The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes...

The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the ... | Compelling Prediction but Scattered

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The Long Emergency...

	The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the ... Grove Press, 2006 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 216 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

excellent

An excellent treatment of a simple but elusive subject- running out of oil, and what that means.

Compelling Prediction but Scattered

This book is very readable. Kunstler has an excellent style although he goes over the top with the use of some words. Nevertheless, he has broached some very important topics for the current era even though he has used a scattered approach to the many disasters waiting to happen. He would have been better off in focusing on the oil scenario coupled with the geopolitical risk attached to Middle Eastern oil. His divergence into climate change, pandemic disease and water scarcity distracts the reader from his excellent first half of this book which is the crux of his message. He loses focus (I believe)with his ramble about nature fighting back and his account of the history of credit, the demise of LTCM and the housing bubble. This should have been left for another book perhaps and possible to an author with a much greater depth of knowledge on these topics. Having said that, his arguments and research appear very sound but as said previously his divergence from the first half of the book was not necessary. Further the last chapter had little relevence to me here in Sydney, Australia talking about the demise of various regions of the USA. However I could identify with his abhorrence of suburbia which is very evident here in Sydney.

Now back to the first half. The author has given an excellent account of the dilemna we face now that peak oil is upon us. I agree totally with Kunstler that the bulk of the population of Western societies are oblivious to the massive issue of transference to alternative fuel and believe that a smooth transition will occur. His denouncement however that all the possible alternative energy sources will not work is very pessimistic indeed although his argument against hydrogen based fuel is extremely reasonable and valid. Certainly here in Sydney there is an addiction to cars which is not helped by poor infrastructure and woeful public transport. Another important point is the fact that OPEC can no longer be a swing producer of oil as the Arabian oil fields are aging and making production very difficult. This simply means that OPEC can no longer flood the market and drive down the price due to supply constraints. The only way for the oil price is now up. This will cause unprecedented alarm around the globe. This has the making of a severe recession or even depression. This is the true Long Emergency that we will all face.

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author dilutes a needed discussion with his own agenda

Many people view the author as Chicken Little. And I must admit that he dilutes a potentially compelling discussion with his own agenda regarding perceived world overpopulation and a longing for everyone to return to Walden Pond. This is especially evident in the latter portion of Chapter 5: Nature Bites Back, where he seems almost to hope for a "rapture - type" event to rid the world of all but the deserving!!

However, if even half of the events he describes come to pass, life on earth after oil supplies are depleted will never be the same - and I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. In any event, we all should begin to think (and act) as though his predictions just might be true. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. ...and plant a garden in your back yard. In fact, Barbara Kingsolver's book ANIMAL , VEGETABLE, MIRACLE is a good pairing to read with this one.

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The Long Emergency

This book was fun to read but did not have much sound science with in its discusseions. However, I would suggest it as a good read.

The Long Emergency

Good book, the author does a good job outlining history and then going on to describe the consequences of our actions, however he is very extreme and a pessimist. I would only recommend this book if you are a pessimist about the future of energy.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

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