Society

Peak Oil — House of Representatives

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Madam Speaker, I want to begin this evening’s discussion by reading a little reminisce that was written by one of my staff members, Dr. John Darnell. He’s imagining that he is talking to his granddaughter at some future date, and this little reminisce is called, “Making It Through the Energy Crisis–Future Reminiscences with my Grandchildren.”

“Grandfather, tell us the story about the men who went to the Moon and barely made it back–and how that was like when the world discovered there wasn’t enough oil.

Colleges should plan – and teach – for an oil-scarce world

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College leaders, with help from facilities managers, sustainability directors, faculty members, and even students, should think hard about how systems on their campus would operate in an energy-scarce world. That thinking should range beyond running part of the campus fleet on a cafeteria’s fryer oil, a seemingly-popular response at the moment.

Could sustainability lead to an authoritarian future?

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Those who imagine humans eventually returning to agrarian societies also often imagine that such societies have the potential to be much more democratic and egalitarian than our current world. But, among those who imagine what I’ll call a sustainable industrial future, there is little discussion of future political arrangements.