Richard Heinberg's Peak Everything - Part 6

[christo930]

What we need is massive depopulation. People with large families are the problem. I have decided not to bring more children into this world and more people should be doing that. Would you rather have 10 billion people living like 18th century peasants or 1 billion living like Americans?

[gozala00]

we are and will destroy ourself and take before it that, all life on the planet.I feel so sad and helpless, especially for the life off all the others on the planet, and my grand children. We should have peels, to be able to shoos death and sacrifice our self for the good of the others. Thanks for the lecture

[Bunnicula71]

I really liked his presentation, but he doesn't deal with the one inevitable thing that needs to change about humanity: fecundity and devotion to god must be separate. Religions are all obsessed with more kids, but we will necessarily be forced to have less kids. The educated populace might go along, but dipshits who believe its their divine right and duty to pump out kids won't. What he calls, euphemistically, a contraction, might more accurately be described as a cull.

[xESOTERlC]

"Decades" is too long to consider

[linghun]

Richard Heinbergs plan has already been tried extensively in an entire country in the 1970s, Cambodia under Pol Pot.

[Dandaniels1978]

The US China and Russia will destroy themselves trying to dominate

[jffryh]

@Dandaniels1978 they'll destroy themselves and they'll take all life on the planet out with them.

[misterfunnybones]

I'm going to start by lowering my hot tub temperature by .5º and turning off my patio heater when I go on vacation.

[Cookiefox]

@SSgtParmer You're insane

[SpikenAL]

Hemp = Fuel, Paper, Fiber, Food, Medicine... Look it up...

[therookiecynic]

Exponential growth of debt requires exponential growth of GDP. Denial of this fact will result in an epic fail. Exponential growth cannot go on forever. It’s a finite planet, with finite resources. Economics, as presently practiced by the Keynesian maniacs, is unsustainable. Unfortunately, the only alternatives at this point are 1) radical change or 2) collapse.

[Icannottolerateit]

@topographicoceans11 They also forget to mention that anarchy factored in with starvation means angry mobs roaming around killing for food.

That means those who have large gardens just sitting out in plain view are the first targets.

If one is very serious about starvation they should buy several acres IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE for cheap and cultivate it. Doing it somewhere anywhere remotely near a city will just draw attention and violence.

Of course, that will not work either. Only God

[jffryh]

@Icannottolerateit there is no god

[Icannottolerateit]

@topographicoceans11 Well.....if society collapses that means anarchy, that means bands of violent criminals who do not produce but only steal,

If you want a vision of the future look at Jerusalem 70 CE....THAT is what it will be like....People who were relatively nice when comfortable but now ruthless criminals looking for food. Mothers eating their children....

Gold will not help you. Growing food will not help you. It is either God or a slow process of starvation, murder or disease.

[rvbarnesboy]

I really respect Richard. I have learned much from him. He has a very succint and clear delivery of his message, which is pretty much spot on from where I'm standing....to be a part of the system now is to willingly participate n its demise..the whole thing has to stop....

hhmmmm

[aussieinkorea]

@rvbarnesboy The system won't stop it will have to evolve. If it stops we are all in serious poop. Controlled systemic change is much better than sudden drastic change. Look up David Holmgren, he has some interesting thoughts and solutions to these issues.

[andy765gtr]

bit disappointed he did not mention controlled population downscaling more, as central to our future. only petrochemical scale energy can fuel our current mega gigantic population.

[imyoda69]

I like this guy. He knows how to communicate effectively and factually. Good for him.

[trippticket]

The only thing more depressing than watching millions of obese, retarded, TV zombies stuffing their pie holes full of Cheez Doodles (thanks Kunstler!), is how few people are watching important talks like this one.

Industrial culture deserves what it's about to get.

If you take anything out of this, take his permaculture comments seriously.

[klaptongroovemaster]

@trippticket mmmm....  cheez doodles...

[jffryh]

@trippticket industrial culture could die a thousand deaths and not get what it deserves. the punishment will be suffered by the future generations who wont get the chance to be born

[dmoitoza]

The fuel supply for nuclear power is unlimited using Integral Fast Reactors, a nuclear reactor 100 to 300 times as efficient. It can accept low-grade ores, like uranium in granite or seawater since it is so efficient.

[Stan1208]

Oil is below 50 bucks a barrel now, down from 147.

[tumbledoo25]

I agree with most of the talk that peak oil is already here. I also believe that in order to move past oil we would need to harness a source (a.k.a the sun) other than fossil fuels. Of course the peak for the suns energy harnessing would eventually occur but hopefully not within this century. Storage and transportation of energy will also be an important factor to consider. Moving past oil production to other forms (fusion power, reneweble energy) would solve the problem of energy limits.

[tumbledoo25]

Future energy source> Outer space solar energy farms trasmitting wireless power

[moreaudan]

The US cannot afford these costs. Prior to his resignation last month, US Comptroller General David Walker reported that the accumulated unfunded liabilities of the US government total $53 trillion dollars. The US government cannot cover these liabilities. The Bush Regime even has to borrow the money from foreigners to pay for its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is no more certain way to bankrupt the country and dethrone the dollar as world reserve currency.

