Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Charlotte Du Cann Scientists talk about climate change with studies on pollution and toxins where the Inuit discuss the effects as they occur within our lives. Our whole world is changing. On the topic of environment southerners focus on borders which prevents them from getting connected. When Inuit talk about environment we are one.
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Oil and the global economy
-China continues to grow
-Saudi production
-Quote of the week
-Briefs
-DIY Urban Design, from Guerrilla Gardening to Yarn Bombing (slide show)
-The antidote to apathy (video)
-“Sustainable Development vs Historic Preservation” Is A False Dichotomy
-Projects: Small is Successful (report)
Birds and their eggs have been part of our food chain for tens of thousands of years. In hard times, birds and their eggs were survival foods. In the not too distant future, chickens will be a pillar of survival and resiliency as we proceed into what we believe to be a looming energy descent.
I get emails more or less constantly on this subject: “I want to prepare for peak oil/live more sustainably/change my life to deal with climate change and my spouse (and/or the rest of my family) don’t want to, or don’t think it is important enough.”
Within nearly all the great religions of history we find contemplative traditions which espouse the curious principle that foregoing excessive wealth and consumption (and therefore energy use) will actually make one happier. As a general rule these traditions advocate eating only what one needs to be healthy; exercising to maintain physical vigor (but not excessive strength); studying to attune oneself to the subtleties of nature and of the mind; and shielding oneself from the distractions of daily life. All this, they claim, will result in a fuller, more joyful existence.
In monetary terms, shale gas seems to be a good deal. In EROEI (energy) terms it is probably less good but it may still provide a positive return. It is in environmental terms – in the so called “external costs” that shale gas is a disaster. It may be that society is reacting to scarcity in the wrong way by following a path that is perhaps easing the situation in the short term (getting more energy) but horribly worsening the problem in the medium/long term (global warming).
– Lester Brown: Smart planning for the global family
– The Anti-Immigration Crusader
– The Hypocrisy of Hate: Nativists and Environmentalism
Gas from shale is somewhat more expensive to produce, relative to more conventional natural gas deposits. On the other hand, a domestically available reserve that does not require a nation to expend money on foreign fuels can have considerable benefit, even though it may be comparatively expensive.
For ten years now, we have been driving the highways of the United States, sometimes stopping in a town for a year or so, sometimes just drifting from place to place… . We’ve broken free of the growing entrapment of modern life by refusing to keep working long hours in meaningless jobs when we didn’t have to, saving instead of spending, keeping on the move, eating less but healthier, and staying in good physical condition.
– Bahrain braced for new wave of repression
– President Assad’s promises fail to quell Syrian protests
– If Humalain wins presidency, he could align Peru with Latin America’s political left
– Furious Greeks press for country to default on debt
– ‘Farms’ Owned by the Rich Provide Massive Tax Shelter
– Offshore Banking and Tax Havens Have Become Heart of Global Economy
– Matt Taibbi: The Real Housewives of Wall Street
