Permaculture in New Zealand

The Party's Over, by Richard Heinberg

This book is essential reading for people from all walks of life as it details the imminent collapse of industrial civilisation. The global production of oil is currently reaching it's absolute highest possible production rate. By most estimates about 1 trillion barrels of oil have been extracted and another trillion barrels remain in the ground. Extraction of any finite resource follows a rough bellcurve and we are currently at the top of that curve. As global demand for oil continues to increase at a rapid pace (China alone increased its oil usage 40% between July 2003 and July 2004) and global supply continues to fall, any remaining spare capacity will become scarce and economies the world over will go into recession, and eventually depression. Just think 1970's oil-shocks all over again, but it won't be temporary. It will be permanent. This isn't doomsday prediction or conspiracy - it's simply fact. Nobody debates the fact that oil production will peak eventually - the only thing in dispute is when this will happen. The majority of experts say that it will occur sometime between 2004 and 2010 - though increasingly the indications are that it will be sooner than later due to higher than expected growth in oil consumption from India, China and the United States.

To summarise briefly, anyone who has any interest in what the near future holds for humanity should make the effort to attain a copy of this book and consider making serious lifestyle adjustments to mitigate the coming catastrophe.

- Nick

Entered by Nick Rountree