Should we be #%#%# mad at BP for the Gulf Oil spill? Should we hold them and/or Halliburton and/or Transocean accountable for the lives lost, and the environmental and economic damage they caused? Should we be angered by BP's delay tactics in sharing video footage of the oil leak or by their attempts to pay off people in order to avoid later lawsuits? Absolutely. And should we disgusted by California power company PG&E's power grab (Proposition 16) or the fact that out-of-state oil interests are trying to block California from enacting legislation it passed three years ago with the deceptively named "California Jobs Initiative"? Damn straight!
But why are we wasting a second of our time or energy expecting anything different? The sooner we understand that debating the fossil fuel industry or buying their false, half-measure solutions like "clean coal", the sooner we can turn our attention to the real work at hand—getting ourselves off fossil fuels.
Asher Miller
(above excerpted from An Even Bigger Spill Looming?)
post carbon on the oil spill
As events continued to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico this month, Post Carbon Fellows have been reflecting on the implications of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
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Deepwater Horizon: This Is What the End of the Oil Age Looks Like
Post by Richard Heinberg • May 25, 2010
Lately I've been reading the excellent coverage of the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill at www.TheOilDrum.com, a site frequented by veteran oil geologists and engineers... Read more |
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9 Global Experts Steer the Gulf Oil Spill Conversation into Fresh Waters
Post by staff • May 20, 2010
In an effort to broaden the conversation about the horrific Gulf Coast oil spill, nine Fellows of Post Carbon Institute offer their perspectives on largely underreported aspects and outcomes of the disaster. Includes views from Erika Allen, David Fridley, David Hughes, Gloria Flora, Stephanie Mills, Tom Whipple, Warren Karlenzig, William Ryerson, Zenobia Barlow... Read more |
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The Peak Oil Crisis: The Deepwater Horizon
Article by Tom Whipple • May 20, 2010
It has been nearly a month since the tragic events aboard BP's drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, which suffered a blowout, caught fire, and sank in the Gulf of Mexico... Read more |
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"Fire Ice" Impact on Oil Spill, Containment and Energy Future
Post by Warren Karlenzig • May 10, 2010
Stranger than fiction: methane hydrate, a potential source of energy that may dwarf the supply of earth's existing fossil fuels likely caused the April 20 Deepwater Horizon-BP explosion... Read more |
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Oil-Choked Spring
Post by Stephanie Mills • May 6, 2010
Sunday morning May 2nd I drove about fifteen miles across my semi rural county to meet up with a regular group of birders... Read more |
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The Oil Slick You Can't See
Article by Bill McKibben • May 5, 2010
If you think that slick of oil spreading across the Gulf of Mexico is a nasty sight ... well, it is. And so we'll probably do something about it... Read more |
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Heinberg interviewed on Radio WMNF Community Radio
Interview with Richard Heinberg • May 6, 2010
Richard Heinberg is interviewed about oil price volatility and peak oil in the light of the Gulf of Mexico drilling disaster... Listen |
latest publications and media
Read, watch or listen to the latest content by our Fellows, Board and Staff anytime on our website. Here are some selections from the last month:
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Accounting for increasing energy use by the US food system
Post by Michael Bomford • May 26, 2010
Energy used by the US food system accounted for 80% of the increase in American energy use between 1997 and 2002... Read more |
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Eyeing the difficult path to a sustainable future
Interview with David Orr • May 26, 2010
Environmentalist David Orr says the easy part of helping the United States live within its ecological limits may be passing laws, such as one that puts a price on carbon... Read more |
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An Even Bigger Spill Looming?
Post by Asher Miller • May 21, 2010
While the nation's eyes are turned towards the oil tipped waves and tar balls washing up on the shores of the Gulf Coast, an altogether different energy disaster looms in California... Read more |
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Energy descent action plans for cities: some thoughts...
Post by Rob Hopkins • May 21, 2010
This post was prompted by an email from Brian Davey on behalf of the Energy Descent Action Plan (EDAP) Group in Transition Nottingham... Read more |
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Response to "Who's to Blame for the Population Crisis?" in Mother Jones
Article by Bill Ryerson • May 13, 2010
Congratulations to Mother Jones for dedicating the cover of their May/June 2010 issue to the population crisis... Read more |
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Brian Schwartz: Energy, Environment and Public Health
Interivew with Brian Schwatz • May 13, 2010
In this short video, Brian discusses what inspired him to devote his life to public health and how the realization that energy resources are finite led him to a deeper understanding of what will be the largest public health challenges in the future... View video |
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Of Cows and Carbon: Vermont Leads the Way
Post by Ken White • May 6, 2010
Trivia time: Which four of the US states were once independent nations? Hawai'i—check. Texas—Remember the Alamo? California—briefly, before the Gold Rush. And, uh, ummm...Vermont?!?... Read more |
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Navigating between the best of all possible worlds
Post by Asher Miller • May 6, 2010
Maybe his time as editor of Skeptic magazine has taught Michael Shermer how to spin a yarn of complete and utter nonsense. That's the only explanation I can come up with... Read more |
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China's Coal Bubble...and how it will deflate U.S. efforts to develop "clean coal"
Article by Richard Heinberg • May 4, 2010
The conventional wisdom in energy-and-environment circles is that China's economy, which is growing at a rate of eight percent or more per year, is mostly coal powered... Read more |
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take action
Are you looking for suggestions of meaningful actions you can take to respond to the issues facing us? Here are a few ideas from our allies and friends. Keep an eye on the 'take action' block on our issues page for more.
