With his classics of social commentary "The Geography of Nowhere and "Home from Nowhere, James Howard Kunstler has established himself as one of the great commentators on American space and place. Now, with "The Long Emergency, he offers a shocking vision of a post-oil future. The last two hundred years have seen the greatest explosion of progress and wealth in the history of mankind. But the oil age is at an end. The depletion of nonrenewable fossil fuels is about to radically change life as we know it, and much sooner than we think. As a result of artificially cheap fossil-fuel energy we have developed global models of industry, commerce, food production, and finance that will collapse. "The Long Emergency tells us just what to expect after we pass the tipping point of global peak oil production and the honeymoon of affordable energy is over, preparing us for economic, political, and social changes of an unimaginable scale. Are we laboring under a Jiminy Cricket syndrome when we tell ourselves that alternative means of energy are just a few years away? Even once they are developed, will they ever be able to sustain us in the way that fossil fuels once did? What will happen when our current plagues of global warming, epidemic disease, and overpopulation collide to exacerbate the end of the oil age? Will the new global economy be able to persevere, or will we be forced to revert to the more agrarian, localized economy we once knew? Could corporations like Wal-Mart and McDonald's, built on the premise of cheap transportation, become a thing of the past? Will the misguided experiment of suburbia--considered a birthright and a reality by millions of Americans--collapse when the car culturebecomes obsolete? Riveting and authoritative. "The Long Emergency is a devastating indictment that brings new urgency and accessibility to the critical issues that will shape our future, and that we can no longer afford to ignore. It is bound to become a classic of social science.
Reviews
"It used to be that only environmentalists and paranoids warned about the world running out of oil and the future it could bring: crashing economies, resource wars, social breakdown, agony at the pump. Not anymore. . . . America's dependence on oil is too pervasive to undo quickly, [Kunstler] warns. . . . In the meantime, we'll have our hands full dealing with . . . the soaring temperatures, rising sea levels and mega-droughts brought by global climate change. Not long ago, a Jeremiah like Kunstler would have been dismissed as a kook. . . . As brilliant as it is baleful . . . and we disregard it at our peril." --"The Washington Post" "This is a frightening and important book." --"Time Out Chicago" "If you give a damn, you should read this book." --Colin Tudge, "The Independent" "What sets "The Long Emergency" apart...is its comprehensive sweep--its powerful integration of science, technology, economics, finance, international politics and social change, along with a fascinating attempt to peer into a chaotic future. Kunstler is such a compelling and sometimes eloquent writer that the book is hard to put down." -"American Scientist" "[A] popular blueprint for surviving the end of oil." --Paul Greenberg, "The New York Times Book Review" "Funny, irreverent, and blunt." -"The Globe and Mail" "An especial strength of this book is its break with some of the more pernicious strands in the contemporary left, specifically the left's kneejerk rejection of America acting militarily in its national interest. . . . There are hints of Malthus here, and of Oswald Spangler's Decline of the West as well. Mr. Kunstler's book is a jeremiad, driven by authorial presence. Pithy, entertaining descriptions of historical phenomena like the Soviet Union . . . enliven the text, allowing the veteran commentator to expound on themes that might read leaden by a less facile wordsmith. . . . The book succeeds as an accessible primer to a looming crisis th
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Reviews
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Hold on to your hats folks, because it's going to be a bumpy ride.
Never have I read such a detailed and 'face the facts' representation, of exactly what will happen and how it is we've gotten ourselves into this pickle.
Kunstler methodically and skillfully debunks everything you've pinned your hopes and dreams on, no matter what renewable energy you'd hoped would save us from the oil crash, he has a reason why it won't. He touches on the origins of fossil fuel power, the industrial revolution, suburnisation of the west and our shift away from producing economies.
All in all, an excellent novel on peak oil, it's origins and consequences for all the facets of every day life.
You cannot argue with this guy - he has all angles covered. I just hope he is not right about the long emergency. Unfortunately I cannot fault his logic or arguements. If you buy any book on peak oil at all this should be the one. It gives detailed descriptions of how our present living arrangements won't be possible in future and why. Is now one of my most valued books.
This book is an easy read and is most thought provoking. Kunstler is perhaps inclined to overstate his case and doesn't seem to allow for the possibility that he may sometimes be wrong but his central points seem to be rock solid. Also you don't have to be an expert to read this book.
I found this a thought provoking book. The discussion centers around the evils of urbanization and a consumerist lifestyle. It also mentions some of the problems with the new “green” technologies and why on the large scale they will not work unless there are significant changes in the world. A good book that can recommend.
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