energy
Significant Figures by Peter Gleick
Tag archives for energy
On the back of an envelope: Brush your teeth, but turn the water off
Posted by Peter Gleick on February 21, 2013 The Pacific Institute has done extensive and groundbreaking research over the past 25 years on a wide range of water, climate, energy, and environmental issues. One focus has been on how to use water more efficiently to do the things we want to do – a focus on “efficiency” and “productivity” – not deprivation. Society could…
Accuracy, precision, and significance: The misery of cholera
Posted by Peter Gleick on February 13, 2013 We’re bombarded with numbers every day. But seeing a number and understanding it are two different things. Far too often, the true “significance” of a figure is hidden, unknown, or misjudged. I will be returning to that theme often in these blog posts in the context of water, climate change, energy, and more. In particular,…
Welcome to “Significant Figures”
Posted by Peter Gleick on February 8, 2013 Welcome to the first post in my new National Geographic ScienceBlogs column “Significant Figures.” I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you on a wide range of environmental science-related issues, data, and people, and to a productive and constructive interaction. My background? I’m an environmental scientist by training and inclination, with experience in engineering,…