"The Political Ecology of Collapse, Part Three: The Bomb at the Heart of the System," by John Michael Greer

[Rob Olason]

"Let’s walk through the logic. The most reasonable estimates suggest that, given a crash program and the best foreseeable technologies, renewable sources can probably provide the United States with around 15% of the energy it currently gets from fossil fuels. Since every good and service in the economy is the product of energy, it’s a very rough but functional approximation to say that in a green economy, every American will have to get by on the equivalent of 15% of his or her current income. Take a moment to work through the consequences in your own life; if you made $50,000 in 2009, for example, imagine having to live on $7,500 in 2010. That’s quite a respectable income by Third World standards, but it won’t support the kind of lifestyle that the vast majority of Americans, across the political spectrum, believe is theirs by right."

In his third article, J.M. Greer looks at how our political realities are ignoring our energy/climate realities and the ironic effects this approach will have on our likelihood of successfully navigating into ANY future.

The Third Installment