Category Archives: 3) Fast Crash

The case for a fast, rather than a slow one. Most societies crashed in 20 years or less. There has never been or will be again a crash like ours, where the world of 7 billion people became utterly dependent on a non-renewable source of energy — fossil fuels.

New York Times review of “Countdown” by Alan Weisman

Posted on November 30, 2013 by

A book review by Nathaniel Rich, October 11, 2013, New York Times of: COUNTDOWN. Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? By Alan Weisman If we wanted to bring about the extinction of the human race as quickly … Continue reading →

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Groundwater depletion consequences

Posted on October 31, 2013 by

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 →

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

Posted on October 6, 2013 by

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” . Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com  author of “When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the Future of Transportation”, … Continue reading →

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Peak element and mineral production

Posted on September 10, 2013 by

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

Posted on September 10, 2013 by

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 →

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Cascading failure + Liebig’s Law + Supply Chain Breakdown = Collapse of civilization

Posted on August 21, 2013 by

Declining supplies of high-quality, easy-to-get fossil fuels with no alternatives ready to replace them — ever — is the #1 issue. As long as we have oil, all problems can be solved, unless oil lasts long enough to deplete every … Continue reading →

Posted in 3) Fast Crash, Alternative Energy, Cascading Failure, Electricity Infrastructure, Infrastructure & Collapse, Oil & Gas, Predictions, Supply Chains | 2 Comments

Emergency drill: Cyberattack on electric grid

Posted on August 17, 2013 by

Preface.  Although I am mainly concerned about peak oil, we’ve become so incredibly dependent on the electric grid, including electricity to pump oil at gas stations, that if the grid came down from an EMP or cyberattack, millions of people … Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 17, 2013 by

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 →

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Cyber Attacks an unprecedented threat to U.S. National Security

Posted on August 7, 2013 by

Preface. This post contains extracts from 3 congressional hearings in the House of representatives session on cyber attacks. Alice Friedemann  www.energyskeptic.com  Author of Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative Energy; When Trucks Stop Running: Energy and the … Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 2, 2013 by

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 →

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