Category Archives: 2) Collapse

The collapse of the financial system, breakdown of supply chains, blackouts, end of being able to make computer chips, and so on are symptoms of the underlying cause: LESS OIL AVAILABLE TO DO MILLIONS OF ESSENTIAL TASKS. Whether the house of cards goes from the financial shock of a natural disaster or from debt and corruption, blockage of the Suez canal, Export Land Model, or (nuclear war) — there is certain to be a series of dislocations that ultimately bring population down to 1 billion or less, and given past collapses, take about 20-30 years. Let’s hope there are some islands of sanity and that you, dear reader, are living on one of them!

Many signs of peak oil and decline

Posted on February 16, 2020 by

Preface.  Recently the IEA 2018 World Energy Outlook predicted an oil crunch could happen as soon as 2023.  Oil supermajors are expected to have 10 years of reserve life or more, Shell is down to just 8 years. Political shortages … Continue reading →

Posted in Debt, How Much Left, Peak Oil | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Russia has been bombarding Ukraine with fake news since 2014. Sound familiar?

Posted on February 13, 2020 by

Preface.  Long before Russia bombarded the U.S. with fake news in the 2016 election campaign, Ukraine was the target, where Russia honed its propaganda skills.  The parallels with their fake news assault on the U.S. are striking, perhaps if more … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Politics, Russia | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fox news estranges millions of families and instills hate and fear in its cult members

Posted on February 10, 2020 by

Preface.  This is a book review that has key excerpts of “Foxocracy”, by Tobin Smith, who worked at Fox for 14 years and was friends with Roger Ailes as well as the staff that decided what the propaganda of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Politics, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nothing is true & everything Is possible: the surreal heart of the new Russia by Peter Pomerantsev

Posted on February 10, 2020 by

Preface. In light of how greatly Russia influenced the election of Trump, it’s worth reading this book to see how Russia has used propaganda to control their own people, keep Putin in office, and in general how the rule of … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Financial, Russia | 7 Comments

William Rees: Memo from a Climate Crisis Realist: The Choice before Us

Posted on February 4, 2020 by

Preface. I’m going to put Rees’ conclusion of 11 things to do first (rather than the Green New Deal, which can’t possibly work), followed by his arguments for why this needs to be done (if you haven’t read part 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Experts, Experts | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

William E. Rees: Don’t Call Me a Pessimist on Climate Change. I Am a Realist

Posted on February 1, 2020 by

Preface. William E. Rees is professor emeritus of human ecology and ecological economics at the University of British Columbia. He’s one of my favorite ecological writers and has written about energy, limits to growth, sustainability and other ecological topics for … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Experts, Experts | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Northeast apple production suffering from Climate Change

Posted on January 26, 2020 by

Preface. Although this article is only about one crop in one area, it portends a darker future for food production in the future, with each region having their own issues (i.e. drought in California). It’s only a matter of time … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Agriculture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Permafrost will limit natural gas, oil, and coal extraction

Posted on January 14, 2020 by

Preface. For many people, it’s comforting to know that about 25% of remaining oil and gas reserves (we have the know-how and economics to get it) and resources (beyond our technical and monetary capability) are in the arctic. They assume … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic, EROEI remaining oil too low, How Much Left, Peak Natural Gas, Peak Oil, Reserves Lower than stated, Roads, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Venezuela collapse: looting, hunger, blackouts

Posted on December 26, 2019 by

Preface. Venezuela is experiencing a double whammy of drought and low oil prices, which has lead to blackouts and inability to import food, ultimately due to their oil production peaking in 1997.  The same fate awaits the U.S. someday when … Continue reading →

Posted in Central & South America, Social Disorder | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Net Energy Cliff Will Lead to Collapse of Civilization

Posted on December 11, 2019 by

The remaining oil is poor quality, and the energy to get this often remote oil so great that more and more energy (blue) goes into oil production itself, leaving far less — the grey area — available to fuel the … Continue reading →

Posted in 2) Collapse, 3) Fast Crash, An Overview, By People, Energy, EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, Net Energy Cliff, Stages of | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments