Powerdown

Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World

If the US continues with current policies, the next decades will be marked by war, economic collapse, and environmental catastrophe. Resource depletion and population pressures are about to catch up with us, and no one is prepared. The political élites, especially in the US, are incapable of dealing with the situation, and have in mind a punishing game of “Last One Standing.”

<

Original price was: $16.95 USD.Current price is: $11.00 USD.

Earn up to 11 Points.

Description

If the US continues with current policies, the next decades will be marked by war, economic collapse, and environmental catastrophe. Resource depletion and population pressures are about to catch up with us, and no one is prepared. The political élites, especially in the US, are incapable of dealing with the situation, and have in mind a punishing game of “Last One Standing.”

The alternative is “Powerdown,” a strategy that will require tremendous effort and economic sacrifice in order to reduce per-capita resource usage in wealthy countries, develop alternative energy sources, distribute resources more equitably, and reduce the human population humanely but systematically over time. While civil society organizations push for a mild version of this, the vast majority of the world’s people are in the dark, not understanding the challenges ahead, nor the options realistically available.

Powerdown speaks frankly to these dilemmas. Avoiding cynicism and despair, it begins with an overview of the likely impacts of oil and natural gas depletion and then outlines four options for industrial societies during the next decades:

  • Last One Standing: the path of competition for remaining resources;
  • Powerdown: the path of cooperation, conservation, and sharing;
  • Waiting for a Magic Elixir: wishful thinking, false hopes, and denial;
  • Building Lifeboats: the path of community solidarity and preservation.

Finally, the book explores how three important groups within global society – the power élites, the opposition to the élites (the antiwar and anti-globalization movements, et al: the “Other Superpower”), and ordinary people – are likely to respond to these four options. Timely, accessible and eloquent, Powerdown is crucial reading for our times.

Listen to an interview with Richard Heinberg from WRPI.

About The Author(s)

Richard Heinberg is the author of thirteen previous books including The Party’s OverPowerdownPeak Everything, and The End of Growth. He is Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most effective communicators of the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. Heinberg has given hundreds of lectures on our energy future to audiences around the world. He has been published in Nature and other journals and has been featured in many television and theatrical documentaries. He lives in Santa Rosa, CA.

View Author Profile

Book Specifications

ISBN: 9780865715103

Page Count: 224

Dimensions: 6.25 × 9.25 × 0.75 in

Publication Date: September 01, 2004

You Might Also Like

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “Powerdown”

Give the Gift of
Social Change

Give the Gift of Social Change

Your support contributes to the amplification of voices that strive for progress, making it a thoughtful and impactful present for any occasion. Join us in fostering a more informed and compassionate world.

Select your currency