Talk - The Long Emergency - James Howard Kunstler

[blaked495]

"The former middle class - NASCAR nation meets the Weimar Republic..." Brilliant!

[HonestyInMedicine]

It is a great thesis except for the fact that oil is not a fossil fuel. It is abiotic and replenishes itself. Read Lindsey Williams' book, THE ENERGY NON-CRISIS. He was a minister on staff on the Alaska Pipeline. We all saw how it gushed out from beneath the ocean floor this spring and summer with the BP disaster. According to Lindsey Williams, it was the oil industry in the 1800's who agreed to market oil as a fossil fuel so they could charge more for it. Check it out.

[TalksWithDirt]

Hhahah, the left and the right are sooo alike. They both have long protracted disasters that require massive government intervention. The righties have the islamic threat, and the left has this. Both are rooted in some reality but taken to a burlesque extreme.

[Amanda53189]

We're better off riding bikes, living in tight-knit communities, and eating from the farmer's market. Kunstler makes some brilliant statements but I just want to know why he has bottled water in front of him!

[KrunchyJD]

@Amanda53189 You are so right on this. I have been saying the same thing. Why cant people see that the good old fashioned bicycle is a big part of the answer!

[hollywoodartchick]

@KrunchyJD I am a cyclist, and I believe that one reason that the bike is derided is because at this point in time, a large number of cyclists are low-income and don't command the attention of local politicians. Same with bus riders. If wealthy contributors were visible as alternative transit users, perhaps our needs would be respected.

[MrEnergyCzar]

One way I prepared for peak oil was converting my home to a net-zero solar powered home that uses no oil or gas..I made a video about it called, "Preparing for Peak Oil"....

[BigPreme]

only problem with this is is bio diesel theory. You do not need to use vegetables to grow bio diesel. You can use algae which relies on no amount of vegetables etc. The technology is already there and proven. But I agree in that we need to move away from the car and toward more mass transit and re-urbanization

[670Kiester]

Smart guy, I like him.

People are going to become soo violently angry when this kicks in.

[stridentweasel]

I would have liked to see the question and answer session after the speech.

[believeyouwould]

As Mr. Kunstler cites at 1:55, according to the Dept.of Energy, the US has 28 billion barrels of conventional oil in reserve. Now... the DOE like any other government agency cannot be relied upon for accuracy. It is afterall, a government agency. I wonder, I just wonder if back in 1970, ARCO discovered a reserve in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska that rivals the Ghawar Saudi field. Information sequestered one might ask? Just wonder.

[irkone]

Check out kunstler(dot)com for his weekly podcast. It's very informative, and he gives good up-to-date info about the current crisis. As you can see this recording is from 2004 or '05. He stresses the importance of growing food locally in other talks. If interested in these topics, i recommend learning about permaculture, and these informative sites dealing with energy decline, environmental collapse etc: ecoshock(dot)org, globalpublicmedia(dot)org, radio4all(dot)net, submedia(dot)tv

[kosmoscitizen999]

Recently I read his latest book: "WORLD Made By Hand" This novel is a powerful tool to help people become more aware CHANGES in our standard of living are on the horizon. Do we embrace this change or fight the inevitable?

The earth is a living, pulsing organism. We humans are part of a natural, organic system.

Now is the time to get small; to simplify our lives; to reduce our "footprint" on the resources we consumme.

Building comm-UNITY will go far towards attaining security for family.

[ladydawn1973]

Fascinating discussion..Will go look for more of his stuff..Tnx for posting Michael :)

[Premedia]

I read his "Geography of Nowhere" years ago and that was quite compelling. Our national train system is a disgrace, the worst of the developed nations. We've been so conditioned to drive cars I don't know if we can turn that culture around. But it would be a huge step forward if we could.

[tabrizicracker]

Growing up in the miserable suburbs, I was thrilled to move to Miami at 18. In the past 7 years i have watched city buses and trains become fewer and more far between, less convenient, and more expensive. I work 1.25 miles from my job, but to take just 1 bus a day to and from work costs $6. sadly, I had to get a car last month. There is a lot of talk about people who are 'addicted to oil', but what of those who can't afford the new urbanism of public trans right now?

[daddypants22]

1.25 miles from work? In Miami you can walk. or even ride a bike. I do it in Erie Pa and it snows like crazy here.

[foxinn]

Living in Miami, I can tell you that it's one of the least bike-friendly cities (although there are some nice stretches for recreational biking that don't follow the normal commuting paths). Also it rains virtually every day--usually during rush hour--from July to September. That being said, local transportation priorities don't even give passing thought to some dedicated bike lanes/overpasses or extensions of wheeled transit (e.g. metromover) outward from the handful of train stations.

[istair]

@daddypants22 you can't walk anywhere here in miami; this place is nothing but sprawl. and walking in 100 degree weather isn't too good for you either.

[darkteknical]

This will never happen. People are too stupid. We are so screwed.

[Chrisky81]

Dear talk

Interesting, especially his pitch for reanimating the US passenger rail system.

I have a feeling that this system (which was a tremendous American resource) was knowingly and purposely dismantled and destroyed to force/entice Americans into the car culture which (to a large extent) has contributed to the destructive behavior (oil dependency, rampant pollution, oil wars, the "paving" of America) that has the world where it is today.

Peace

[michaelispan]

Be Prepared.

[Barklord]

good one