June has turned out to be a great month for hot air. Yet-again-record temperatures are cooking much of the US. The Rio+20 Summit in Brazil did next to nothing about reducing the heat in the atmosphere while producing copious hot air of its own. And a recent report by a prominent contrarian 'environmental' think tank argues that physical planetary limits aren't actually, well, limiting, giving a big green light to further future gales of (geoengineered?) hot air.
We're not about not to let bad energy and climate science go unanswered. Read Who do you trust: Mother Nature or Mr. Wizard? for our response to cornucopian and techno-optimist fantasies.
Limits are of course very real — and Richard Heinberg's recent updates to The End of Growth ( now available as an eBook) explore the limits that Europe is coming up against right now in its worrying economic crisis.
But there are ways to deal with limits that don't treat our lovely planet like a game of SimEarth. Nobel lauerate Elinor Ostrom, who died on June 12th, made one of the most important discoveries about managing our resources of the last few decades: collaborative stewardship, rather than centralized techno-management, is what builds resilience and enables sustainable communities.
As PCI Fellow Bill Rees put it, in his usual straightforward way:
"If the world community wishes to save itself, it should extend Ostrom's vision to recognize that on an ecologically full planet, the entire Earth is a commons and needs to be nurtured as if our collective lives depend on it—because they do!"
end of growth update
debunking big energy hype
The story from big energy is that the US is close to energy independence and that all we have to do to carry on business as usual is to vote for drilling. Richard Heinberg shows why this is story is wrong. Pass it on!
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Richard Heinberg Counters Big Energy PR Hype
Post Carbon Institute Senior Fellow Richard Heinberg explains how 'Big Energy' tries to mislead the American public through false claims about resources, technology and economic growth. If you know anyone who is buying into the hype, please share this. More to come soon...
Short of time? View The Bottom Line in 4.3 seconds. |
latest publications
Read, watch or listen to the latest content by our Fellows, Board, Advisers and Staff anytime on our website. Here are some selections from the last month:
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Can We Avoid the Perfect Storm?
Post by David Orr • June 26, 2012
Evolution equipped us to deal with threats from dependably loathsome enemies and fearsome creatures, but not with the opaque and cumulative long-term consequences of our own technological and demographic success. .. Read more |
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Drip Irrigation Expanding Worldwide
Post by Sandra Postel • June 25, 2012
As the world population climbs and water stress spreads around the globe, finding ways of getting more crop per drop to meet our food needs is among the most urgent of challenges... Read more |
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The Way Forward: Survival 2100
Article by Bill Rees • June 22, 2012
It's not as if we're unaware of the problem. Symptoms were already so persistent two decades ago that a proclamation by many of the world's top scientists warned that “a great change in our stewardship of the earth and the life on it... Read more |
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Green, Not Growing
Post by Ken White • June 20, 2012
We asked environmental activists if they could imagine a world without growth, and how all this uncertainty made them feel and react. Of the 91% who said they had a moderate or strong understanding of the current economic situation... Read more |
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Who do you trust: Mother Nature or Mr. Wizard?
