Futurists take note

[libertango]

By way of Jim Kunstler, I cam across this gem:

Closing the 'Collapse Gap': the USSR was better prepared for peak oil than the US -- by Dmitry Orlov

Whether one agrees or not with his premises about Peak Oil, I'm almost tempted to start a "Nominate Orlov for the Hugo" campaign. The page is a slide-based presentation, with what appear to be transcipts of what he was saying as he was presenting.

His basic points are: "(T)he peoples of the USSR were actually better prepared for a collapse because

* they had learned to be more self-reliant
* many crucial functions (like housing and transportation) were taken care of by the state sector which was more stable than a private sector would have been."

Also, Russia was energy self-sufficient, which the US woefully is not (with certain regional exceptions -- I suspect the Pacific Northwest will learn the true value of hydro when the time comes).

Highly recommended.

Comments

[urlgirl.livejournal.com]

So... what you're saying is that you're recommending it as science fiction, yes? Fantasy perhaps? I just want to make sure, before I allow it to pollute my brain ;-)

Recommend

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

I'm saying that, while I agree with some of his premises and not with others, this is still an amazing job of world building he's done. One could easily use the outline for the scenario of an SF story of some sort. Whether it turns out to be accurate or just the noir of our time, only clichés will tell. :)

the Singularity needs dams

[(Anonymous)]

Look out for the Google/Yahoo/MSN hydro wars!