Energy Bulletin has an interesting interview with Michael C. Ruppert, author of “A Presidential Energy Policy: Twenty-five Points Addressing the Siamese Twins of Energy and Money”, about peak oil and the end of cheap oil.

“Peak Oil is not just the end of globalization. I was saying clearly that globalization was dead five years ago. It was obvious. But Peak Oil is potentially the end of the human race and that outcome is perhaps just a few years away unless the human race essentially throws every ideological sacred cow out the window and starts with a fresh piece of paper.

[…]The collapse of industrial civilization within the next five to ten years (perhaps sooner) is inevitable. It is the degree of collapse, what is destroyed in the collapse, how many people will have to die in the collapse, and what will survive the collapse that I and many others are fighting for now. That is what every human being should be concerned about and nothing less. Pursuing options while not rapidly disengaging from the current economic paradigm of infinite growth is the only real issue confronting the entire species. To not do that will be literally to consign unborn generations and those under 40 to death or a living hell.”

Read the whole interview over at Energy Bulletin.

Also watch George Monbiot interviewing Fatih Birol, International Energy Authority’s chief economist, about the new startling and worrying prediction for the date of peak oil.

Right after the industrial revolution, the exploitation of natural resources by human societies increased at top speed. Fossil fuels are ever since the main source of energy used to cover most of our needs. This made people believe that they do not depend on renewable energy, but can survive only by using old technological inventions.

However, as it takes millions of years for fossil fuels to be created, being extracted in such an alarming pace means that we will sooner or later run out. Only then will people realize how much we wrongly depend on them. Production of all kinds of goods, heating and transportation are only few of the fields that will be directly affected.

But even if fossil fuels were an infinite source of energy, they are the main reason why huge quantities of carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere, causing the greenhouse effect as well as acid rain, breathing problems and destruction of natural habitats.

Concequently, scientists should concentrate on creating and improving the ways we use alternative sources of energy. Making these sources more effective and easy to use, humanity will be able to wean off fossil fuels and face climate change. Generous fundings are given to laboratories dealing with medical care and weaponary. It is time that we realise that fossil fuels should not play the dominant role in producing energy, and thus major steps should be taken.

Soil covers most of the surface of the Earth’s land. It occurred after the erosion of rocks, due to strong winds, water, ice and due to the activity of living organisms. Soil is usually suitable for plants and small organisms to grow and live. However, human activities have altered the natural soil environment of many areas, making it hostile to organisms.

Humanity deposits many toxic substances under the ground. Most of those are radioactive materials, pesticides, heavy metals and other kind of poisonous wastes. Even if they are first deposited in lakes, rivers or the sea, waters transfer most of them in the soil, when the latter absorbs water. It happens the other way round as well, as chemicals within soil are transferred with the rain into marine ecosystems.

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