Systemic Failures: Rolling Blackouts, Decline, & Fragmented Realities / Richard Heinberg

Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post Carbon Institute, returns to the podcast to discuss the massive power outages several regions of the United States, in particular Texas, have experienced over several weeks in February, leaving millions of people without electric power and potable water. He explains the increasingly precarious situation we find ourselves in as fossil fuel energy production meets numerous intersecting crises, including, but not limited to: an aging and outdated energy grid, abrupt climate disruption-related weather events, rapidly depleting cheap fossil fuel reserves, and the fracturing of consensus reality. 

We discuss the viability and, in his view, the necessity of undertaking the massive shifts needed to address these mounting problems with more sustainable energy production and distribution models. In addressing this subject, I ask Richard to discuss his thoughts on Jeff Gibbs' and Michael Moore's documentary film Planet of the Humans, which he was featured in. And finally, in light of all this, we touch on his recent essay 2020: The Year Consensus Reality Fractured, and address the potent observations he has had over the last year about the direction the United States is going, as well as our ability at this time to coherently address the numerous issues Richard elaborates on in this interview.

Is the fracturing of consensus reality a symptom of societal decline due to other factors (such as economic crisis or limits to vital resources), or is it an independent variable, capable of causing collapse by itself? In my view, the former is more likely the case: if a society is doing well economically, it is usually able to resolve occasional cognitive contradictions over time. A polarizing demagogue (like Joseph McCarthy or George Wallace) may appear, but the status quo eventually reasserts itself. However, if a society is experiencing an economic, political, or social emergency, consensus breakdown may contribute to a self-reinforcing process of collapse. (http://bit.ly/3qvsvWu)

Video Segment:

Bio:

Richard Heinberg is regarded as one of the world’s foremost advocates for a shift away from our current reliance on fossil fuels. He is the author of thirteen books including Our Renewable Future: Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy co-authored with David Fridley, Afterburn: Society Beyond Fossil Fuels, and The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality. He has authored scores of essays and articles that have appeared in such journals as Nature, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, The American Prospect, Public Policy Research, Quarterly Review, Yes!, and The Sun; and on websites such as Resilience, TheOilDrum, Alternet, ProjectCensored, Counterpunch, Commondreams, Pacific Standard, Ecowatch, and Truthout.

Episode Notes:

Learn more about Richard and read Museletter

Read Our Renewable Future

Learn more about Post Carbon Institute

The music featured is by Eli Stonemets