"I'm not sure I agree with everything Ted Trainer writes about capitalism needing to go,"

Well on that one he's surely wrong. Capitalism isn't the
problem, its people always wanting to be even richer.

Govt bureaucrats arn't going to solve anything, innovation
and a market will. I'm told that alternate energy is the
new buzzword in Silicon Valley, so we'll see what they come
up with. It still pisses me off, when its 42deg outside,
that I need to use coal powered electricity to power the
air conditioner. Innovation should be able to solve that,
if the cost of power goes up.

For all those panicking about peak oil, why panic if you
live in Aus? No reason you can't move to the country,
buy a block, run a few chucks and a veggie patch, sit
back and smell the roses a bit. One day it will hit
you that its a far better lifestyle, then the city
treadmill that so many are franticly treading on.

Eclipse, thanks for the heads-up on the SBS program. I probably would have missed it since I'm not an avid television fan.

Thanks too for the link. I believe the author has it about right. Most of the population won't see this one coming until we're well down the track which is what makes it so damned serious. Workers in Western Nations are doing ok in present boom times whilst they waste their lives playing with grown-up "toys" such as needless laptops, Ipods, digital cameras and mobile phones with so much junk on them, they've become another distraction to what's happening in the real World. At the same time, OPEC and other oil producing countries are busy trying to wring as much oil from the ground as they did last year and failing miserably.

And while there are things like electric cars waiting in the wings, the sheer scale of providing them after the oil crises is recognised for what it is will be overwhelming. The rich may still be able to afford wheels or some other manner of getting from point A to B, but once again, the commoners will be the ones to suffer.
Wildcat.

Eclipse, my thoughts still are that growing public awareness coupled with hip-pocket economic demand for change may present the only short term hope we have.

In his “afterword” to his book “”The End of Oil” author Paul Roberts reaffirmed his dark view of the likelihood of economic chaos, worldwide unemployment etc. However he did also state that “What has changed….is our awareness. More people and policy makers now seem to understand that the energy system is in serious and growing trouble and that without a fundamentally new approach we are almost assured of catastrophic failure” – p341

What is also changing is the price of oil. Ultimately this is likely to increase the demand for different & more efficient energy sources & changes in lifestyle, use of public transport etc. Whether those demand and enlightenment changes occur soon enough – who knows?

Good on you Ted, you can look your grandkids in the eye and say at least you tried. But given our apathy and token efforts towards sustainability, it seems we prefer extinction to moderating our appetites. Ah well, better luck next time, Gaia.

duncan mills
I would like hear your argument/case in greater detail.
It would be interesting perhaps enlightening.

Just In The Nick of Time!

We say we want to save the environment, we want peace, and to eradicate poverty. And we do mean yes. This is an affirmative.

For the first time since WWII, we have an opportunity to utilise the depth of our most practical human knowledge. We get to look at the accumulation of this knowledge and we are encouraged to be forthright and critical thinkers, about this knowledge.

The complexities that we know or perceive are prevalent and utterly exposed. They are unified as one finding. They are telling us we each need to change.

Somehow I see this is as an exceptional time for Australia.

Perhaps we are all growing up, learning to take responsibility?

This is a time to deliberate on what we are learning to know as citizens, everywhere.

It is time to grow.

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