Category Archives: What to do

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 , , , | 5 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

After peak oil we need small family farms. But U.S. farms are getting even bigger

Posted on January 29, 2020 by

Preface. Oh dear, wrong direction! Eventually 75 to 90% of Americans will need to be farmers to feed their family and support craftsmen and others in towns, just as it always was before fossil fuels arrived. These big farms are … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture | 2 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 , , , | Comments Off on Northeast apple production suffering from Climate Change

When wood once again becomes our main energy source, how long will it last?

Posted on January 23, 2020 by

Preface. Since we’re going back to wood as our main energy and infrastructure source after fossil fuels deplete, I thought it would be interesting to try to get an idea of how wood stacks up against other energy resources (below).   … Continue reading →

Posted in Nate Hagens, Where to Be or Not to Be, Wood | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Oil Shocks. Airplanes are energy gluttons. Shut down the airports. Refine crude for ships, trains, and trucks.

Posted on January 2, 2020 by

Preface. As oil declines and the energy crisis worsens, airplanes ought to be the first to go since they are 600 times less energy efficient than large cargo ships (30,000 / 50), 50 to 120 times less efficient than trains, … Continue reading →

Posted in Airplanes, Transportation | 4 Comments

Billionaire apocalypse bunkers

Posted on December 2, 2019 by

Preface. There are many reasons why people might want a bunker, but peak oil, peak phosphorous, peak everything really… and limits to growth were not among the reasons given. James Howard Kunstler’s book, “The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of … Continue reading →

Posted in Where are the rich going | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Scientists on where to be in the 21st century based on sustainability

Posted on November 22, 2019 by

Preface. The article below is based on Hall & Day’s book “America’s Most Sustainable Cities and Regions: Surviving the 21st Century Megatrends”. Related articles: Hess, P. 2016. These will be the best places to live in America in 2100 A.D. … Continue reading →

Posted in Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , | 30 Comments

America loves the idea of family farms. That’s unfortunate. By Sarah Taber

Posted on November 13, 2019 by

Preface. As declining fossil fuels force more and more people back into being farmers, eventually 75 to 90% of the population, it would be much better for this to happen with family farms than gigantic mega-farms with workers who are … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Bodhi Paul Chefurka: Carrying capacity, overshoot and sustainability

Posted on November 10, 2019 by

Preface. This is a post written by Bodhi Paul Chefurka in 2013 at his blog paulchefurka.ca here. I don’t understand his ultimate sustainable carrying capacity based on hunter gatherers. Why will agriculture go away? But the rest of the article … Continue reading →

Posted in Overshoot, Paul Chefurka, Population | Tagged , , | 7 Comments