If you’re someone who’s curious about the geopolitical implications of carbon fuel and the ecological havoc it wreaks, you’ve probably come across some of Richard Heinberg‘s work. This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak with this senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute who has authored over 13 books and regularly ponders the past and future of humanity and the earth in his Museletter. We discuss the global debt crunch, the search for tight oil, and the concomitant acceleration of climate change. Heinberg also tells us his thoughts on negative emissions technologies and regenerative agriculture, and explains why he refers to the past ten years as “our bonus decade.”
Environment
Richard Heinberg on Our Bonus Decade
By Alex Wise, Richard Heinberg, originally published by Sea Change Radio
December 18, 2018
Alex Wise
Alex Wise is the host and executive producer of Sea Change Radio, a nationally-distributed interview-format radio show concerned with the advances being made toward a more environmentally sustainable world, economy, and future.
Tags: climate change, debt-based economies, tight oil
Related Articles
How to Think About the Future – Part 1: Changing the future starts with how you think
By Nate Hagens, The Great Simplification
In the first instalment of a new series on thinking about the future, Nate Hagens argues that most debates about what lies ahead are shaped by a single competing narrative. He introduces “scenario thinking” as a way to hold multiple possible futures at once, and explores why this is psychologically and culturally difficult in practice.
April 28, 2026
As nature terms disappear, so does our ability to see and protect the natural world
By Reynard Loki, Danica Tomber, Independent Media Institute
Studies show a steep decline in nature-related language, from books to music. Now, projects like children’s books, citizen science platforms and everyday practices like gardening and birdwatching are helping rebuild our ecological vocabulary.
April 27, 2026
What to expect from the first Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels
By Kyla Tienhaara, Christina Frendo, The Conversation
More than 50 countries are meeting in Colombia to explore how economies can move away from coal, oil and gas through “complementary” multilateral negotiations.
April 24, 2026





