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Futurists take note
Jan. 4th, 2007 04:05 pmBy 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.
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.
