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Peak Oil, Energy Issues, Collapse, Resilience - Audio

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This page has audio clips on energy, peak oil, resilience, relocalization, and preparedness. Additional related clips can be found on these pages:
    - Nuclear Issues audio
    - Gardening/Agriculture audio

C-Realm Podcast

Challenging Our Own Beliefs — 01 May 2013 — KMO and science fiction author, futurist, and contrarian David Brin discuss a range of themes in post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Brin also opines on the need to be contrarian and to challenge our own beliefs. As human civilization faces a transition from smart animals to beings that wield god-like powers in real time with no do-overs, we must overcome our tendency toward self-deception, factionalism, and righteous indignation.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   59:03

C-Realm Podcast

Stealing From the Future — 24 April 2013 — Mark Robinowitz of the Oil Empire web site notes that earth is over its carrying capacity, regardless of which problem—climate change, peak oil, water supplies, etc.—you wish to discuss. In this "peak everything" era, we're using everything as fast as we possibly can, with nothing but economists' assurances that there will be the same level of abundance in the future. Our most serious problem is "peak denial"—the general public is rejecting reality. He explains why the declarations of some environmentalists that extraction technologies have trumped peak oil are wrong, and he laments that climate change has come to dominate the entire discussion about sustainability. In particular, he comments that the typical environmentalist's position that we can solve climate though economic methods within the infinite growth paradigm is hopelessly wrong.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   59:54

Green Power and Wellness

Paul Gipe on the Alternative Energy Future — 22 Apr 2013 — Paul Gipe explains the nuts and bolts of how various alternative energy technologies are reshaping our world's energy systems and offers numbers on how we can achieve a sustainable energy future. ~~ In the short segment that precedes that, shutting down the San Onofre nuclear plant is discussed, and we also get the news nugget that former NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko has stated publicly that all 104 US nuclear power plants have safety problems that cannot be fixed.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:00:00

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Permaculture Possibilities—Integrated Solutions to All Problems — 17 Apr 2013— Our global systemic challenges—energy, environment, and economy—have become dramatically more severe over the last several decades. Permaculture offers a unique toolkit to address problems such as energy depletion, desertification, poisoned landscapes, and right livelihoods. But will low-tech solutions that "work with nature" be able to capture a public imagination predisposed to expect technological progress to enable "business as usual" forever? This is part 2 of 2 of EE's coverage of the Pacific Northwest Permaculture Convergence sessions.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:00:00

C-Realm Podcast

Grounded in Grief—The Emotional Baggage of Collapse — 17 Apr 2013— Carolyn Baker talks about staying sane in an age of madness and the danger of having a mental health professional reduce the large scale social phenomena of a society in the process of catastrophic transition down to individual mental pathologies—and affixing such labels to you.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   59:54

One Radio Network

Protecting Your Family Against Societal Disruption — 02 Apr 2013 — N.E. MacDougald reviews the preparations that can help you and your family more easily deal with general emergency conditions or disruptions to central services. Topics covered include... items to have in your vehicle's trunk; the basement as a safe space; the importance of determination and faith to survival; dealing with inflation risk and currency risk; improving your survival skill set.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:05:26

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Permaculture Convergence—Replacing Ego-Centric with Eco-Centric — 19 Mar 2013 — Despite the massive destruction our species has wrought on the earth, we've also learned a tremendous amount about ecological systems in the process. As our old narrative of domination crumbles, an understanding of how to work with nature is emerging. Can we apply the ideas of permaculture to society when facing energy depletion, climate change and social breakdown? Will our future society be able to regenerate the planet? Speakers at the 2012 Northwest Permaculture Convergence discuss how permaculture approaches can address global challenges.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:19:00

Sea Change Radio

Voting For Solar, One Locale at a Time — 19 Mar 2013 — Adam Browning, the executive director of Vote Solar, explains his vision of affordable and widespread renewable power. While Vote Solar now has national reach, they concentrate on local initiatives. As Browning likes to say, "If your plan involves congress, it's a bad plan." ~~ In part 2, the discussion turns to the lessons we can learn from success stories like the German solar industry as well as high-profile flops like Solyndra.
Part 1:  Go to page  |  Download/Listen   30:00
Part 2:  Go to page  |  Download/Listen   30:00

KunstlerCast

Real Abundance — 21 Mar 2013 — JHK chats with Ben Hewitt, a farmer from Cabot, Vermont and the author of The Town That Food Saved—How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food. His forthcoming book is Saved—How I Quit Worrying About Money and Became the Richest Guy in the World. The discussion centers on the homesteading life and ways people can unplug from the madness of society and find pleasure in a different way of life.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   53:51

Post Carbon Institute

Joshua Farley on the Political Economy of Ecosystem Services — 07 Mar 2013— Professor Joshua Farley of Vermont University explains why we need to escape the traditional thinking of economists and politicians that says the environment is a subset of the economy. It is, of course, the other way around. For now, as we try to out-clever the system and continue flouting the proper economy-environment relationship—i.e. the laws of nature—we are merely bulldozing the pile of consequences further (and higher) into the future. But that cannot last.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:20:45

Progressive Commentary Hour

The Madness of King America — 18 Feb 2013— Gary Null and panelists discuss the deep delusions that plague Americans about the true nature of the United States and the multifaceted debt-energy-environmental predicament we find ourselves in. Guests are Dispelling Wetiko author Paul Levy, peak oil/collapse guru Carolyn Baker, and deep-thinker Jim Garrison.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   56:59

Post Carbon Institute

Is Growth the Solution or the Problem? — 18 Feb 2013 — The collapse in economic growth following the global financial crisis has led to millions losing their jobs, their homes and, for some, their prospects for the future. While economists and politicians argue over how to return to sustained growth, Richard Heinberg says they are missing the point. Our obsession with economic growth is the problem, not the solution.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   53:19

Radio EcoShock

Going Positive in a Negative World — 13 Feb 2013 — Science is telling us that humans are in the process of ruining the world for life as we know it and we're chewing through resources as though there is no tomorrow. We feel utterly helpless in the face of corp-gov insanity and declining economic conditions. As we look for alternatives, how can we avoid the pitfalls of past superstition, the craziness prevalent in most forms of media, and the depressive reality that threatens to transfix us with overwhelming dread? Carolyn Baker offers some thoughts.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   26:00

ExtraEnvironmentalist

De-Growth—Can We Accept Its Inevitability? — 16 Jan 2013 — Decades of material growth have left us with a limited imagination for alternatives. Now that we've hit the point of diminishing returns for additional economic growth, can we decolonize our mind? In the developed world, is it possible to improve our quality of life while decreasing our standard of living? Could it be possible to degrow our economies in a way that creates a happier and healthier society and improves quality of life? Interview clips with degrowth academics and activists feature Josh Farley, David Suzuki, Bill Rees, Charles Hall, Gail Tverberg, Juliet Schor, and others.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:30:00

C-Realm Podcast

John Michael Greer on Slow Collapse, Totalitarian Centrism, and Binary Thaumaturgy — 30 Jan 2013— John Michael Greer talks about "binary thaumaturgy" and other means by which political conversation in the United States has been reduced to meaningless utterances meant to divide the population into antagonistic factions. Greer says fascism arises when divisive political language has driven participants to extremes, clearing the way for totalitarian centrism. Chronic economic decline—or slow collapse—fosters fascism. But he does see opportunity in this mess—if we opt for it.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   57:47

Post Carbon Institute

Michael Shuman:  Creative, Effective Techniques for Boosting Local Business — 11 Jan 2013 — Michael Shuman reviews a raft of techniques for boosting local businesses—not theories, but things that are already being done and that are working. These include growing vertically rather than horizontally, creating local exchange/trading systems, and working the "Six P's of Local": Planning, People, Purse, Purchasing, Partners, Policymaking. He also reviews the numbers that show why, in spite of corporate subsidies, "small and local" is still growing.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   54:48

Sierra Club Radio

Mosaic Connects People with Solar Energy Projects to Invest In — 19 Jan 2013 — Billy Parish is co-founder of Mosaic, a company that connects people with solar energy projects to invest in. As little as $25 can get a person plugged in.
Page to download whole show  |  Download/listen to this segment   12:37

Post Carbon Institute

Rob Hopkins:  Relocalization is the Future — 04 Jan 2013 — Rob Hopkins does a fast review of the many relocalization initiatives that have taken off in the UK, noting that once one transition group implements a good idea, many other groups follow suit. He gives his vision for 10 years into the future.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   9:54

The Lifeboat Hour

Ruppert:  Multiple Major Tipping Points Have Been Passed — 27 Jan 2013 — Mike Ruppert's discussion topics include.... multiple major tipping points have been passed; killer air pollution in China; total deforestation in Greece as heating oil becomes unaffordable; US and China fighting over who gets Japan and Australia; shamans are saying crazy times are near.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   55:36

Post Carbon Institute

The Peak Oil Message—Overcoming Belief-System Barriers — 03 Jan 2013 — Chris Martenson explains how we are surrounded by exponential curves that all point in the wrong direction. Whether it's economics, energy, or environment, the trends are mathematically unsustainable and WILL change. For old-time peak oilers, what's new here is that Martenson discusses the psychological barriers that most people have to absorbing the information, and he offers framing techniques for overcoming the problem. He also discusses creative ways people can change their investment patterns to improve return and be more resilient at the same time.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   53:19

(GP comment:  The speech was given as the keynote at the 4th Annual Biophysical Economics Conference in Oct 2012—but Martenson's remarks are still 100% relevant.)

Radio EcoShock

Richard Heinberg:  Life After Growth — 14 Jan 2014 — Richard Heinberg says our energy policy has changed little since 1960—it was and is all about the fossil fuels. But in the relentless quest to increase the supply of diminishing resources, we are inexorably destroying the last remaining wild places on the planet and polluting every single part of the planet. He reviews the "Limits to Growth" trends, explaining why the data say we have been on a path of exponential growth that is now failing. In the future, we will find ourselves needing to live more locally, with less mobility—and sustainably. But we can be smart about it, if we step up to the challenge.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:00:00

C-Realm Podcast

Peak Oil—Reframing the Sucky Collapse — 09 Jan 2013— It's an odd thing—people are fascinated by predictions of spectacular societal collapse. But if you try to talk to them about the non-Hollywood, non-apocalyptic type of collapse—such as that associated with peak oil, unsustainable debt, and other norm-killing threats—they aren't interested or can't cope with the idea that an insidious resource problem will combine with a leadership problem to continually eat away at their prosperity until it's gone. "Peak shrink" Kathy McMahon discusses the psychology of collapse predictions and the reality of our ongoing "slow collapse."
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:00:00

Sea Change Radio

Richard Heinberg on Yergin's Quest — 12 Dec 2012 — Energy consultant Daniel Yergin's book The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World offers readers an overview of the modern energy industry and posits that peak oil—the premise that the world's oil supply is being rapidly depleted—is an out-dated theory that ignores new discoveries in shale deposits. Richard Heinberg says, not so fast there, Danny boy.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   29:00

Destiny Survival Radio

Crazy Apes on Digital Cocaine — 06 Dec 2012 — George Ure discusses the central role that the internet now plays in all aspects of our lives. If, say, a nuclear- or solar-based EMP knocked down electrical grids, the internet, and other centralized services for an extended period of time, would most households be able to cope? Other topics include internet addiction, privacy issues related to internet activity, connecting vs. bonding, and how technology is affecting our lives. He briefly touches on the Web Bot-predicted 2013 "data gap," which could be a manifestation of a future extended internet outage.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:28:10

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Prosperity Without Growth — 22 Nov 2012 — There are two big problems with modern economics as it is practiced: (1) Externalities like environmental degradation, human health effects, and future resource needs are not accounted for in the pricing of current goods. (2) The system is dependent on never-ending growth; without it, the system fails. In the first half of this must-hear show, Peter Victor discusses "ecological economics" and how it differs from other disciplines of economic thought. In the second half, Dave Gardiner of the film Growthbusters talks about his experience trying to educate the masses on the ills of the infinite growth paradigm.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:33:27

Peak Prosperity

John Michael Greer:  If the Four Horsemen Arrive, Be Able to Offer Beer — 10 Nov 2012 — John Michael Greer observes that most people in the US have a national mythology that limits are always bad. This has given rise to a techno-utopic view of the and ever-more-abundant future. On the other end of the spectrum are those who see total collapse coming. In reality, Greer thinks the future will bring neither. Instead, the US position of hegemony—attained by having the global reserve currency and the military might to enforce it—will end, causing pain but not collapse. We'll need to live more simply, more locally, on less energy, and with skills that produce things of actual value. Smart folks will try to get ahead of this curve by adjusting their lives now.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   46:46

Post Carbon Institute / Fuzzy Logic Science Show

Magic Pudding Economics—Money-Printing vs. Peak Energy — Oct 2012 — Richard Heinberg says that money-printing efforts to fix the financial mess may eventually succeed, but they will not fix the underlying energy shortfall that is increasingly putting pressure on the global economy. He also notes that population is another factor in the resource problem. He thinks that in the future we will necessarily be living more locally, using less energy. After we go through a period of psychological adjustment, most people will probably come to see it as a good thing.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   28:24

The Real World of Money

Andrew Gause on Strategic Emergency Preparedness — 07 Nov 2012 — Andrew Gause, who recently went through the Sandy ordeal with other residents of the US northeast, discusses the importance of preparedness as a standard mode of operation. In particular, relationships become critical—your internet friends will not be there to help you, but neighbors, friends, and solid business acquaintances will be.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   55:07

