Category Archives: Society

Energy and resources limits what humans can do. So do their own systems. Financial systems fail, corruption, wars, religion, politics and more all play a role in how successful societies are and how wealthy their citizens are. As the distribution of wealth grows more unfair, the population is so immiserated at some point that collapse and a new society emerge

Climate Change dominates news coverage at expense of other existential planetary boundaries

Posted on June 23, 2026 by

Preface. Almost all environmental stories in the media are about greenhouse gases. Yet there are dozens of others in the meta/polycrisis and existential boundaries (Rockström 2009). Overpopulation is the driver, but the severity and magnitude is made possible by fossil … Continue reading →

Posted in Acidification, Biodiversity, BioInvasion, Climate Change, Critical Thinking, Peak Oil, Planetary Boundaries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future

Posted on May 26, 2026 by

Preface. This is another “Scientists Warnings to Humanity” by many famous scientists, including Paul & Anne Erlich, John Harte, Peter Raven, and Mathis Wackernagel. Some of the challenges they point to are loss of biodiversity and consequent 6th mass extinction, … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Extinction, Overshoot, Scientists, Scientists Warnings to Humanity | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The staggering destruction of knowledge by Christians in the Roman Empire

Posted on May 5, 2026 by

Preface. Ever since reading Gibbons “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” I’ve been fascinated by the complexity of reasons for why the Roman Empire fell.  But so many books and writings were lost that much remains unknown. Mainly … Continue reading →

Posted in Preservation of Knowledge, Roman Empire | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review of Grain Brain: Extraordinary claim not backed up by evidence

Posted on April 7, 2026 by

This is my book review of David Perlmutter’s (2013) Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar–Your Brain’s Silent Killers. At the New York Times, this book was the #1 best seller in the Dining list and #9 … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Thinking, Farming & Ranching | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Book Review of Grain Brain: Extraordinary claim not backed up by evidence

What would happen if trucks stopped running?

Posted on March 24, 2026 by

Preface. In “Why You Should Love Trucks” I showed that essential supply chains depend on trucks nearly completely.  Because of little inventory and dependence on just-in-time deliveries, our civilization would almost immediately feel the repercussions of trucks stopping. In fact, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cascading Failure, Dependence on Oil, Electric & Hydrogen trucks impossible, Infrastructure & Fast Crash, Oil Shocks, Transportation Infrastructure, Transportation Supply chain, Trucks, When Trucks Stop Running | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

How to survive a nuclear winter

Posted on March 17, 2026 by

Preface. New Zealand and other countries in the southern hemisphere are expected to be safer since they are far from nuclear targets. But they would still experience extreme temperature drops and less sunlight, though less than the Northern hemisphere.  Still, there … Continue reading →

Posted in Nuclear War, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , , | Comments Off on How to survive a nuclear winter

The insect apocalypse will kill billions more people than climate change

Posted on March 10, 2026 by

  Preface. Below are excerpts from two articles on why and how the extinction of insects could lead to our own extinction and many other species. Although climate change is more deadly now, an insect apocalypse will kill far more … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodiversity, Extinction, Scientists Warnings to Humanity | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The war on drugs. A book review of “Chasing the scream”

Posted on March 3, 2026 by

Preface. The founder of the War on Drugs in the U.S., Harry Anslinger, wanted to build as large a bureaucracy as possible. But a war on narcotics alone—cocaine and heroin, outlawed in 1914—wasn’t enough. They were used only by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Drug wars and the prison system | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Peak crude oil did not happen in 2018. But we are running out of time

Posted on February 17, 2026 by

Preface.   Using EIA International Data for world crude oil + condensate oil monthly production to compare January through October in 2024 and 2025, it looks like about 850 million more barrels will be produced in 2025 than in 2024.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in Debt, How Much Left, Peak Oil | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Sheriffs have too much power

Posted on February 10, 2026 by

Preface. In August 2017 President Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio for disobeying a 2011 court order that barred his deputies from detaining people based on their immigration status. He was found guilty of continuing these traffic patrols for 18 months after … Continue reading →

Posted in Drug wars and the prison system, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments