The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
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The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century Customer Reviews
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Sleepwalking into the Future
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The Long Emergency is written with the pretense that humans will not develop alternative forms of energy for a long time. According to Kunstler, "new fuels and technologies may never replace fossil fuels at the scale, rate, and manner at which the world currently consumes them." Later Kunstler writes, "The wish to keep running the same giant systems at gigantic scale using renewables is the heart of our illusions about solar, wind and water power."
We don't have to agree with Kunstler. Certainly, if we do agree this becomes a dark, grim scenario which he describes for us in thoughtful detail over 324 pages. Kunstler is a practical thinker that makes his speculation interesting. A sensible and realistic approach is applied to knock down one alternative energy source after another. The limitations brought onto civilization from reduced energy are then accounted for on subject after subject, such as climate, transportation, urban design, health care and agriculture.
In my humble opinion, I feel that Kunstler underestimates human innovation. He could turn out to be correct in his direction regardless. The next President, whomever that unfortunate President might be, will have to impose corrections that will make him/her very unpopular. Conservation and government programs to solve energy shortages will enable the mainstream media to anger the populace. The media is filled with bias and yellow journalistic exaggeration for political gain. We can build whatever we need technologically, but politics will do its tricks to stop us. |
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The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century Books In Print, Audio Books.