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• Defend the clean act
The Clean Air Act is only tool we have at the moment to fight climate change and we need to continue to make sure it stays intact. |
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• Host a work party
Whatever you choose to do just remember to plan a time for taking an action photo that visibly displays the number 350 and people getting to work. That way, we can stitch together a global mosaic for our leaders and the media... |
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• Make a choice
It's time to make a choice. We can let present trends continue and risk almost certain breakdown and collapse. |
fellows and staff in the press
energy bulletin highlights
Below is a selection of recent articles and media appearing on Energy Bulletin.
energy bulletin featured articles
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Asia's epic urban sagas
by Rahul Goswami, Energy Bulletin
South Asians are seeing more work on the ground and hearing more policy announcements about urban development than ever before. For many who live in and around towns and cities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India... Read more |
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Is there rehab for this oil overdose? Black tar has just taken on a whole new meaning
by Carolyn Baker, Speaking Truth to Power
It's been almost a month since the sirens of the Deep Water Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico lacerated the night with tortured warnings of impending doom... Read more |
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The lessons of climate history: implications for post-carbon agriculture
by Dan Allen, Energy Bulletin
Every so often, one of my suburban New Jersey high-school students asks me what I think will be the biggest problem associated with climate change...Read more |
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Open letter: How to get to 350ppm
by Joanne Poyourow, Transition US
In your widely publicized May 2010 letter to Bill McKibben, you ask for specific strategies to achieve a global CO2 reduction down to 350ppm. Here's how, from the United States arm of the international Transition movement...Read more |
energy bulletin featured media
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Deconstructing Dinner: Crack down on backyard and farm fresh eggs
by Jon Steinman, Deconstructing Dinner
Over the past month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (the CFIA) has embarked on a concentrated effort in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, threatening area businesses with fines... Listen |
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Peak Moment 168: Four acres and independence — a self-sufficient farmstead
by Yuba Gals Independent Media, Peak Moment Television
Take a tour, accompanied by curious sheep and geese, of Mark Cooper’s self-sufficient small farm... View media |
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From the Deepwater Horizon
by Alex Smith, Radio Ecoshock
The Gulf of Mexico "spill" is really a man-made underwater volcano of oil. This accident taps a primeval fear in the human mind... Listen |
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transition US update
A monthly update from the US regional hub of the international Transition movement.
 What a crescendo of inspiring events we have seen in these past few weeks: Great Unleashings in Whatcom County, WA, Carrboro-Chapel Hill, NC, Bloomington, IN and Laguna Beach CA; the first statewide Transition gathering in Vermont; and in our own backyards (literally) the rustle of people building gardens in the 350 garden challenge (in the end over 600 new gardens were installed). From edible garden tours to workshops on building, housing & community, read the May Round-up of What’s Happening out in the World of Transition and, as always, the monthly Transition US Newsletter for more on Transition Initiatives, projects and resources.
If you plan on going to the US Social Forum, June 22-26 consider one of the workshops TUS Board Member Dave Room and Transition Trainers Tina Clark and Bill Aal will be facilitating on Building Community Resilience and Economic Well-Being and Social Equity. |
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events
View our events calendar
 Peak oil - Peak everything
June 9, 2010, Aalesund, Norway
Post Carbon Senior Fellow Richard Heinberg will speak at the InnoTown® Innovation Conference 2010 on what complex, interconnected issues must be dealt with if we are to achieve a resilient future, whether new technologies or new discoveries save the day, and what must we do to transition away from oil, coal and natural gas.
Further event information. |
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 Slow Money National Gathering
June 9, 2010, Aalesund, Norway
Post Carbon Fellow Bill McKibben will share his latest perspectives on global environmental issues and the role that local food systems play in addressing them.
Further event information. |
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 CCMA conference 2010
June 10-12, 2010, Bloomington, IN
Post Carbon Fellow Michael Shuman will give the Saturday keynote for the 5th Annual Consumer Cooperative Management Association Conference.
Further event information. |
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 Schooling for Sustainability: Making Teaching and Learning Come Alive
June 23—25, 2010, Berkeley, CA
Post Carbon Fellow Zenobia Barlow is the executive director and cofounder of the Center for Ecoliteracy. The seminar is an opportunity to learn about the growing schooling for sustainability movement.
Further event information. |
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 2010 Aspen Environment Forum
July 25—28, 2010, Aspen, CO
Post Carbon Senior Fellow Richard Heinberg will be one of the speakers on this year's programme...
Further event information. |
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 On The Money - A Vision Quest to the Heart of Local Money
August 14-18, 2010, Findhorn, Scotland
Post Carbon Fellow Richard Douthwaite, presenting via videolink, will be one of the guest speakers. Richard is helping to develop the Liquidity Network, a debt-free electronic currency system, in Ireland.
Further event information. |
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 Southwest Michigan Community Harvest Fest
September 19, 2010, Scotts, MI
Post Carbon Senior Fellow Richard Heinberg will be making the featured presentation at this event on the subject of 'Sustainability: How to Make the Transition'.
Further event information. |
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 Green Collar Jobs
September 21, 2010, Syracuse, NY
While the term "green-collar jobs" gains more press and pundits daily, very few people have actually marshaled the resources to get unemployed Americans trained and placed on pathways out of poverty in this growing economic sector. Post Carbon Fellow Majora Carter has.
Further event information. |
Image credit: Oil covered boot - John Moore/Getty Images
Image credit: Crawfish pile mmmyoso/flickr
Image credit: Oil spill drawing Paul Miorcha
Image credit: Crowd seen from above squiggle/flickr
Image credit: Transition Vermont — photo by Deborah Lisman
Image credit: Clear ocean Ben Gertzfield/flickr
Image credit: Water shanties — UN Habitat
Image credit: Transition Northfield Earth Day Celebration, Minnesota by Griff Wigley See original |
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