Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Sharon Astyk Dave Pollard’s latest at Salon is an interesting cry in the dark about how hard it is to connect with others when you see collapse coming. My guess is that some of my readers will respond with a great deal of identification, while others will be annoyed by Pollard – but I think it bears some considering.
Over the past decade there has been considerable debate on corn ethanol, most focused on whether it is a net energy yielder…On one side are Pimentel (2003) and Patzek (2004) who claim that corn ethanol has an EROI below one energy unit returned per energy unit invested, and on the other side are a number of studies claiming that the EROI is positive, reported variously as between 1.08 and 1.45 (Wang et al. 1997; Wang 2001; Shapouri et al. 2002; Graboski 2004; Shapouri 2004; Oliveira et al. 2005; Farrell et al. 2006; Wang et al. 2007). Even with numerous publications on this issue, disagreement remains as to whether corn ethanol is a net energy yielder.
-World Economy: That Sinking Feeling
-Extend and Pretend: The Russian doll version
-Why were resources expunged from neo-classical economics?
“Steady state economy” – it’s got a nice ring, doesn’t it? In a world of financial meltdowns, climate change, resource wars, banker bailouts, endangered species, BP, etc., the ring gets nicer by the day, no? With unpredictability and insecurity eating away at the collective peace of mind, “steady state economy” exudes stability, security, and sustainability. It’s a phrase for which the time has come!
The death of the climate bill yesterday struck the Climateers like a wet, oil-soaked dead dolphin to the face. Their wails of despair and cries for retribution swamped my Twitter stream, as carbon cap champions learned the Democratic leadership had given up on mustering the 60 Senate votes needed to pass the bill. The political realities of Washington had stymied them once again. Nothing had changed.
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Oil and the global economy
-the Deepwater Horizon saga
-Energy bill on hold
-Quote of the week
-Briefs
“I don’t know where it’s going. It seems inevitable to me that it is sort of a bubble phenomenon; but bubbles can go on for 25 years or so, even though everyone knows that’s what’s happening. As long a capital markets continue to fund these things it’s going to keep on going. I’m not saying that’s even a bad thing, though I wouldn’t put any money in it, that’s for darned sure.”
-Tony Hayward’s departure follows that of his mentor
-Researchers Confirm Subsea Gulf Oil Plumes Are From BP Well
-Proceed with caution on shale gas
-Siemens warns growth could fall 7.5pc if energy prices rise
-Is Matt Simmons Credible?
-Permaculture in Malaysia
-Biomass Britain: do fields of energy crops spell an end to grazing livestock?
-A More Feminine Food System: Farmer Jane (a Book Review)
-Filming Haiti’s Food Crisis and Grassroots Movement for Sustainable Agriculture (VIDEO)
-Is the Next Global Food Crisis Now in the Making?
Perhaps the central reason I keep coming back to St. Andrew’s at this particular moment in history is the anguish I feel for the world.
It’s the concrete anguish we feel every day when we open the newspaper for the update on the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf. It’s that anguish that comes with hearing the news of the latest drone attack on a village in Afghanistan or Pakistan, or a reading a report on the most recent study of species extinction and reduction in biodiversity.
For me, anguish captures the emotion associated with recognizing that we humans have fallen out of right relation with Creation, and therefore inevitably out of right relation with each other.
(Sermon delivered yesterday at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.)
What is the difference between soil and dirt?
Soil is alive. Dirt is dead. A single teaspoon of soil can contain billions of microscopic bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. A handful of the same soil will contain numerous earthworms, arthropods, and other visible crawling creatures. Healthy soil is a complex community of life and actually supports the most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet.
What can you do to optimize your chances in the case of hyperinflation, a deflationary economic Depression, an oil crisis, a famine, or a series of horrendous environmental disasters? If you don’t already know, you’d better wise up fast—because some or all of these exciting opportunities are on their way to a neighborhood near you! In fact, one or two may already be tapping you on the shoulder and asking to make your acquaintance.
