The Long Emergency Part 3

Orion Online interview with JH Kunstler on the future of America in the post-oil world.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Long
• Emegency
• Oil
• Petroleum
• Global
• Warming
• America
• Consumerism
• Environment
• Earth
• Change
• Chaos
• Natural
• Gas

[alanhowitzer]

Go JHK! Thanks for showing leadership and alarm with the issues of peak oil and the suburban house of cards.

[yacetube]

"I think It's unfortunate that we're putting so much energy into thinking how we're gonna keep the current system sunning rather than really imagining what would be necessary to do in our society" well said !

[bananian]

@hylerj

You know, I'm wondering about that, too. Every house on my street have these lawns that nobody cares about. So why not convert them to small plots of farm? They would look much more appealing than grass anyway.

[cdltpx]

If we would convert homes to MDI dome homes we could survive very well 1/3 energy. What has to happen is we need to become ultra efficient the speed limit has to be reduced to 55max 45 ideally 25 for majority electric car and bikes. We will have to live near our work my electirc bike ~12mph with my helping by pedaling I can make 6 mile round trip with a trailer and carry 100 lbs of product easily. It is dangerous to do with cars wizzing by at 50 on a 2 lane road.Much will be done by hand.

[skywalkeruk84]

Do you guys also preppare for oil? - like 3 month food supply, growing own food. I think we DO all know there will be a collapse. one do we'll figure it out together x

[yacetube]

the current system Running

[hylerj]

GROW FOOD NOT GREENLAWN!!

[EVM3point0]

its kinda not a joke

[SlaughterMcKill]

OLDREOB2005 Actually has a point if you think about it. Environmentalism and Humanitarianism are both fundamentally opposed to each other, not to say that either is necessarily bad, of course.

That aside, while the rest of the country, backed against the wall, is busy hallucinating every variety of ridiculous methods to keep our increasingly impractical way of life going, Kunstler is bluntly telling us that there is no "easy" way out of this. Bra-vo!

[citizenwangpeng]

Composts can be created using city wastes that will add fertility, biology and tilth to poor soils. People may be able to grow some of their food in their backyards or community gardens using composts supplied by the city. Chickens are also an important addition. Havana, Cuba, is a good example of urban ag. We may be out of luck, but we need to be able to help people help themselves. Appreciate your comments.

[bcforn64]

I agree with most of what is said. As far as local agriculture, I'm not completely sold on. Many studies I have read suggests that it would take more energy for local communities in infertile areas to grow locally and distribute small quantities than large distribution routes. As another example of unintended consequences, some local farmers struggle to compete with "Organic" foods (supposed to be good for local farms) as a result of farmers in some locations relying on pesticides to farm