Richard Heinberg, energy expert and senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute, recently presented on the changes that expensive oil will bring (in addition to expensive air fare). If you’re looking for the short-version of his presentation, here it is.
He suggests that 2005-2007 was the peak of economic activity for the world and that the only way to save ourselves from an impending crash is to cut back on everything. I agree to an extent, assuming we continue with the status quo.
Here’s an audio interview with Richard Heinberg. The intro provided by the host is particularly dire.
And without even breaking a sweat or shedding a drop of blood – philosophically at any rate: People will shoot to kill for the last bread and water. But in the process of reaching that point, there will be no “hard decisions” to make, because we already made them a century ago when we committed to a petro-death pact with the devil. No Messiahs need apply because if there is only one way, the way is obvious. Americans are conditioned to make decisions based on marketing and respond to short-term trouble fast, long-term trouble not at all. But bringing Americans around to sustainability won’t be necessary and marketing won’t be needed either, because there aren’t going to be any options. As the song goes, You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows…Indeed.
