Tag Archive | "overshoot"
A review before the exam
Actually, this review is too late for the many people who have already endured economic collapse. As any of those folks can tell the rest of us, we do not want to receive the lesson after the exam. I’ve written all this before, but I have not recently provided a concise summary. This essay provides [...]
Continue reading...Economic and environmental consequences of expensive oil
Friday, July 16, 2010
What are the causes and consequences of expensive oil? The first question is posed in this article, and answered surprisingly well by a neoclassical economist. He understands the relationship between the price of oil and economic growth, and he hints at constrained supply while also expressing irrational exuberance about continued economic growth. As an economist, [...]
Continue reading...Wanted: two miracles
Monday, January 25, 2010
The cover of William Catton’s 1980 book, Overshoot, includes the following definitions: carrying capacity: maximum permanently supportable load. cornucopian myth: euphoric belief in limitless resources. drawdown: stealing resources from the future. cargoism: delusion that technology will always save us from overshoot: growth beyond an area’s carrying capacity, leading to crash: die-off. Most people to whom [...]
Continue reading...Can we handle the truth?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The International Energy Agency (IEA) released World Energy Outlook 2009 today. Even before the sham was shipped, it was exposed as a big 'ol bucket of lies. Seems the current administration thinks Americans can't handle the truth, so we need to apply some pressure to keep the lid on the facts. If this country's paragon of transparency (i.e., world's leading liar) and master of hope (i.e., wishful thinking) actually trusted the American people, perhaps we could avert chaos.
Continue reading...Earth egg
Friday, July 17, 2009
Even many secular people believe Earth is an egg. Once needed, we will simply abandon this ship for another planet. How stupid is this view? Quantitative skills have never been revered in this country, so it's no surprise most people think we can simply plan the journey and load up the rich folks (including all middle-class Americans, of course) on a few minutes' notice. Let's actually do the math.
Continue reading...The easy life
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
When there's no food on the shelves, no gas at the convenience store, and no water coming out the taps, it's safe to conclude the empire has abandoned you. But if you think an economic recovery is right around the corner, you still will not abandon the empire. By that time, it's too late to start thinking about other arrangements. Hell, it's too late to pack the car and hit the road.
Continue reading...
Monday, August 16, 2010
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