crude oil be left untapped to preserve the nation's oil-wealth for future generations... | ||
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Digging Diesel9 Apr, 2008 02:01 pm Coal may appear as a vast and alternative carbon-resource in the face of escalating conventional crude oil prices, but implementing the technology to make... | ||
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UK May Struggle to Meet Electricity Demands4 Mar, 2008 09:59 am A gap between demand and supply for electricity may strike the UK within 5 - 7 years, coinciding with the likely arrival of peak oil... | ||
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Permaculture: = Permanent Oil-Dearth Culture1 Feb, 2008 05:17 pm Permaculture is both a strategy and a philosophy which may help us to re-adapt our societies in order to survive as a collective of small communities... | ||
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Renewables-Based Technology.4 Jan, 2008 12:25 pm Making hydrogen from sugar is not feasible on any sensible scale, since to do so would require using the world's arable land in competition with food production... | ||
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Seeding the Ocean: a Discredited Strategy10 Dec, 2007 10:51 am New research indicates that the putative strategy of "seeding" the oceans with iron filings and other nutrients in an effort to cause blooms of phytoplankton... | ||
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Hubbert Peak Oil5 Nov, 2007 10:05 am The price of oil has risen to almost $100 a barrel - a figure unthinkable from almost one fifth of that five years ago. Whatever economic reasons may be... | ||
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Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV).5 Oct, 2007 05:40 pm Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is a version of photovoltaic (PV) technology which can be incorporated into the the roofs and walls of both commercial... | ||
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Swiss Geothermal Energy Project Causes earthquakes.12 Sep, 2007 12:16 pm The Swiss Deep Heat Mining Project, located near Basel and which involves injecting water under pressure in quantity into three mile deep boreholes,... | ||
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Laser-Fusion: Techno-fix to World Energy Crisis?22 Aug, 2007 12:17 pm A huge laser is to be constructed at a cost of half a billion Euros in a project rated as "priority" by the European Union and named HiPER... | ||
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World Oil Supply May Fail Within 5 Years.25 Jul, 2007 07:14 pm Oil prices look set to skyrocket during the next five years, which coincides with peak-oil, the point of maximum global oil production beyond which an... | ||
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Vast Oil and Life in the Deep-Earth.5 Jul, 2007 11:54 am Two books speculate that oil is formed continually within the earth by geological processes and will not therefore run-out,... | ||
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