C-Realm Podcast

Non-Hierarchical Adaptive Responses — 07 Nov 2012 — KMO talks with James Fields, of Bunny Goat Farm about coordinating disaster relief outside of the context of established and self-perpetuating hierarchical structures. They also consider the role that Occupy Wall Street is playing on the ground in the wake of super-storm Sandy. Later, KMO talks with Gil Lopez of Nourishing Cities about the potential for the storm to open up a teachable moment regarding the relationship of urban populations to food production.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   57:50

Clif's Wujo

Clif High on Chaos, Collapse, and Resilience — 14 Oct 2012 — After briefly discussing StoneBooks, the project to preserve knowledge, Clif High talks about unfolding events. Topics include... The breaking pedophilia scandals will center in the UK and then spread to the Catholic church hierarchy and Hollywood. The temporal marker for the collapse of the dollar has been reached. Contrary to the plans of TPTB, there will be substantial chaos in the US, first triggered by food shortages and the collapse of the food-stamp system. He thinks the use of mind-control drugs on US soldiers will be a factor in how far they will go in following orders to oppress the US population. Before June 2013, he thinks we'll see grid failure and massive earth changes due to a solar event, with a related double-whammy, the "global coastal event." He strongly urges everyone to get fit and get resilient.
Page to download show   1:00:32

(GP comment:  Pssst—Wanna buy a ready-to-go resilient homestead?)

Time Monk Radio Network

James Wesley Rawles:  Prepping—From Fiction to Reality — 15 Sep 2012 — James Wesley Rawles writes fiction intended to inform readers about the realities of coming collapse and to tutor them on how they can be prepared for a chaotic future. In this interview, Rawles weaves together themes from his novels with analysis of current events, offering a range of believable collapse scenarios—and prepping solutions for them.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:08:31

The Gary Null Show

Technology in the Era of Energy Descent—Diminishing Returns and Blowback — 24 Sep 2012 — James Howard Kunstler reviews the crazy train we call America. He says technology as applied in the areas of money, banking, and finance is doing an enormous amount of damage, destroying legitimate markets. Our unfounded enthusiasm for technology and our assumption of an ever-increasing techno-utopia is our Achilles heel. As energy constraints really take hold, the delusions about technology and fairytales about a bright shiny future will shatter. All political rhetoric in the US is geared to the unrealistic proposition that business as usual will continue. Real solutions look like walkable communities, revitalized railways, and backyard gardens, not 100 million electric cars and uncountable plastic-wrapped industrial foodstuffs.
Page to download whole show  |  Download/listen to this segment   12:38

One Radio Network

Sharon Astyk on Being Prepared for the Unexpected — 25 Sep 2012 — Homesteading guru Sharon Astyk talks about prepping, including dealing with energy sources and window heat retention/rejection in winter and summer; food preservation and canning tips, including "How long does canned food stay good for?" and why brown rice can't be stored long-term; storing water for emergencies; and keeping stored fuel usable.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:03:08

Radio EcoShock

Transition Yourself — 26 Sep 2012 — The first half hour presents ideas for getting your community going on transitioning to a world that uses less energy but is more fulfilling and more secure. Sprouts host Mark Helpsmeet talks to transition towners Ruah Wennerfelt and Steve Chase. ~~ Then Greg Pahl, author of Power from the People, talks about the benefits of developing local power—and how to go about doing it.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:00:00

Connect the Dots

The Real Economics of Fracked Natural Gas — 19 Sep 2012 — Deborah Rogers of the Energy Policy Forum discusses the economics and propaganda of the fracking industry. Though the industry claims "100 years of natural gas" in the US, the real number is more like 10. Now, even the industry players are recognizing that they have a problem with their economics, with 80% of wells losing money and producers struggling to keep up with debt payments. She also discusses the financialization of the industry and the problems that's causing, and she explains why much of the gas being fracked is slated for export out of the US.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   55:24

Science Friday

National Academy of Sciences Study Says Wind Power Plentiful in US — 14 Sep 2012 — A new National Academy of Sciences study that finds great potential in US wind power. Questions covered in this SciFri discussion include... How quickly could we get to, say, 20% of US electricity coming from wind? What do we do for power when the wind isn't blowing? What about untapped wind resources like the whooshing near highways? What about the bird kill issues?
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   19:34

ABC (Australia) / Post Carbon Institute

Richard Heinberg Explains Peak Everything — 18 Sep 2012— Richard Heinberg explains how resource limits, especially oil limits, will be a choke point for continued economic growth.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   38:49

(GP comment:  None of this will be new for peak oil veterans, though the interviewer does an excellent job of asking questions that clarify Heinberg's message.)

