A Transition review, in 7 Episodes, of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
**Warning: SPOILER ALERT: if you don’t want to know what happens in the new Star Wars film, don’t read this. ** Like so very many people, I fell for the hype, and at vast expense, took my kids to...
Our Renewable Future: a talk for Willits Economic LocaLization
On a cool November Sunday the hall of the Little Lake Grange in Willits, CA, filled with members and supporters of WELL – Willits Economic Localization. 11 years earlier many of them had come to hear Richard Heinberg after...
What Geological, Economic, or Policy Forces Might Limit Fossil Fuel Production?
Presentation to the American Geophysical Union fall meeting, December 17, 2015, San Francisco; Union Session on “Is Peak Oil Dead and What Does It Mean for Climate Change?” To view a video of this talk follow the instructions at...
Touching the Earth.
It is said in Buddhism that just before his enlightenment, as the Buddha sat beneath the bodhi tree, he was challenged by Mara, the demon, who tried to distract him from attaining enlightenment with desire and fear. Mara demanded...
Wealthiest One Percent, Come Home!
Chuck Collins believes that extreme wealth inequality and our global ecological crisis are bad for everyone, including those with great wealth. He invites all of us — but especially the wealthy of the United States — to come home,...
Renewable Energy After COP21: Nine issues for climate leaders to think about on the journey home
COP21 in Paris is over. Now it’s back to the hard work of fighting for, and implementing, the energy transition. We all know that the transition away from fossil fuels is key to maintaining a livable planet. Several...
Dam Ideology
Condit Dam in Washington state before it was removed from the White Salmon River in 2011-2012. Photo credit: Creative Commons. When it comes to water, concrete trumps common sense. That was the take-home message Wednesday evening from Daniel P....
Remembering Doug Tompkins
From Richard Heinberg and entire staff & board of Post Carbon Institute We at Post Carbon Institute heard today with profound sadness of the sudden passing of Doug Tompkins—one of the world’s foremost conservationists and a great friend...
Can We Have Our Climate and Eat It Too?
As much as world leaders would like to focus attention on their economies, terrorism, or winning the next election, the heat is rising. Each new release of data on melting glaciers and extreme weather seems more dire than the...
Rob Hopkins reports from COP21 in Paris
Today was the most thought-provoking day, at times viscerally so. The logo for COP21 says ‘Tous ensemble pour le climat’, or “all together for the climate” (see right). Yet today was a day when the battle lines felt clearly...