Post-Carbon Music
Over the next few minutes I hope to share with you a little of what I’ve learned about the likely trajectory of industrial society for the remainder of this century, and some speculations about the possible role of music...
Learning Resiliency from Disaster
Hosted by: Barbara Bernstein, Locus Focus by KBOO On October 16 Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute, was scheduled to come on this show to talk about a controversy that was raging over how to reach a 100%...
Democracy at Risk
The following are remarks offered at the Peter B. Lewis Center on the campus of Oberlin College to open a recent two-day forum titled, “The State of American Democracy“: In 1952 theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote: “For if we should...
Humans Are Blind to Imminent Environmental Collapse
A curious thing about H. sapiens is that we are clever enough to document — in exquisite detail — various trends that portend the collapse of modern civilization, yet not nearly smart enough to extricate ourselves from our self-induced predicament. This...
Saudis and Trump: Gambling Bigly
We are, of course, discussing Saudi Arabia, which has been much in the news lately. This essay will review recent events centered therein and probe their significance.
What Natural Disasters Do to Your Mind
Sunday, October 8, 9:30 p.m., Santa Rosa, California. My wife Janet and I are at the home of two longtime friends, watching television and chatting, when we all hear a powerful gust of wind and a weird popping, like...
There Can Be No Genuine Tax Reform Without Addressing Hidden Wealth
Just as Congress begins debate on the Republicans’ “Tax Cut and Jobs Act,” new revelations have emerged about how wealthy elites around the world hide their wealth. The “Paradise Papers” — the result of a leak from the Bermuda-based...
Resource Limitations
How do we know at what level our consumption is sustainable, and when we’re in planetary overshoot? How do we quantify what the planet’s capacity is to meet human demands, and how much of that capacity is renewable, and...
The Water Win-Win: Food and Ecosystems in balance
Sandra Postel‘s new book is Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity. It’s about the world water cycle, and about real solutions to the problem of providing water for people and food, and at the same time for nature...
Vermont has Developed America’s Most Comprehensive Food Plan
Everything Is at Stake, Including Steak