The Lifeboat Hour

Transitioning to Sustainability—The Only Sane Response — 02 Sep 2012 — Carolyn Baker talks to "deep transition" gurus Michael Brownlee and Lynette Marie Hanthorn. They note that there are many converging crises, and one may wonder if civilization is "committing suicide." But on a practical level, working on transitioning to sustainability is the only sane response. Interestingly, many people are being drawn to work on these issues not from fear, but from a sort of spiritual calling.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   55:11

ExtraEnvironmentalist|

Dmitry Orlov:  Developing Breakdown — 13 Sep 2012 — Dmitry Orlov discusses the developing systemic breakdown threatening to destroy the global credit system. Dmitry describes his view of the mortal blow to globalized trading, discusses how society would transform after it evaporates, and speculates on who would be best prepared for the financial system to go broke. ~~ The seconds segment explores what's it's like to drop out of society.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:14:47

TED / Post Carbon Institute

Collective Intelligence—Cities as Global Intelligence Platforms — Aug 2012 — Warren Karlenzig makes the case that social media and collaborative technologies—layered with smart systems combining geo-location data with human experience—will make cities the driving sustainability force in the future. Creatively leveraging collective intelligence for clean-energy mobility and local, sustainable food and water, the new urban grid will enable a high quality of life, lifelong learning, and vibrant green economies.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   15:54

(GP comment:  These are all good ideas that we should be working on, but we will not be "saved by technology" without a simultaneous radical transformation of human behavior.)

Keiser Report on Russia Today

Orlov:  2013 Travel Advisory — 22 Aug 2012 — In the first half, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss cows and banksters: As the US drought has one farmer feeding candy to his cows, Central Bank "economic farmers" can't see the ill-effects of the candy they pump into the market. ~~ In the second half, Max talks to Dmitry Orlov about 2013, when Orlov thinks the global economic situation will have declined further, making it inadvisable to travel to many parts of the world. He also discusses how supply chain collapse might play out in the US.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   25:45

ExtraEnvironmentalist

How We Can Start Building a Post-Growth World — 26 Aug 2012 — Paul Sinclair discusses a new field of archeological research that is discovering the role of urban gardening throughout history and during wartime in ancient cities. ~~ Donnie Maclurcan of the Post Growth Institute explains how we can start building a post-growth world. ~~ John Michael Greer answers listener questions and discusses the study "Trade Off: A Study in Global Systemic Collapse," which details how a cascading collapse could lead to rapid end for the global supply.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:28:39

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Chris Nelder - Power Transition — 09 Aug 2012— Energy guru Chris Nelder discusses the global energy picture—particularly the US energy picture. He describes the often delusional energy stories we tell ourselves, explaining why continuing to think the solution is a renaissance of nuclear power or more cheap fossil fuels is a fool's game that will only delay action on renewables and make the inevitable energy-transition pain worse.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   2:10:28

C-Realm Podcast

James Howard Kunstler on the Masses—Poised Between Denial and Anger — 08 Aug 2012 — James Howard Kunstler discusses the themes in his new book, Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation. Subtopics include credible speculation vs. conspiracy theories, the lost cause of electoral politics, and the significance of the abandonment of the rule of law as it applies to the elites and their industries.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:00:00

Peak Prosperity

James Howard Kunstler—It's Too Late for Solutions — 13 Jul 2012 — In this excellent interview by Chris Martenson, James Howard Kunstler points out that the problems in the financial system have now eclipsed even the peak-oil cliff of energy doom. The elites are continuing their unchecked criminal behavior and the masses are continuing their mindless, infantile distractions; thus, no solution will happen before the system falls of its own weight. Even among greens, the main discussion is about how to run cars on different energies and why "Disappointing Obama" is at least better than "Robberbaron Romney," not on how to truly transform civilization.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   41:10

Green Power & Wellness

When the Biomass Hits the Wind Turbine — 31 Jul 2012 — Jay and Annie Warmke, authors of When the Biomass Hits the Wind Turbine, discuss fossil fuel subsidies, closed-cycle farming, and the new pricing advantage of renewable energy. They define sustainability as using practices that do not take away from the future.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   52:01

Post Carbon Institute

Richard Heinberg on Energy Hype — 25 Jun 2012 — "Peak Everything" guru Richard Heinberg discusses some of the hype currently being offered by the fossil fuel industry. Contrary to claims, the "natural gas boom" created using fracking is actually a bubble that is imploding, and more broadly, there is no way the US can become energy independent by exploiting more of its own resources. Worse, allowing the dinosaur technologies to soak up public attention and financial support means that momentum is stolen from alternative energies, just when it's needed most.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   7:38

The Lifeboat Hour

Michael Ruppert:  From Peak Oil to Quantum Physics to Transformation — 08 Jul 2012 — Michael Ruppert moves beyond peak oil, the corruptocracy, and collapse, advising that the place to look for answers now is among the likes of Greg Braden, Little Grandmother, Drunvalo Melchizedek, Michio Kaku, Amit Gotswami, David Wilcock, Delores Cannon, and The Disclosure Project. He comments: "Man will not be allowed to destroy this planet, which is cherished in the universe. Intervention has begun." He also plays excerpts from his recent heart-note speech.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   59:29

KunstlerCast

James Howard Kunstler on Our Addiction to Delusion — 12 Jul 2012 — JHK discusses his new nonfiction book, Too Much Magic:  Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation. Even as peak oil looms silent and large, even as Ponzinomics palpably fails, leaders and followers alike are still embracing techno-narcissistic solutions that have no chance of success.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   16:32

Sea Change Radio

Making Waves, Making Energy — 10 Jul 2012 — A number of guests discuss wave energy, which converts ocean wave motion into electricity. Among the projects is one to propagate buoy-based ocean power across the globe and another that uses "oscillating water column" technology to capture wave energy. Also covered are the successes and challenges associated with wave power.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   29:59

Living On Earth

Cape Spin—An American Power Struggle — 20 Jul 2012 — What started as a project to build America's first offshore windfarm turned into a ten-year battle, with powerful interests on both sides. Filmmaker Robbie Gemmel 's film Cape Spin chronicles the extreme opinions on both sides. Here he discusses some of the issues.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   11:27

(GP comment:  The fight against Cape Wind is one of the worst-ever cases of elite hypocrisy.)

NPR

Tapping Sewers for Energy — 12 Jul 2012 — Officials in Brainerd, Minn., say the sewers below the city streets are a huge potential source of energy that could be used for heating and cooling. A local company has devised a system to capture the energy, and city officials plan to hook up the police station by the end of the year.
Download/Listen   3:28

(GP comment:  Better than not doing it, I guess. But it does not excuse the very poor utilization of energy in the US in general or the nightmarishly poor treatment of sewage.)

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Innovation, Energy, Complexity, and Peak Everything — 01 Jul 2012 — Sander van der Leeuw explains how societies use innovation to shift short-term risks to long-term risks through the application of technology, energy, and collaboration. A natural outcome of the upward innovation spiral is the increasing complexity of how we get things done and an increase in how many things we're doing. We're now in the steep upward part of the innovation-complexity curve, and without a similar increase in energy resources and/or energy efficiency, that will not continue. Society will be forced to adapt to living with less.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:58:46

ASPO

Robert Hirsch: The Oil Crises of the 1970s—Get Ready for the Reruns — Jun 2012 — Robert L. Hirsch revisits the effects of the oil crises of the 1970s, their economic impacts, and the effects they had on human activities and psychology. Those crises were political in nature, and eventually things got better. But today we face geological constraints on oil production, and we are on the verge of a new oil crisis. Unfortunately, it appears that we learned nothing from the earlier crises: we have not prepared; we are not even aware; and we will experience the same impacts again—this time without the promise of a new ramp-up in oil production.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   22:51

C-Realm Podcast

Peak Blame and the Politics of Energy Constraints — 27 Jun 2012 — Mark Robinowitz of OilEmpire.us discusses why neither the mainstream political left or right in the United States addresses the issue of peak oil in a realistic way. Republicans rebuked the US Navy for attempting to wean itself off of fossil fuels because they see alternative fuels as a partisan issue for Democrats. On the left, establishment environmental and social justice organizations are still holding onto unrealistic green technology and green capitalism paradigms. One thing won't be in short supply as the energy descent becomes clear—blame.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   59:59

ASPO

Net Energy—The Achilles Heel of Unconventional Oil and Gas — Jun 2012 — Geologist Euan Mearns discusses the truly huge global reserves of unconventional oil and gas, including tars sands and shale oil. BUT, he says, the low net energy characteristics of these resources means that the peaking of conventional, higher-net-energy resources is a serious problem for business as usual.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   28:32

Peak Moment

Getting Stove Design Boosts Wood-Burning Efficiency, Air Quality — 21 Jun 2012 — The key to a good wood burning stove is to get as much heat content as possible out of what you burn, and then to maximize the efficiency of the heat transfer to the room or to a cooking pot. Mike Hatfield and Fred Colgan explain good stove design principles in detail and discuss their project to improve resource utilization efficiency and reduce indoor air pollution by shipping specialized stove parts and assembly jigs to developing countries, where local people can construct rocket stoves from mostly local materials.
No longer available from host site.  

(GP comment:  Rocket stoves may seem like a narrow topic, but there are a lot of important principles discussed here. Anyone who burns wood for heat or cooking (or who wants to) should listen. And for a post-peak world, using local materials will also be important.)

ASPO via Energy Bulletin

Nate Hagens:  Peak Oil, Money, and Evolutionary Psychology — 19 Jun 2012 — Hagens believes peak oil is geologic in nature but the impacts will be market- and human-behavior-driven. Here he presents an interesting angle on how human psychology plays into people's relentless push for more and more—particularly more money and material wealth—as they try to "keep ahead of the Joneses". Peak oil is less a problem of energy constraints and more a problem of unbounded human expectations. Hagens thinks an important part of the solution will be to scientifically define what a sustainable society might look like.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   49:00

Radio EcoShock

Guy McPherson:  Still Walking Away From Empire — 20 Jun 2012 — After teaching about empire and the limits of civilization for years, Guy McPherson decided he had to personally unplug. He left the University of Arizona to go off-grid in New Mexico, developing a largely self-sustaining small farm. McPherson discusses the barriers to personal change and why more and more people are searching for survival-based transition strategies and a reality-based way of life.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   59:59

ExtraEnvironmentalist

Bill Rees:  Why We're in Denial About Limits — 07 Jun 2012 — In an interview at the Montreal De-Growth Conference, Bill Rees speaks about why most humans are in denial about the failure of the human enterprise as well as the threats posed by ecological damage and energy constraints. He also talks about how we could start adapting to our ecological challenges through a new cultural narrative.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   15:22

C-Realm Podcast

Religious Hegemony and Scientific Rationalism in a Post-Peak World — 13 Jun 2012 — The same fossil fuel windfall that has allowed industry to replace the work of human and animal muscles with machines and thus allowed for the emancipation of millions of people from forced labor has also allowed a flowering of scientific rationalism and an atheistic worldview. Might some of the moral progress of recent centuries prove ephemeral in the wake of peak oil? The consolation of religion appeals to humans in times of uncertainty and hardship. So what are the prospects for science and atheism in the context of the industrial collapse and population contraction?
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   59:36

ASPO via Energy Bulletin

Arthur Berman:  The Shale Gas "Gold Rush" is Over — 20 Jun 2012 — Geological consultant Arthur Berman explains to the ASPO 2012 conference his view that the "gold rush" period of shale gas in the US is about to be over. Though shale gas has compensated for the decline in conventional gas wells, shale gas wells are seeing steep decline rates, suppliers are overtaxing wells, and companies are under-investing. This means the shale gas boom will probably peter out in the next two years. Berman also explains why he thinks US gas reserves are overstated.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   33:11

(GP comment:  Berman's presentation is a little plodding and dense with statistics, but he paints a clear picture—the US nat gas hurrah is mostly hot air.)

Free Speech Radio News

California School District Goes for Solar, Big-Time — 29 May 2012 — A San Francisco-area school district is nearing completion on a massive 12.1 megawatt solar project that officials estimate will save it more than $220 million over the next few decades. By the end of summer, more than 50 school sites in the Mt. Diablo unified school district will get about 90 percent of their energy from solar panels.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   4:13

The Lifeboat Hour

Diminishing Returns from the Application of Force — 27 May 2012 — Charles Eisenstein and Michael Ruppert's discussion includes... TPTB are suffering diminishing returns from their applications of force—a sure sign of empire in decline. If post-collapse US breaks up into regions, it will be because localism is a practical necessity. They also deal with the difficult issue of the aware individual in a family where no one else is getting it yet.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   54:32

The Lifeboat Hour

12-Step Program for Dealing with Collapse — 03 Jun 2012 — The conversation between Michael Ruppert and Carolyn Baker includes... the difference between religion and spirituality; the relevance of hitting bottom in the current milieu; why humans need a 12-step program for dealing with collapse; how Joan of Arc and Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" inform the spiritual approach to collapse.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   55:59

Shift Shapers

You Peak-Oil Commie Buzz-Kill Doomer! — 13 May 2012 — Do you look at a world of predatory capitalism, economic shocks, peak oil, shrinking resources, and climate chaos and say it's fairly obvious we're headed towards a collapse, or at least a major shift that will be unpleasant? Does expressing this view to others cause them to think you're weird or radical or just a buzz-kill? Kathy McMahon, a clinical psychologist, explains how one can deal with the anxiety and isolation of realizing that our civilization has hit a wall and will not recover.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   31:02

Lifeboat Hour

Mike Ruppert and Peter Joseph on Collapse — 12 May 2012 — Mike Ruppert and Peter Joseph discuss collapse, those who are awake, and those who continue to sleepwalk towards the cliff. Comments include... people who merely want to know "when will it collapse" are just selfish zombies; there's a historical continuum of the rule of the self-serving psychopathic elites; most people are delusional because they are trapped by their fallacious assumptions.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   53:37

