Category Archives: Infrastructure

This site makes the case that collapse will take decades, not centuries. And the worst that ever has been or will be, it is fossil fuels that enabled 8.2 people to exist on the planet

On the cusp of collapse: complexity, energy, and the globalised economy

On the cusp of collapse: complexity, energy, and the globalised economy by David Koriwicz, 2011. Fleeing Vesuvius The systems on which we rely for our financial transactions, food, fuel and livelihoods are so inter-dependent that they are better regarded as … Continue reading →

Posted in Cascading Failure | Comments Off on On the cusp of collapse: complexity, energy, and the globalised economy

Inside North Korea’s environmental collapse

The reddish hue of this soil in North Korea comes from lack of organic matter, vital for farming. Related Posts: North Korea collapse posts How different nations have coped with oil shortages Dmitry Orlov: How Russians survived the collapse of … Continue reading →

Posted in Deforestation, North Korea, Oil shock collapse, Peak Topsoil | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Inside North Korea’s environmental collapse

Groundwater depletion consequences

Robert. Glennon. 9 Oct 2002. The Perils of Groundwater Pumping. The excessive “mining” of our aquifers is causing environmental degradation on a potentially enormous scale. Issues in Science and Technology. National Academy of Sciences. Groundwater is more than 25 percent … Continue reading →

Posted in Groundwater, Peak Water | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Groundwater depletion consequences

The Race to Adapt, a book review of Klare’s “The Race for What’s Left”

Coltan mining Preface. This is a book review of Michael Klare’s “The Race For What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World’s Last Resources”   Klare MT. 2012. The Race for What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World’s Last Resources. … Continue reading →

Posted in How Much Left, Mining | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jeremy Faludi: Your Stuff: If It Isn’t Grown, It Must Be Mined

Below is an excerpt from Jeremy Faludi’s “Your Stuff: If It Isn’t Grown, It Must Be Mined” (25 Dec 2007). Where does your stuff come from? Before the store, before the factory, where did it really begin? If it isn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in ! PEAK EVERYTHING | Comments Off on Jeremy Faludi: Your Stuff: If It Isn’t Grown, It Must Be Mined

Alfred McCoy in Salon Magazine on How America will collapse (by 2025)

How America will collapse by 2025. Four scenarios that could spell the end of the United States as we know it — in the very near future. Alfred McCoy. December 6, 2010. Salon.com Here are a few extracts from this … Continue reading →

Posted in By People, Infrastructure | Comments Off on Alfred McCoy in Salon Magazine on How America will collapse (by 2025)

Lloyd’s of London EMP solar storm risk to North America

2013. Lloyd’s Solar Storm Risk to the North American Electric Grid. Atmospheric and Environmental Research. Society depends on electricity for everything from communication, banking and business transactions to basic necessities like food and water. Executive Summary A Carrington-level, extreme geomagnetic … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse | Comments Off on Lloyd’s of London EMP solar storm risk to North America

Eric Sibul on the history of replacing railroads with roads: a disaster

A review of: Sibul, Eric. 26 Apr 2013. Transportation Readings for American Conservatives – How did we get in such a Mess? The American Conservative. My main problem with this article is that it heaps all the blame on liberals, … Continue reading →

Posted in Railroads | Comments Off on Eric Sibul on the history of replacing railroads with roads: a disaster

Ugo Bardi: Quite likely we’ll have a fast collapse, a “Seneca Cliff”

Excerpts from: Ugo Bardi. August 28, 2011. The Seneca effect: why decline is faster than growth. Ugo Bardi. July 15, 2013.The punctuated collapse of the Roman Empire. Could it be that the Seneca cliff is what we are facing, right … Continue reading →

Posted in By People, Infrastructure, Scientists, Ugo Bardi | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Ugo Bardi: Quite likely we’ll have a fast collapse, a “Seneca Cliff”

Ground water declining at an alarming rate in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey

[ Lack of water in this region is destabilizing and thus could affect oil production as desperate populations migrate, civil wars, and social unrest unfold.  Alice Friedemann   www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Groundwater, Peak Water | Comments Off on Ground water declining at an alarming rate in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey