Consumption & Demand

Tipping point: near-term systemic implications of a peak in global oil production – collapse dynamics

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The period since the end of the last ice age provided the large-scale stability in which human civilisation emerged. Climatic stability provided the opportunity for diverse human settlements to ‘bed’ down over generations. This formed the basis upon which knowledge, cultures, institutions, and infrastructures could build complexity and capability over generations without, by and large, having it shattered by extreme drought or flooding outside their capacity to adapt. (excerpt)

Wind industry growing in blue and red states alike

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As Paul Krugman’s New York Times Magazine cover story on environmental economics, “Building the Green Economy,” was ricocheting around the enviro blogosphere last week, the American Wind Energy Association released its annual report on the state of the wind industry.

It can’t possibly be that easy

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Over the weekend, I read Paul Krugman’s big essay on climate economics, Building a Green Economy. Now, it’s important to note that the goal of the Waxman Markey bill is to reduce US carbon emissions by 83% by 2050. So essentially, the CBO is saying, and Krugman is endorsing, that this level of emissions reduction will have so small an effect on economic growth that it’s going to be indistinguishable from noise. I don’t dispute that environmental economists think this, but I find it to be a completely facially implausible conclusion.

Eds, meds and a sustainable Pittsburgh

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Forecasts of Pittsburgh’s future cite education and medicine, complemented by entrepreneurial “green energy” and high-tech ventures, as engines of 21st century growth. However, the country is entering its third year of economic contraction and fiscal crisis.

Robots vs relocalists

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Let’s suppose we have two societies; call them, oh, Relocalista, and Singularitaria. The Relocalistas are a nation of vegetarian gardeners and farmers – they live entirely by the produce from their intensive raised bed gardens and fields, which they carefully double-dig with iron spades which they obtain from their village blacksmiths by bartering some of their garden produce with him or her; I speculate that the Relocalistas would insist on having female blacksmiths too. … Meanwhile, Singularitaria is an entirely automated civilization – there are no people at all.
(Reply to John Michael Greer)

How much oil is left: (interview with Richard Heinberg)

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One of the world’s foremost educators on Peak Oil, Richard Heinberg, in an exclusive interview for MMNews: “We are currently seeing the end of economic growth as we have known it.” Further on, he talks about the financial / economic crisis, monetary changes vis-à-vis a shrinking energy supply, and the Century of Declines: “Peak Everything.”