Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World
Encyclopedia
Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World (ISBN 978-0865715103) is a 2004 book
by Richard Heinberg
in which Heinberg discusses peak Oil
and its attendant implications for the global economy. Due to the dependence of industrialized society on cheap and readily available petroleum
(fossil fuel
oil
), Heinberg argues that the post-peak period of global history is likely to be characterized by social and economic turmoil, disruption of trade, declining standard of living
, and warfare.
Heinberg outlines four possible strategies nations could employ to respond to the economic challenges associated with declining oil production:
Heinberg fleshes out each of these strategies in detail and describes the current political and economic environment in terms of these elements.
References to Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World:
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
by Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg is an American journalist and educator who has written extensively on energy, economic, and ecological issues, including oil depletion. He is the author of ten books...
in which Heinberg discusses peak Oil
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
and its attendant implications for the global economy. Due to the dependence of industrialized society on cheap and readily available petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
(fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
), Heinberg argues that the post-peak period of global history is likely to be characterized by social and economic turmoil, disruption of trade, declining standard of living
Standard of living
Standard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...
, and warfare.
Heinberg outlines four possible strategies nations could employ to respond to the economic challenges associated with declining oil production:
- Last One Standing: Global competition for remaining resources
- Powerdown: Global cooperation in reducing energy usage, conservation, resource managementResource managementIn organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...
, and reducing population - DenialDenialDenial is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.The subject may use:* simple denial: deny the reality of the...
: Waiting, and hoping that some unforeseen element will solve the problem - Building Lifeboats: Preparing local areas to be sustainable in the event that the global economic project collapses
Heinberg fleshes out each of these strategies in detail and describes the current political and economic environment in terms of these elements.
See also
- The Party's Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial SocietiesThe Party's Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial SocietiesThe Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, by Richard Heinberg , is an introduction to the concept of peak oil and petroleum depletion....
- Oil Depletion Protocol
External links
RichardHeinberg.comReferences to Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World: