Research Paper “On the Threshold to a New Energy Age” and Survey Results
http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2010/02/06/survey-results/
As part of the research for my research paper “On the Threshold to a New Energy Age“, I conducted a survey in order to find out how “prepared” people are for the transition to a new age of energy generation and use as well as to gather opinions on current trends in energy issues.
In the coming days I will publish the results of the question-by-question analysis. The questionnaire contained 14 questions. 73 people took part in my survey. More than three quarters of participants came from the United States. I interviewed the remaining quarter in Japan, Singapore, Germany and Portugal.
All questionnaires had been distributed and returned between April 2009 and September 2009.
You can find the survey results on the Main Menu page “Energy Survey”:
http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/energy-survey/
Check out the ‘RP: New Energy Age’ Category for the downloadable version of my 50-page research paper and further commentary on the survey results:
http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/category/rp-new-energy-age/
Filed under Auto Industry & Electric Cars, Economy, energy, Environment, Global Issues
The Pace of Globalization
Series: “The Pace of Globalization” by Maximilian Staedtler
The Pace of Globalization I
The pace of globalization is increasing. And that is good for all of us. Today, we are more inter-connected than at any other date in history. More people communicate, collaborate and compete with each other than ever before.
Globalization is the driving force behind the progress of the human race. Globalization brings peace and prosperity. Globalization is spreading smart ideas at the speed of light and pushing innovations forward. Due to globalization, authoritarian regimes around the world feel pressure to abide by the rules of the international community. The most pressing issues of our time, i.e. overpopulation, resource scarcity (water, food, oil) and climate change, demand a global solution. No country in the world is powerful enough to solve any of these problems on its own. A lack of cooperation between nations in different parts of the world makes measures implemented by one country useless. A great example that demonstrates how prone to failure one-sided attempts are is the climate policy of the European Union. By forcing up prices for emitting carbon dioxide in Europe, the EU might achieve a reduction in European CO2 emissions by lowering demand for fossil fuels, but this has zero effect on global CO2 emissions. Lower demand for oil in Europe for instance achieved through artificially high prices in the EU, is decreasing the pace at which international oil prices would increase otherwise, therefore allowing the rest of the world to consume more (and emit more CO2 emissions) at a lower price. The bottom line is that European efforts to reduce carbon emissions only reduce the pressure on emerging economies to become more efficient and consume less oil. This is what German economist Hans-Werner Sinn calls the “Green Paradox”. (For more on the Green Paradox: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_paradox )
The Pace of Globalization II
In his bestselling book “The World is Flat”, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman – one of my favorite authors – analyzes globalization and divides it into three eras:
continued on www.whatmattersweblog.com
Filed under Global Issues
The Fall of the Berlin Wall, Saudi Arabian Oil and the Role of November 9th in German History
Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Do you want to know what roles the U.S. and Saudi Arabian oil played in the collapse of the Soviet Union?
Learn more about this highly interesting story and the the important events that happened on November 9th in Germany during the 20th century.
11/9: turning points
http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2009/11/09/119-turning-points/
Filed under Politics
Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City
This video features photos from my trip to the U.S. in summer 2009:
In mid-July I spent one week in Barcelona, Spain, before I headed to Washington D.C. and New York City for a two-week conference. During the conference I visited several international institutions such as the Worldbank in D.C. and the United Nations headquarters in New York, as well as the U.S. State Department, the Saudi Arabian embassy and American University amongst others. After the conference I stayed in NYC for two and a half more weeks before heading to Hawaii in mid-August where I spent one month. Before returning home I made brief stops in San Francisco and New York.
check out my new blog: www.whatmattersweblog.com
Filed under Politics
debt, oil and renewables [by Maximilian Staedtler]
download U.S. debt chart: http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/us-gross-debt-1910-2010.pdf
In recent years, the U.S. turned to cash-rich China to finance its enormous budget deficit. Few believe that China made a good investment. And yet, China keeps lending money to America for one simple reason: if it refused to do so, the U.S. dollar would nosedive and wipe out the value of Chinese currency reserves. Moreover, the U.S. consumer is vital to China’s economic growth. Therefore, China will continue to lend America billions of dollars until the Chinese consumer is ready to step in and drive domestic consumption. But that will take quite some time. The Chinese have the world’s highest personal savings rate and this won’t change unless the Chinese government manages to establish a reliable social security and insurance system.
Category Energy:
IEA: Oil supply crunch and mega-recession by 2013
Other Categories:
The Post-American World, China and the global economy
Singapore determined to master the storm
GM and Hummer go separate ways…
GM China: the crown jewel in General Motor’s global operations
reports from Singapore, Japan, New York City and Hawaii:
http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/category/singapore/
the next oil price spike is ahead…
from my new blog:
and again, oil prices are heading up…. updated oil price chart (WHAT MATTERS WEBLOG)
Filed under Economy
General Motors goes electric in India
Yes, GM is teaming up with Indian electric car maker REVA to produce an electric version of the Chevrolet Spark for the Indian market.
Read more on my new blog:
http://www.whatmattersweblog.com/2009/10/05/gm-goes-electric-in-india/
Filed under Uncategorized
Hollywood’s Backyard
Filed under Uncategorized