by Panos Prevedouros I quote below a summary by Robert W. Poole, Jr., Director of Transportation Studies, Reason Foundation that he originally titled What’s Wrong with Electric Cars? ================================================= Several years ago in this newsletter (prior to the debut of the Chevy Volt), I celebrated the vision of a future of zero-tailpipe emission cars, powered by breakthrough battery technology. Articles on advanced...
Sustainable Development is an Oxymoron
by Panos Prevedouros On March 2, 1972, a team of experts from MIT presented a groundbreaking report called The Limits to Growth. Read more in the Smithsonian Magazine. More recently, Australian physicist Graham Turner of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems shows how actual data from 1970 to 2000 almost exactly matches predictions set forth in the “business-as-usual” scenario presented in The Limits to Growth.Looking at the thick line updates of...
Hawaii Jobs: Outlook for Jobs in Education, Government, Military and Tourism
by Panos Prevedouros There are basically four main industries in Hawaii: Education, Government, Military and Tourism. And a fifth large one serving these four is Services. In round numbers, education (DOE, UH system and private) employed 63,000 people in 2010, civilian federal, state and county government employed 77,000 people, the hospitality industry including entertainment, restaurants and bars employed 90,000 people, the armed forces...
Honolulu Rail: Designed to Fail
by Panos Prevedouros Randal O’Toole, economist and author of several books on transportation and urban planning was in Honolulu last week where he spoke on two distinguished panels in Kapolei and in Honolulu. He summarized his opinion about Honolulu’s rail in this eye-opening Designed to Fail article. A few highlights: Honolulu rail … will have the high costs of heavy rail and the capacity limits of light rail. Honolulu rail...
Jobs: Fundamental Trends – 2000 to 2050. How Did We Get Here and What’s in Store?
by Panos Prevedouros There are three fundamental trends at play in this half century: Aging of both population and infrastructure; Advanced economies cannot absorb unskilled and low skilled laborers; and, Too many crises in one decade took our eye off the ball. The first trend affects the US more than other nations. Baby-boomers have started reaching the age of retirement and the age when health maintenance expenses increase. As a result many...