Reading this 3 part series by John Michael Greer made me think of the snippet below and the idea that "current consumption levels can be replaced by renewable fuels". JMG makes a good argument against this whole mentality, as does Karl.
"The question that has to be asked is whether a modern industrial society can exist at all without vast and rising inputs of essentially free energy, of the sort only available on this planet from fossil fuels, and the answer is no. Once that’s grasped, other useful questions come to mind – for example, how much of the useful legacy of the last three centuries can be saved, and how – but until you get past the wrong question, you’re stuck chasing the mirage of a replacement for oil that didn’t take a hundred million years or so to come into being." http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2009/12/human-ecology-of-collapse.html http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2009/12/political-ecology-of-collapse.html http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2009/12/political-ecology-of-collapse-part.html Thanks, Eric ----- Original Message ---- > From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Tue, December 15, 2009 10:58:56 PM > Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] The morality question > > Another typical response is to talk about "switching to renewables", as > if replacing fossil energy on any significant scale were a good thing, in > the sense of getting to the heart of the problem. Ultimately our present > type of civilization, the production it requires, the resources it > depletes, and the resultant damage to the planet, all requires a high > level of energy to keep going. Industrial civilization does not care what > kind of energy we feed it. It will keep on chewing up the planet just as > effectively on renewables as on fossil fuels. It is not the type of > energy that is the biggest problem, it is how much we use. > > "What is the action that George or Karl would support? If everyone waits > until they've converted to renewables to protest the drilling, it will be > too late." > > As a farmer I know the importance of water quality to the whole upstate > rural economy. I gritted my teeth in self-disgust and supported the > petitions to the governor and other actions of the anti-fracking > movement. But I would have more self-respect, and would be a lot more > hopeful about the long term results for our communities of this campaign > if the movement were to mobilize equally strongly around local policies > to effectively power down our communities. > > Karl North > Northland Sheep Dairy, Freetown, New York USA > www.geocities.com/northsheep/ > "Pueblo que canta no morira" - Cuban saying > "They only call it class warfare when we fight back" - Anon. _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
