nsawaya
Defunct chemical elements
It’s fascinating to learn of what was previously accepted but no longer is. We used to think the world was flat, and we used to think...
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NICOLAS P. D. SAWAYA
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nsawaya
- Sep 2, 2023
- 4 min
What I wish I knew as a young scientist
Studying science is different from doing original science. The skillset for getting good grades in undergraduate math/sciences classes...
nsawaya
- Mar 20, 2023
- 4 min
Computational chemistry/materials: Two separate challenges
Computer simulations are an indelible part of modern engineering and science. Take for instance the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in...
nsawaya
- Jan 7, 2023
- 4 min
Working with fossil fuel companies is uniquely unethical
All views here are my personal views, not necessarily the view of any employers, past or present. (A quick reminder: The human suffering...
nsawaya
- Feb 5, 2022
- 3 min
Olympic boycotts: Yes to athletes’ rights, but that’s not the point
The Winter Olympics in Beijing have begun, but not without controversy. Late last year the US, the UK, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, and...
nsawaya
- Dec 13, 2021
- 3 min
On GHG emissions from China and India
With COP26 having just ended, there remains the ever-present question of whether it is “fair” for countries like China and India to be...
nsawaya
- Oct 10, 2021
- 3 min
Review of Yergin's "The New Map"
Daniel Yergin is supposed to be required reading for everyone interested in energy. This specialist has made a name for himself not just...
nsawaya
- Aug 8, 2021
- 3 min
We’re not running out of fossil fuels
It’s not uncommon, in scientific talks that have some vague relevance to climate change, for the speaker to say something like, “we need...
nsawaya
- Jun 1, 2021
- 5 min
New status quo in climate policy
In climate change policy discussions, for years there has been debate about which types of regulations should be used to reduce...
nsawaya
- Apr 19, 2021
- 3 min
Poisoned sandwiches and energy
Imagine that you eat a sandwich for every meal. But there’s poison in the sandwich. A decent amount. Let’s say the LD50 of this poison is...
nsawaya
- Feb 19, 2021
- 6 min
The climate denial plague will return
As the pandemic was shutting down California and other states last March, I ordered copies of The Plague by Albert Camus and Love in the...
nsawaya
- Dec 20, 2020
- 4 min
Plastics and recycling are not urgent climate priorities
When climate change comes up in conversation, something curious often happens. After the topic is broached someone will state that they...
nsawaya
- Nov 2, 2020
- 4 min
Give me the dials: The Social Dilemma.
I just watched The Social Dilemma, the documentary about social media companies. The film discusses the negative effects of these media...
nsawaya
- Sep 21, 2020
- 3 min
A new conversational norm
I often see political discussions break down into dishonest disbelief. “How could you possibly think that?” a person says. I call it...
nsawaya
- Jun 28, 2020
- 4 min
Review: We Are the Weather by J.S. Foer
On a positive note, We Are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer contains some of the best climate-related prose I’ve read. There is...
nsawaya
- May 11, 2020
- 5 min
Programming In Quantum
I'm unsatisfied with most general interest articles about quantum computation. Even those geared towards physicists and other scientists,...
nsawaya
- Mar 21, 2020
- 4 min
COVID-19 Is Irrelevant for Emissions
This week all counties in the San Francisco bay, where I live, declared that residents should “shelter in place” because of the...
nsawaya
- Feb 1, 2020
- 5 min
Climate debt and multiplier effects
I was recently asked for my opinion on the do-gooder startup Nori: is it a reasonable way to erase a person’s contribution to climate...
nsawaya
- Dec 14, 2019
- 3 min
Emissions: Where to begin?
The largest source of my aggravation in the climate change fight, these days, is not climate denial. Factually, yea, climate denial is...
nsawaya
- Oct 21, 2019
- 5 min
Choosing Climate Change Strategies
Climate change is a terrifying prospect. And like any serious risk that civilization has to counter, it will require not just grit and...
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