Reports

Post Carbon Institute's definitive reports provide accessible expert analysis of complex and interconnected economic, energy and environmental issues humanity faces in the 21st century.

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Most Recent PCI Reports


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ECONOMY: Ecological Economics

Joshua Farley   Dec 8, 2011   

EXCERPT:  Many people would agree that the central desirable end of economic activity is a high quality of life for this and future generations.  Conventional economists argue … >>

ECONOMY: Money and Energy

Richard Douthwaite   Nov 15, 2011   

EXCERPT: The debt-based money system just described cannot work if there is less and less energy available.  We only borrow if we think we're going to have more money in future with … >>

CULTURE AND BEHAVIOR: Dangerously Addictive: Why We Are Biologically Ill-Suited to the Riches of Modern America

Peter Whybrow   Sep 22, 2011   

EXCERPT: But living now in relative abundance, when the whole world is a shopping mall and our appetites are no longer constrained by limited resources, our craving for reward--be that for … >>

CULTURE AND BEHAVIOR: The Human Nature of Unsustainability

William Rees   Aug 30, 2011   

EXCERPT: Humans may pride themselves as being the best evidence for intelligent life on Earth, but an alien observer would record that the (un)sustainability conundrum has the global … >>

REPORT: Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Shale Gas Compared to Coal: An Analysis of Two Conflicting Studies

David Hughes   Jun 30, 2011   

A recent series of studies and rebuttals have debated the greenhouse gas impacts of shale gas production as compared to coal. Post Carbon Institute Fellow David Hughes, author of the … >>

ENERGY: Making Sense of Peak Oil and Energy Uncertainty

Daniel Lerch   Jun 28, 2011   

EXCERPT: There are currently no viable substitutes for oil at current rates of consumption.  Although alternatives to oil do exist for many of its uses, they are generally vastly … >>

REPORT: Natural Gas Report Supplements: Public Health, Agriculture, Transportation

Richard Gilbert Anthony Perl Brian Schwartz Cindy Parker David Hughes Michael Bomford   Jun 1, 2011   

The challenges posed by shale gas production have serious implications for the future of agriculture, transportation, and health in the United States. In this collection of articles, PCI … >>

REPORT: Will Natural Gas Fuel America in the 21st Century?

David Hughes   May 29, 2011   

In this groundbreaking report, geoscientist David Hughes (formerly of Geological Survey of Canada) shatters the myth that U.S. natural gas can be a "bridge fuel" from high-carbon sources … >>

ENERGY: Peak Oil and the Great Recession

Tom Whipple   May 26, 2011   

EXCERPT: The year 2008 will be remembered as a major turning point in industrial history, for it was the first year when the world got a taste of the unpredictable price spikes that come … >>

EDUCATION: Community Colleges: A Vital Resource for Education in the Post-Carbon Era

Nancy Lee Wood   May 4, 2011   

EXCERPT: The key question is, "Where in our current educational system is it possible to develop an institutionalize the kinds of education needed to prepare people for work in the … >>