Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Tom Whipple It may be a lot harder, or a lot more expensive, for the US to get out of Iraq than anyone ever thought. The Saudis could bring pressure [on the U.S. to stay] without doing anything so provocative as a major production cut. Simply ratcheting down production in an unobtrusive manner should be enough to scare Washington.
Bangladesh pays cruel price for the west’s excesses
Inhofe gives global warming a final cold shoulder
Exxon spends millions to cast doubt on warming
US science teachers pass on climate DVDs
Americans try to shift into ‘carbon neutral’
Climate change has a chilling effect on where Americans can build homes
I want to ride my bicycle
NSW symposium: Future frameworks for regional railways
U.S., EU square off on airline pollution
Further explorations in the post-peak scenario presented last week in “Solstice 2100,” the second of three snapshots of life in deindustrial America.
“My 12 step programme for reducing my oil dependency. In order to make my life less reliant on the unreliable, I pledge to myself to strive towards the following 12 goals over the next 6 months…”
Canada: To sow the oil, or give it away?
Australia’s energy future more costly
Russian spending spree is fueled by oil and gas
Venezuela minister on the effect of Chavez’s re-election on energy policy
Chavez wants to build longest gas pipeline in the world
Michael Klare: the post-abundance era
ASPO Newsletters for Nov and Dec
Mystery Cassandra
Renewable resources: investment hedge against peak oil
Affluenza, Prozac and Pavlov’s dog
Conspicuous consumption comes out of the closet
Asian affluence: going, going, going up
The rich vs. the filthy rich
Dare to consume less
My back to the land fantasy (And why it feels more real every day)
Ran Prieur: How to drop out
Village blog: Dropping out (added 7/12)
My point is not that Peak Oil doomerism is wrong. We face enormous crises and we have the tools to end civilization. But remember, as you feel yourself drawn to the apocalyptic story, that it is the natural place to go in uncertain and dangerous times. We are culturally programmed to do it.
Rhizome-based structures need to replace hierarchical ones, Vail argues, in all areas of our society — social, political, economic, educational etc. to entrench the power and sustainability of self-sufficient communities and render them invulnerable to re-expropriation of that power by hierarchies.
Rob Hopkins of Transition Culture recently asked, could pervasive peak oil pessimism be the result of men realizing we are ill-equipped to handle what is coming? The answer is yes. We need new skills and new tools.