Post by Richard Heinberg • June 20, 2012
Just when you thought weird weather and dying oceans might get us all thinking about how to reduce human impact on this little planet we call home, along comes Breakthrough Institute to propose a "solution"... Read more |
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Navigating through a Room full of Elephants
Video presentation by Nate Hagens • June 19, 2012
Board Member Nate Hagens speaking at the ASPO 2012 International Conference. Nate overviews the fundamental flaws in current economic thinking... Watch |
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On Point with Bill McKibben
Interview with Bill McKibben • June 18, 2012
Environmental champion Bill McKibben joins us on fracking, pipelines, and Mother Earth now... Listen |
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Chris Martenson's presentation at the Gold & Silver Meeting in Madrid
Video presentation by Chris Martenson • June 14, 2012
Chris explains why he thinks that the coming 20 years are going to look completely unlike the last 20 years. He focuses on the so-called three "Es"... Watch |
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Why We're in Denial
Video interview with Bill Rees • May 10, 2012
Bill discusses cultural denial and how we could start adapting to our ecological challenges through a new cultural narrative. From the recent International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas... Watch |
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Fire, Drought, and Water Stress
Post by Sandra Postel • June 6, 2012
Smoke is in the air here in the middle Rio Grande Valley, as winds push charred particulates northeast from the largest fire in New Mexico's recorded history. The Whitewater-Baldy blaze has now burned more than 350 square miles... Read more |
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On Fighting Climate Change with Family Planning
Post by Bill Ryerson, • June 5, 2012
I'm glad to see the recognition of the link between population growth and climate change. However, the statement regarding the first proposed solution is demonstrably false. The statement reads, “The U.N. Population Fund... Read more |
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The Planet Wreckers
Article by Bill McKibben • June 4, 2012
It's been a tough few weeks for the forces of climate-change denial. First came the giant billboard with Unabomber Ted Kacynzki's face plastered across it: "I Still Believe in Global Warming. Do You?"... Read more |
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Local Dollars, Local Sense
Video presentation by Michael Shuman • June 1, 2012
Michael Shuman talks about his book Local Money, Local Sense. Recorded at the Boulder Bookstore on February 22, 2012.... Watch |
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fellows and advisers in the press
energy bulletin highlights
transition US update
A monthly update from the US national hub of the international Transition movement.
 Thousands of people around the country stepped up and took the Transition Challenge this past May to build community, grow food, save water and conserve energy. Thank you to Daily Acts, Victory Garden Foundation, Sustainable Contra Costa, Marin Garden Challenge, our sponsor and media partners and hundreds of other community groups and individuals. Collectively we registered over 4,100 actions! A 273% increase over 2011. Read more...
In addition to these successful Challenge actions, there are inspiring stories from the initiatives around the country. Transition OurWay in Colorado held a great Launch event, kicking off numerous working groups, and Vermont initiatives were featured on a public radio segment. This month in our Roundup read about a Community Assets Directory, Power Down Week, community gardens, homestead tours, film festivals, and more. A round of welcome to our two newest official initiatives: Transition Town Bedford, MA (#118) and Belfast Area Transition Initiative (#119)! We're looking forward to sharing their stories, too! |
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events
View our events calendar
 Adaptation: Creating a Resilient Future
July 19-21, 2012, Arcata, CA
Post Carbon Fellows Richard Heinberg, Rob Hopkins and Bill McKibben will present at Plan It Green's "Adaptation: Creating a Resilient Future." conference. Plan It Green is a Humboldt County-based, nonprofit, educational organization that is dedicated to creating a sustainable future...
Further event information. |
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 4th Annual Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference
July 27-29, 2012, Kissimmee, FL
Post Carbon Fellow Michael Shuman will give the keynote address at this year's event. The Florida Food Policy Council is proud to bring our Small Farms community one of the nation’s most dynamic speakers and expert in the field of stimulating Local economies....
Further event information. |
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 2012 US Biochar Conference
July 29-Aug 1, 2012, Rohnert Park, CA
The 2012 US Biochar Conference is designed to advance our understanding of the economic, science and policy issues related to biochar as both an amendment for soils as well as an agent to sequester carbon. The conference is organised by United States Biochar Initiative (USBI). Post Carbon Fellow Gloria Flora is director of the USBI....
Further event information. |
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 Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence
Aug 15-17, 2012, Berkeley, CA
The seminar is based on the Center for Ecoliteracy's forthcoming book, Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence, coauthored by Daniel Goleman, Lisa Bennett, and executive director Zenobia Barlow, with sections contributed by director of education programs Carolie Sly.... |
Image credit: Navy Seal — Kristopher Wilson
Image credit: Euro cracks via shutterstock
Image credit: A farmer in Nepal employs a low-cost drip system — courtesy of iDE
Image credit: Man & boy gardening — European Environment Agency
Image credit: Elephant graphic via shutterstock
Image credit: Woman with child — NaHyun Cho |
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