[ilexwhite]

Do yourself a big fat favor and plant a kitchen garden. You're gonna need it.

[fields4president]

Yes. If you can afford it get yourself a small, inexpensive piece of rural property. Preferably, it should already have a well and septic system. Build a greenhouse. Buy a gun or two for hunting/home defense. Develop efficient ways to heat and light your home, and cook—think high efficiency wood burning stoves like the Kitchen Queen (Google it!). Stock up on the things you know will need replacing like small pumps or, say, batteries for the laptop computer and guitar strings. :-)

[Icannottolerateit]

@ilexwhite You do realize that if things collapse, bands will form that will not produce but will bully and steal.

If things get this bad anarchy will prevail and you will just be a target if you grow food right out in plain sight. Miles and miles in some backwoods area; you can get some very cheap land that is virtually worthless beyond small growth.

Buy some land in the middle of nowhere that is worthless to corporate farming and grow!

[earwax8toecheese]

humanity is a horror show.base, vain ,greedy,this fate we made.this fate we deserve.dead end.Hieronymous Bosch comes to mind.

[carnooba]

Here's an idea. All this talk of global cooling, global warming, peak oil etc. etc. is a gambit to get people to wake up to the REAL issue. That of fouling the planet. At one time, cancer was one in ten. today it's one in three, approaching one in TWO.

And the "experts" have no idea as to the cause, but they sure have the drugs and machinery for a TREATMENT. Note, no CURE, just treatment.

[carnooba]

What if your MS was caused by the mercury in the vaccines they gave you as a child??

[Entropy56]

Sorry I missed your comment. If you are directing comments to someone you have to click on their Reply link and not the main one or else they won't see it. I just happened to come here and look by chance for another comment.

[Entropy56]

There are a possible number of causes and any one thing might not be enough to cause MS. It could be a stack of multiple things like hereditary, environment, vitamin and mineral deficiency, stress, virus, diet, and (cough) "God's Will". My teeth are nearly perfect at my older age. I had only one filling in life not enough mercury compared to other people.

[Entropy56]

The young idealists can afford to talk about hard times all they want. Because, well, because they are young.

I have Multiple Sclerosis and if life gets any harder for me I will be dead. Richard can shove his selfish idealism up his ass.

[ccbbuurrtt]

and you are calling him selfish?

[Entropy56]

His solution for the future is to make life harder for everyone. Doom and gloom. No solution. No vision. Just death.

[ccbbuurrtt]

no. he is a realist. he is presenting real evidence with the only real options available. i guess you are just habituated to the bullshit that many politicians feed us.

[r65a11]

Entropy, you seem very narcistic - and fearful. Heinberg is preparing us for the worst - but all of this is up to each and everyone of us to reach beyond ourselves and pitch in and do our parts. Its going to take letting go of your self centeredness to help your community in whatever way you can. Dont freak out man - arm yourself with Knowledge and compassion!

[Entropy56]

Interesting how your comment got sandwiched between two much older ones...

Good move.  Now it is all about me. Hey, why don't you call me a homophobe and racist while you are at it?

I already pointed out the scare tactics of our former president that did not pan out. Go ahead and ride your bike or skateboard to work if you. But if you can't provide equal or superior alternatives then that is what scares me. It won't be nature that screws me but over-reacting do-gooders.

[Entropy56]

Heheheh. You gotta check this out. Do you YouTube search on "Archie Bunker on Democrats"

I side with Archie on this one.

[carnooba]

You miss the point. If life gets that much harder for you, it won't be BECAUSE someone warned you about it. It will be because we all didn't listen to him and work together to alleviate the disaster that's coming.

Don't get upset and kill the messenger.

[Entropy56]

"We're running out of natural gas and oil. We only have enough to last 25 or 30 years."

-Jimmy Carter.

January 27th, 1977

30 years later:

"...natural gas reserves in both the U.S. and Canada are at all-time highs."

- Robert Bradley Institute for Energy Research in Houston.

[carnooba]

I wonder if the calcualtions are off because we haven't used up as much because of global warming?

[Entropy56]

Remember Global Cooling? I lived through that one.

I generally agree with conservation and care of the environment, but this guy says that there is no hope. I disagree with that. Nor do I believe in over population, etc.

[Entropy56]

Do a YouTube search on Frozen Fuel.

"Enough to gas hydrate on earth to power the human race for 3000 years."

[Icannottolerateit]

@Entropy56 So we should ignore the issue altogether? The very fact is at one time in American history we got 50 barrels of oil for every barrel it took to draw the oil out of the ground. Now we get 5 barrels for every barrel of oil used

Yes, they are overstating the problem immensely but what there is some degree of truth in what these "peak" people are saying.

Although it is of no concern to me. In the end we all perish, and how appropriate is your name! Entropy will be the end of ALL.

[jffryh]

@Icannottolerateit All humans die. but new humans may or may not continue to be born. If we could have ended the fossil fuel industries yesterday, then new humans could continue to be born for hundreds of millions of years. but as we are continuing to burn up all drops of fossil fuels as fast as possible all life will be ended within few centuries. no more new births forever.

[McSplott]

Heinberg is no only extremely knowledgeable he is also a brilliant and eloquent speaker.