Getting Educated

I recently heard Richard Heinberg talk at the Illahee Lecture series and blogged about the event. Richard is a Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute (PCI).

One of the other Fellows at PCI is Chris Martenson, the creator The Crash Course that I've recommended before. I'm posting this again to lead my readers to some very digestible and important information for understanding our economic situation.

The Crash Course is presented in chapters you can easily watch in 3 to 18 minutes online. The course is 20 chapters long but I watched it over the course of a few weeks and thoroughly enjoyed each chapter. I occasionally go back to refresh my understanding of various sections.

Chaos is the New Normal

Last night I attended the Illahee Lecture Series featuring Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute. I wish I had time to comment on his lecture but this is busy season at TriLibrium so I'll be brief while providing you some interesting links.

Richard's main point was that there will be no return to normal. Global economic output as measured by GDP probably peaked in 2005/2006 and that we'll never again return to that level given the direct connection between energy and our economy. The solutions are varied and diverse but the key point is that a return to "normal" is impossible given limiting factors and the sooner we embrace this fact and transition to the new paradigm the better. A movement he mentioned and that I intend to explore further is called "Transition Towns."

I'd also like to point readers to Richard's publication "Searching for a Miracle: 'Net Energy' Limits & the Fate of Industrial Society." This report explores whether any combination of known energy sources can successfully supply society's energy needs up to the year 2100. I won't give away the answer but they explore the different solutions against 10 criteria. The report is available as a free PDF download.

I'd also like to point those interested in accounting and innovation to a recent blog post by Gifford Pinchot. Gifford discusses Intrapreneuring in Accounting and the need for innovative accountants to help provide the understanding, metrics, and systems for the economy of the future.