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.

Firefighters using AFFFs

Why 2% Is the Most Dangerous Number No One Is Talking About

If sexually reproducing animals, including humans, lose the ability to yield offspring, then in the future the biosphere may host a radically reduced roster of higher life forms.

September 12, 2023

Methodist Camp Meeting in 1819, part of the Second Great Awakening.

You May Think You’re Immune to Cult Thinking, but We’re All Susceptible

Reducing our cult-think means living with ambiguity during tumultuous times. But it’s worth the effort if we put a high value on truth.

August 7, 2023

Four Horsemen

Are These the End Times?

Peter Turchin’s latest book, End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration, is receiving glowing reviews. Its message is highly relevant to our collective understanding of the emerging global polycrisis and what needs to be done to minimize it.

July 19, 2023

Polycrisis, Unraveling, Simplification, or Collapse: Coming Soon to a Planet Near You?

A new report seeks to build a coherent narrative about the roots of the ‘polycrisis,’ the signs of its arrival and evolution, and why we should be thinking differently about the future.

June 15, 2023

driving

If You’re Driving Off a Cliff, Do You Need a Faster Car?

Either we recover collective wisdom faster than our machines can develop artificial executive intelligence, or it’ll likely be game over.

June 12, 2023

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

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