Category Archives: What to do

The 10 states with the most farms

Preface. Of course there are many considerations: how climate change will affect farming in each state, the cost of the farmland, and other ecological factors discussed in the book by Hall & Day’s “America’s Most Sustainable Cities and Regions: Surviving … Continue reading

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Reducing pesticides with crop diversity

Preface. Pesticides are the main cause of the insect apocalypse, which reverberates up the food chain, leading to loss of biodiversity and extinction. And pesticides are made out of oil, which probably peaked globally in 2018, and pesticides only last … Continue reading

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Riskiest counties in the U.S.

Preface. I suppose that if you’re trying to figure out where to survive peak oil, the hazards might be something to consider. This isn’t the greatest tool in the world. To use it, select a county in the Counties tab … Continue reading

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The cost of farming

Preface. One of the best ways to survive the coming energy crisis and reduce biodiversity loss, soil erosion and toxic chemicals is to start an organic farm. Today, that’s hard to pull off unless you have a 9 to 5 … Continue reading

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

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?

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. Heck, it … Continue reading

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Book review: The Bottlenecks of the 21st Century

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

Jason Bradford on reforming the current food system

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

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Book review of Fruits of Eden: David Fairchild & Americas Plant Hunters

Preface. Botanist David Fairchild is one of the reasons the average grocery store has 39,500 items. Before he came along, most people ate just a few kinds of food day in day out (though that was partly due to a … Continue reading

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Microchip fabrication plants need electricity 24 x 7 for four months

Preface. I explain in both of my books, When Trucks Stop Running and Life After Fossil Fuels, why heavy duty transportation and manufacturing can’t be electrified, as well as why the electric grid can’t stay up without natural gas to … Continue reading

Posted in Blackouts, Electric Grid & EMP Electromagnetic Pulse, Electricity Infrastructure, Interdependencies, Microchips and computers, Preservation of Knowledge | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments