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Brian Ruckman

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We will NOT find an alternative to energy dense, easily transportable conventional oil in time to sustain indefinate economic growth.

All alternative energies have one or more disadvantages that do not let them compete with cheap conventional oil.

Given our industrial civilization depends on massive amounts of cheap energy, the reliance on conventional oil is enormous.

The only quick solution I see is a drastic downscaling of economic activity.

Topics: energy
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  • vince vernile

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    Feb 19 2013: Every school-aged child with a calculator learns rather quickly, that you cannot add a specific percentage to any amount indefinately. What makes anyone think that economic growth can (or should) continue? This system must change, before the entire planet has been raped (for profit) and left for dead.
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      Mike Colera 10+

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      Feb 19 2013: You can't do that with a calculator? I didn't know that, but then indefinitely would imply greater then the kid's lifetime, so I guess your right.
      I see economy as an indicator of the evolution of civilization. When man was a hunter gather, we had no wealth maybe a spear and a basket. then we went to farming, and we acquired domestic animals and grains and on and on until today where the wealth of mankind is estimated in 18 figures and I Pads.

      "The system must change"? " We're raping the planet....?."
      You give mankind too much credit. Let me put it in prospective.
      Think of an elephant.
      Think of a flea on the elephant's butt.
      You get the picture.

    • shawn disney 10+

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      Feb 21 2013: Vince: keep calm. It may soothe you to know that a lot of this "growth" you are talking about is totally phoney, like "Derivatives".. It's growth the way a Ponzi scheme is growth.

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