Shift Shapers

Michael Ruppert:  Get Ready for Transition — 11 May 2012 — Michael Ruppert has warned us before. He's warning us again now. The arrival of peak-oil, the violent chicanery of global governments, and the scramble for dwindling fuel supplies—all the signs are screaming that collapse is coming. Ruppert recommends leaving the clueless zombies to their delusions and focusing energy on increasing local food production. "Embrace the death of the old that you may experience, participate in, and rejoice in the birth of the new."
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   47:10

Sierra Club Radio

Maggie Koerth-Baker on the US Energy Future — May 2012 — Maggie Koerth-Baker discusses some of the thorny issues that face the energy future of the United States. She focuses particularly on topics related to electricity and the grid. Her book is Before the Lights Go Out: Conquering the Energy Crisis Before it Conquers Us.
Download/listen to this segment   13:12
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Russia Today / The Keiser Report

Energy, Speculators, and Political Dog Whistles — 08 May 2012 — Max and Stacy discuss the US natural gas market, the associated speculative bubbles, and the Obama's delusions over future natural gas supplies. ~~ Leah McGrath Goodman discusses oil futures trading and why the price of gasoline is so high.
Watch  |  Download/Listen   25:45

Lifeboat Hour

Collapse Clarions vs. the Zombie Populace — 22 Apr 2012 — The discussion between Mike Ruppert and Dmitry Orlov includes... Between Romney and Obama, which will bring about "fast collapse" sooner? Is "Powerdown" really an option? If the markets will soon nosedive, should one short the markets? Why do most people have such a hard time getting out of zombie mode? What should do-gooder "collapse clarions" do about their inability to penetrate others' minds with the truth?
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   53:39

Radio EcoShock

The Beginning of The End — 24 Apr 2012 — Chris Martenson explains why he thinks economic collapse will come before peak oil or climate disruption, and he give a few thoughts on what we average Joes and Janes should be watching for. ~~ Mat Stein explains how a solar flare could cripple our technological society. Additionally, the electrical grid going down could cause the world's nuke plants to "go Chernobyl." Less vulnerable grid transformers exist and are not too expensive.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   1:00:00

Sea Change Radio

Floating Offshore Turbines—Not-In-My-Beachview Wind Power — 10 Apr 2012 — Habib Dagher discusses a new floating wind turbine project that is scheduled to launch off the coast of Maine in the summer of 2013. Unlike the much-argued-over Cape Wind project, these turbines are far enough away from land that it can't be seen from the coast. Dagher talks about the technology, its capacity for energy capture, and some of the challenges facing the offshore wind industry as a whole.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   29:58

KunstlerCast

Characterizing Life in Post-Peak America — 26 Apr 2012 — Fielding questions from a student audience, James Howard Kunstler's topics include... why the alternate-fuel fleet is a pipedream and why even a revitalized US rail network will be only a partial solution; why New York City has both unique advantages and challenges for the post-peak world; why condos will be particularly troubled as collapse sets in; how landscape monocultures concentrate poverty; a call for renouncement of student loans.
Part 1:  Go to page  |  Download/Listen   50:14
Part 2:  Go to page  |  Download/Listen   31:24

Unwelcome Guests

Getting Local Food Going — 07 Apr 2012 — Pam Warhurst is one of the founders of "Incredible Edible," a local group that aims to increase the amount of local food grown and eaten in the UK town of Todmorden. She explains the process that resulted in this successful "grow local" movement. The town council, local businesses, schools, farmers, and the whole community are all involved.
Go to page
Download/Listen   59:30

Post Carbon Institute / NPR-WYPR

Richard Heinberg on the Roots of the Global Economic Slowdown and "The New Normal" — 04 Apr 2012 — Richard Heinberg discusses the global economic slowdown, saying the roots of it are in the peaking of energy supplies, the never-ending economic growth approach, and bailouts for Wall Street while main street crumbles. Even if the latter problem were addressed, there is no getting past peaking energy supplies. Since energy is the foundation of wealth, a lower level "new normal" is coming, and most people will find it very challenging.
Go to page  |  Download/Listen   49:03

Radio EcoShock

Fukushima, Nuclear Powerdown, and Post-Peak Japan — 04 Apr 2012 — Warren Karlenzig provides an update on Japan after its tsunami and nuclear accident, with a particular focus on the power shortages and how that has affected daily life. It's a glimpse at the "powerdown" scenario described by peak oilist Richard Heinberg, only this one's not voluntary. ~~ Helen Caldicott gives a short interview, refreshing us on the two-headed nuclear dragon—energy and weapons.
Ref page:  Go to page  |  Part 1:  Download/Listen   24:00
Part 2:  Download/Listen   7:00

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