Christina Vrooman - Portfolio 1
From Drmills
contributions to book:
4.1 Collapsed Human Societies
Suburbia Is Not Sustainable
At this point, it is very apparent that the post-peak oil world will soon be a reality. It is difficult to imagine how much more evidence is necessary to convince the skeptics. It seems that no amount of information could sway their thick heads into understanding the severity of the current situation. Their main argument is that humans have been, and always will be, adaptive. Hopefully, the latter part of this argument is true, but it does not address the actual problem at hand. These people don't seem to understand that America's entire infrastructure relies on oil production and that even alternative forms of energy use oil to function. Humans may have been adaptive in the past, but what's true for the past is not necessarily true for the future. Currently, it doesn't seem like humans (6 billion people) will be able to prove ourselves to be adaptive because humans do not have a plan B. We are "sleeping into the future," a future that is nothing like we expected (Kunstler, 2005).
As humans, our goal is to constantly improve our situation. Up to this point in history, this has been made possible with cheap, seemingly unlimited oil at our disposal. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, we are about to permanently lose access to that cheap, non-renewable form of energy as a society. As a result of this, it is likely that we will all be dealing with the serious consequences Kunstler outlines in his book. While the entire book is worth reading, the most interesting section illustrates what it will be like to live in the long emergency. In this section, Kunstler first addresses the next economy by comparing current life in the small town of Corinth, New York to the lifestyle these residents are soon to experience. This paper mill town has been able to sustain itself on the cheap oil economy. Most of the inhabitants work in towns that they have to drive long distances to reach. Once the cost of oil to get to work and back home is higher than the amount they are paid for a full day of work, this commute will become impossible. In addition, it won't be profitable for corporations that are experiencing hardships themselves to ship food and other supplies to Corinth.
Tragically, Corinth isn't the only town that will be suffering in the post-peak oil world. Since America was founded on a cheap-oil economy, and our entire system functions by this economy, when cheap oil is no longer available to the masses, nearly all America will suffer. In other words, we built America assuming resources were infinite and haven't experienced otherwise for nearly a century, but resources like oil are finite and when they run out, America is likely to collapse.
Those with the worst fate seem to be the suburbanites. A majority of the American population have put their entire life savings into their suburban homes, creating a lifestyle that is not sustainable. Kunstler explains that, "suburbia is best understood as the greatest misallocation of resources in the history of the world...the whole system will not operate without liberal and reliable supplies of cheap oil and natural gas"(Kunstler, 2005). He argues that it will become nearly impossible to sell a suburban home when the general public becomes aware of the crisis we are all about to face. To learn more about Kunstler's vision of the not-so-distant future, check out his own website, www.kunstler.com or google search "Clusterfuck Nation."
There is a wealth of evidence available online to support Kunstler's line of thinking. Recently, two films directed by Gregory Greene were released that discuss this issue. Here is a preview for The End of Suburbia[1] and Escape from Suburbia: Beyond the American Dream[2]. Both films are extremely informative and equally alarming. To see an interview with the director, check out http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZzmDOKs_UG0&feature=related, where youtube.com user "stimulator" inquires about the director's understanding of our current situation. All of stimulator's hilarious videos are posted periodically on [3]. For more information regarding suburbia's future plight, check out [4].
References
Kunstler, J. H. (2005). The long emergency: Surviving the converging catastrophes of the twenty-first century. New York, New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.
'contributions to class blog:''''
All the material Dr. Mills has presented us with makes it pretty clear that we are are going to be experiencing some dramatic changes to our lifestyle in our lifetime. It's really disturbing to think we might be around to see, or be a part of, 4 billion dead people. Starvation has been going on in third world countries forever, but never in my backyard. I'm trying to prepare to be one of the survivors, but it's really difficult when you're poor, and I'm pretty sure the poor will be the first to go if the Malthusian catastrophe ever becomes reality. There are a ton of sites that explain the need for preparation and how to prepare, but all of them involve spending a decent sum of money that I definitely do not have at my disposal right now. They tell you to stockpile shit, but even if I did that, how would I keep my supplies from 4 billion starving people? Guns?! My dad did leave me twelve rifles in his will, but Jesus! I'm basically just wondering how far I should go with this. Some sites seem to suggest dropping whatever it is that you're doing right now and start preparing, which doesn't seem that crazy to me. On the other hand, though, I have plenty of friends who are really involved with technology who assure me that humanity will find a way. How, though? At this point, I feel concerned, but powerless. I wish I had enough money to 1) leave the country 2) move far away from people 3) start my own organic garden 4) stockpile goods that will keep me comfortable for a long time. But until I have the means to do this, I guess I'll just make sure my tank is half-full at all times... Cvrooman 00:43, 5 February 2008 (EST)
As soon as this semester is over, all my efforts = starting a commune. Even if we haven't exceeded the carrying capacity of the world, (lifeaftertheoilcrash.net), I'd like to be completely self-sufficient. When shit does go down (and I'm pretty sure it will, I'd like to be one of the two billion people that survive, along with friends and family. step 1) figure out the best place to live in post-peak oil world step 2) learn how to farm step 3) gather people, funds and knowledge step 4) learn how to operate a rifle. Cvrooman 23:37, 7 February 2008 (EST)
contributions to email group:
3 February 2008
Future Energy Grid Completely Powered By Renewables Video
I thought this video was interesting. It comes from thoughtware.tv, a great site for the most current videos on future technology. This specific video basically demonstrates that it IS possible, at least for Germany, to live comfortably without oil. The scientists who created the demonstration use a combination of alternative energy sources to provide enough power for all of Germany. Unfortunately, the scientists are not actually providing Germany with all of its energy currently, but they project that by the middle of the century, this will be possible.
Is mid-century too late?
