The Party's Over

I've just finished reading another Richard Heinberg book The Party's Over first published in 2003 and updated in 2005.

In this book Richard looks in detail at how fossil fuels were created millions of years ago and how man first discovered their uses as a source of energy.There is a whole chapter devoted to exactly how much oil is left in the ground.There are conflicting opinions but what we do know is that we have passed the half way mark and what is left will be harder to extract.The extra cost will be passed onto the end user ie us.

The book paints a gloomy picture of the future but the change that is to come will be made that much easier if we start now the process of moving to a post carbon lifestyle.

At the end of his book he has a very useful section on how we can start making changes on a personal level such as reducing our energy needs,switching to alternative energy sources like solar panels and wind power.

Start to grow your own food no matter how small your garden might be,and use the car less and public transport more.

On a brighter note I think that the change to a post carbon world will bring communities together,for a solution to this problem will only come from the bottom up as we help each other to provide the resources we need.

The impersonal modern world where often we don't even know our neighbour is coming to an end.

A great read and you can get the book here: