Category Archives: Books

Neighborhood councils to cope with energy decline

Posted on April 18, 2022 by

I’m reading “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity” which is one of the best books I’ve read in years, and a very hopeful one – this 700 page book is full of evidence that agriculture, capitalism, slavery, … Continue reading →

Posted in Government on what to do, Life Before Oil, Political Books | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Limits to Growth: Natural gas fertilizer that feeds 4 billion of us

Posted on March 30, 2022 by

Preface.  In chapter 4 of my book “Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative Energy“, I explain how it came to be that fertilizer is made out of natural gas, using the energy of natural gas, and why … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Fossil Fuels, Limits To Growth, Natural Gas, Peak Food, Starvation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Review of Wrangham’s The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue & Violence in Human Evolution

Posted on March 18, 2022 by

Preface. This is a fantastic, must read book if you’re at all interested in how we evolved to be who we are today, how we domesticated ourselves, gossip, conformity, violence and more.  It reminds me of why I don’t read … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution, Human Nature, War Books | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review “The Outlawed Ocean” by Ian Urbina

Posted on December 8, 2021 by

Note: Peak fish happened in 1996 at 130 million tonnes a year. Pauly D, Zeller D (2016) Catch reconstructions reveal that global marine fisheries catches are higher than reported and declining. Nature communications. Preface. This is a book review of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fisheries, Fishery destruction, Natural History, Peak Food | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Book Review “The Outlawed Ocean” by Ian Urbina

How corporations used conservative religion to gain wealth & power & undo the New Deal

Posted on October 5, 2021 by

Source: Republican Jesus Preface. This is a book review of One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America by Kevin Kruse (2016), followed by excerpts from the book.  Much of this introduction is my take on what this … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Corruption & Finance, Distribution of Wealth, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Nitrogen Bomb: fossil-fueled fertilizers keep billions of us alive

Posted on August 30, 2021 by

Preface. There are two articles below that explain why natural gas fertilizers are keeping at least 4 billion of us alive today.  If you’re interested in this topic, here are a few more to read: Erisman JW, Sutton MA, Galloway … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming & Ranching, Life After Fossil Fuels, Natural Gas, Overpopulation, Peak Food | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Can democracy survive peak oil?

Posted on August 27, 2021 by

Preface.  This is a book review of Howard Bucknell’s Energy and the National Defense.  University of Kentucky Press. Bucknell was amazingly prescient as you’ll see in this review, especially about why democracy might not survive the energy crisis.  Though the … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Energy Books, Military, Politics, Rationing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book review: The Bottlenecks of the 21st Century

Posted on August 15, 2021 by

Preface. Nate Hagens and DJ White’s book is the kind of book I’d like to write someday. Like them, I’d publish only in paper to preserve knowledge because the electric grid will come down some day since it can’t outlast … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Books, Expert Advice, Nate Hagens | Tagged | 2 Comments

Excerpt from “The Geopolitics of Resource Wars”

Posted on August 6, 2021 by

Preface.  This is an excerpt from Philippe Le Billon’s (editor) anthology “The Geopolitics of Resource Wars.” Global peak oil production happened in 2018 (EIA 2020), and the energy crisis will probably hit by 2025.  The coming energy crisis and climate … Continue reading →

Posted in War Books, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , | Comments Off on Excerpt from “The Geopolitics of Resource Wars”

Jason Bradford on reforming the current food system

Posted on July 5, 2021 by

Preface. Jason Bradford is amazing: He taught ecology for a few years at Washington University in St. Louis, worked for the Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and co-founded the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment