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LOW←TECH MAGAZINE

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High-tech Problems

Technology has become the idol of our society, but technological progress is—more often than not—aimed at solving problems caused by earlier technical inventions.

We Can't Do It Ourselves

How to live a more sustainable life? By placing responsibility squarely on the individual, attention is deflected away from the many institutions involved in structuring possible courses of action.

Energy labels oblige frugal homeowners to make unsustainable investments

How energy-efficient a home is depends not only on the energy label but also on the lifestyle.

Bedazzled by Energy Efficiency

To focus on energy efficiency is to make present ways of life non-negotiable.

How (Not) to Run a Modern Society on Solar and Wind Power Alone

Matching supply to demand at all times makes renewable power production a complex, slow, expensive and unsustainable undertaking.

Rebooting Energy Demand: Automatic Software Upgrades

More and more consumer products are controlled by networked software: what does this mean for energy demand, and exactly who is responsible for increasing consumption?

The Curse of the Modern Office

The information society promises to dematerialise society and make it more sustainable, but modern office and knowledge work has itself become a large and rapidly growing consumer of energy and other resources

Why We Need a Speed Limit for the Internet

The energy use of the internet can only stop growing when energy sources run out, unless we impose self-chosen limits.

How Sustainable is Stored Sunlight?

Energy storage is often ignored when scientists investigate the sustainability of PV systems.

How Sustainable is PV solar power?

Almost all solar PV panels are now produced in China, where the electric grid is about twice as carbon-intensive and about 50% less energy efficient than in Europe.

Well-Tended Fires Outperform Modern Cooking Stoves

Despite technological advancements since the Industrial Revolution, cooking remains a spectacularly inefficient process.

How Sustainable is Digital Fabrication?

Automation is more energy-intensive than mechanisation.

High Speed Trains are Killing the European Railway Network

High speed rail is destroying the most valuable alternative to the airplane; the “low speed” rail network that has been in service for decades.