Energy Aware

Lazy Thinking: How Memes Get Oil All Wrong

By Art Berman | January 21, 2025

One of the biggest misconceptions about oil is that supply is shrinking because of depletion and that reserve additions are not enough to prevent a supply shortage in the near…

Renewables Aren’t Ready for Prime Time: The LCOE Illusion and the Realities of Energy Demand

By Art Berman | December 27, 2024

Wind and solar fanboys love citing Lazard’s LCOE charts to claim renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels. But ask them to explain those charts, and the conversation ends fast. Even…

U.S. LNG: Global Power Play or Domestic Price Pain?

By Art Berman | December 23, 2024

The U.S. has enough gas for LNG exports and domestic needs, but it’ll raise consumer prices, says a new DOE report. That’s like saying you’re healthy but staying alive will…

Oil, Power, and Statecraft: The Geopolitics of Energy in a Changing World

By Art Berman | December 9, 2024

The Assad regime collapsed early Sunday following a rebel offensive that captured Damascus, ending five decades of authoritarian rule. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) insurgents, led by Mohammed al-Julani, encountered…

Rethinking Energy, Productivity, and the Illusion of Endless Growth

By Art Berman | December 2, 2024

Society worships technology and innovation as modernity’s saviors, but the evidence says otherwise. Productivity gains are better explained by increases in world oil supply than by clever humans and our…

Refining Reality: The Hidden Struggles of a World Still Dependent on Oil

By Art Berman | November 15, 2024

Refinery margins are under serious pressure in 2024, squeezed by high costs and an oversupply of refined products. Weak demand and high crude prices are the main culprits. This isn’t…

Electric Vehicles and Renewables: Misleading Solutions to a Deeper Climate Crisis

By Art Berman | September 25, 2024

If you think electric vehicles and renewable energy will solve climate change, you’re missing the bigger picture. The problem runs deeper than technology alone can fix, so keep reading. Cars…

The Energy Debate: Fanboys, Fangirls, and the Real Cost of Pollution

By Art Berman | August 7, 2024

When it comes to the debate between renewables and fossil fuels, almost everyone is a fanboy or fangirl. Inevitably, comparisons of power density, EROI, or cost among energy sources turn…

Populism: The Short Version

By Art Berman | July 21, 2024

Populism is on the rise around the world.  It disrupts established political systems, creates uncertainty, and deepens societal divisions. This fundamental crisis of governance and the social contract is Nate…

Populism: The Fourth Horseman of The Coming Decade

By Art Berman | July 19, 2024

Populism is on the rise around the world. It disrupts established political systems, creates uncertainty, and deepens societal divisions. This fundamental crisis of governance and the social contract is Nate…

Let’s Stop Arguing About An Imaginary Energy Transition

By Art Berman | July 6, 2024

How did adoption of renewable energy become the drug of choice to treat the disease of climate change? No one knows. Wind and solar energy policies evolved over several decades…

Metacrisis: Getting Honest About the Human Predicament

By Art Berman | June 23, 2024

The world is in metacrisis. That means that many crises are occurring simultaneously and affecting one another. This calls for rethinking the nature of problem-solving. Root causes should be identified…