Richard Heinberg

Richard is Senior Fellow of Post Carbon Institute, and is regarded as one of the world’s foremost advocates for a shift away from our current reliance on fossil fuels. He is the author of fourteen books, including some of the seminal works on society’s current energy and environmental sustainability crisis. He has authored hundreds of essays and articles that have appeared in such journals as Nature and The Wall Street Journal; delivered hundreds of lectures on energy and climate issues to audiences on six continents; and has been quoted and interviewed countless times for print, television, and radio. His monthly MuseLetter has been in publication since 1992. Full bio at postcarbon.org.

kelp forest

Capturing Carbon With Machines Is a Failure—So Why Are We Subsidizing It?

Policymakers are pouring money into techno-fixes to solve the climate crisis, even though scientific studies indicate nature-based solutions are all-around more effective.

May 25, 2023

Janus god

Post Carbon Institute: Looking Back, Looking Forward

This year Post Carbon Institute turns 20, so it’s a good time to take stock. What have we done, what’s left to do?

March 28, 2023

Sacred Bull

Why We Can’t Just Do It: The Truth about Our Failure to Curb Carbon Emissions

We’re at a crisis point. A sacrifice is needed. Only a sacred cow will do. Economic growth is our society’s most sacred of cows. And guess what? The cow is sick anyway.

March 23, 2023

Beijing skyline

Why News of Population Decline and Economic Slowdown Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing

China’s slowdown is a welcome opportunity for global leaders and policymakers to get our priorities straight and set ourselves on a path of sustainable happiness and well-being.

March 22, 2023

Converging Debt Crises

An enormous debt bomb threatens the US federal government and the nation’s financial system unless warring politicians can agree on a plan to defuse it. However, there are even bigger debt bombs ticking away beneath us all, of which fewer people are aware.

February 22, 2023

A realistic ‘energy transition’ is to get better at using less of it

My aim is not to discourage people working toward an energy transition, but to insist that we develop a realistic plan for energy descent, rather than insisting on foolish dreams of eternal consumer abundance by means other than fossil fuels.

February 17, 2023

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