Category Archives: Peak Topsoil

Montgomery in “Dirt: the erosion of civilizations” estimates topsoil depletion is usually one of the main causes of collapse. In the past this took on average 1500 years, but industrial farming is depleting soil in centuries: Midwestern topsoil has gone down by half in just 100 years, the best soil in the world.

Soil salinity and erosion

Posted on September 2, 2021 by

Preface.  Civilizations fail when their soils are ruined or eroded.  One way conquerors made sure that those they enslaved during wars was to salt their land and burn their homes so they had nowhere to escape to. Erosion is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Peak Topsoil, Scientists Warnings to Humanity, Soil | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Climate change impacts on agriculture

Posted on July 6, 2020 by

Preface. There are three articles below on this topic.  Plus these articles in the news: Nakagawa T et al (2021) The spatio-temporal structure of the Lateglacial to early Holocene transition reconstructed from the pollen record of Lake Suigetsu and its … Continue reading →

Posted in BioInvasion, Drought & Collapse, Extreme Weather, Food production, Heat, Peak Topsoil, Soil, Water, Where to Be or Not to Be | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Climate change impacts on agriculture

Peak soil: Industrial agriculture destroys ecosystems and civilizations: Biofuels make it worse

Posted on August 31, 2017 by

Preface. In 2018 I thought it was time to reorganize this post, as it grew more and more bloated and disorganized with new information. Eventually it turned into my 2021 book Life After Fossil Fuels: A Reality Check on Alternative … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Energy, Biofuels, Biomass, Energy, Peak Biofuels, Peak Topsoil, Soil | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Plant more prairies to save topsoil and prevent pollution runoff

Posted on May 5, 2017 by

[ A program to plant more prairies to enrich the soil, keep topsoil from blowing and washing away, and provide a bio-diverse habitat for hundreds of species is receiving little funding or farmer participation, even though it would save farmers … Continue reading →

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Promoting soil health in agriculture at U.S. House hearing 2014

Posted on August 8, 2016 by

Preface.  At last, many years after I first published “Peak soil: Why biofuels destroy ecosystems and civilizations” in 2007, Congress had a hearing to educate House members on why preserving topsoil is so essential for food production for future generations.  … Continue reading →

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Former President Bill Clinton on Peak Oil, Peak Soil, and other depleting resources

Posted on December 8, 2015 by

Former President Bill Clinton. May 4, 2007. The Looming Crisis; Can We Act in Time? Harvard Kennedy School. Excerpts from Keynote Address by Former President William Jefferson Clinton Kennedy School Spring Conference – Cambridge, MA I think it is highly … Continue reading →

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Peak soil, peak phosphate, peak fertilizer means Peak Food

Posted on May 9, 2015 by

Amundson, R., et al. May 7, 2015. Soil and human security in the 21st century. Science 348. A group of leading soil scientists has summarized the precarious state of the world’s soil resources and the possible ramifications for human security … Continue reading →

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Writing on the wall for prime farmland. Years of irrigation have taken toll on San Joaquin Valley.

Posted on March 24, 2014 by

Carolyn Lochhead. March 24, 2014. Writing on the wall for prime farmland. Years of irrigation have taken toll on San Joaquin Valley. San Francisco Chronicle. Decades of irrigation have leached salts and toxic minerals from the soil [in the San … Continue reading →

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‘The oil we eat’. Following the food chain back to iraq

Posted on March 21, 2014 by

[I’ve reduced and paraphrased the article ] Richard Manning.   May 23, 2004. ‘The Oil We Eat’. Following the Food Chain back to Iraq. Harpers. The journalist’s rule says: follow the money.. but money.. is really a way of tracking … Continue reading →

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Inside North Korea’s environmental collapse

Posted on March 15, 2014 by

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 →

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