In Part 1 of this essay we surveyed the historical, economic, and cultural context for the upset victory of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. I did not mention Russian interference in that election. That’s because it is a subject...
Ed note: This piece is part of a 3-part series. Part 1 is also cross-posted on Truthout. Donald Trump’s 13-month tenure (so far) as president of the United States has been an exhausting sprint for onlookers concerned about the state...
Well, I’m amazed and impressed. Tight oil production has pushed total United States petroleum output to more than 10 million barrels a day, a rate last seen almost a half-century ago. It’s a new U.S. record. Fifteen years ago...
Local Futures and the Economics of Happiness, Richard discusses why GDP growth became a measure of success, why it’s officially a failure, the reasons growth can’t continue indefinitely, and why we need a metric that reflects human and ecological wellbeing. Originally presented...
On February 27, 2018, Island Press hosted a well-attended webinar on our 2017 book, The Community Resilience Reader: Essential Resources for an Era of Upheaval. Editor Daniel Lerch and contributors Richard Heinberg (Post Carbon Institute) and Rebecca Wodder presented...
The U.S. stock market is not the only thing that’s gotten overheated in the last few years. Exuberance over U.S. energy output has hit a record high as natural gas production has reached its all-time peak, and oil production...
California can be an annoyingly trendy state. Think avocado toast, In-N-Out Burger, Hollywood fashion, even legal pot. But Californians are now in the vanguard to fix the serious problem of how to pay for public higher education. Over 44...
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy is about to release its Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) 2018, with forecasts for American oil, gas, and other forms of energy production through mid-century. As usual, energy journalists...
In tumultuous times, art can and must express the turmoil and help us process what’s going on.
According to most observers, the speculative bubble-of-the-year award for 2017—had there been one—would have gone to Bitcoin, the value of which soared from under $800 in January of last year to almost $20,000 by mid-December. In fact, though, Ripple (a...