PERMACULTURE & PEAK OIL: Beyond ‘Sustainability’
David Holmgren is co-originator (with Bill Mollison) of the permaculture concept and author of the recent book, PERMACULTURE: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. He talks about the need to move beyond the lulling hope that ‘green tech’ breakthroughs will allow world-wide ‘sustainable consumption’ to the recognition that dwindling oil supplies inevitably mean a mandatory ‘energy descent’ for human civilization across the planet. He argues that permaculture principles provide the best guide to a peaceful societal ‘powering down.” www.holmgren.com.au
23 Responses to PERMACULTURE & PEAK OIL: Beyond ‘Sustainability’
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As Greece collapses financially-cities are horrible sad impoverished places now whilst in the country all their needsR met just as you described above barely even notice change at all. get back to the land if you can, sustainable living super adobe & food forestry & biodynamics=Permaculture.Nature is where its at I think after taking a look at it all I choose Nature where the night sky is still a blanket of starts & the sky blue blue & smells like Ozone fresh & rich with white puffy clouds.
KoruEcoSpa
October 27, 2012 at 9:42 am
Really interesting interview! thanks.
mengelmoesNL
October 27, 2012 at 9:43 am
and plant some fruit trees! ;)
Nutzername36
October 27, 2012 at 10:10 am
it will! go vegan!
Nutzername36
October 27, 2012 at 11:08 am
Also: LOL.
SakoTGrimes
October 27, 2012 at 11:50 am
So you’d rather be in a city still half full of people with a dwindling (or obvious) supply of food than 6 miles down a dirt road nobody knows about?
Dude, look at all the doomsday prepper people. Yes, they’re mostly nuts and will never need their hidden shelters, but guess what, nobody will ever get to them either. You are not just naive, you’re fucking retarded.
SakoTGrimes
October 27, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Having guns alone does snot prevent you from being shot dead. Knowing how to use them and being better prepared than your attacker most likely will. Rather than type on, I’ll just assume you were joking when you said the best way to survive peak oil would be to live in a big city, which in reality, is one of the most isolating things of all.
SakoTGrimes
October 27, 2012 at 12:49 pm
It will take much hard work. The time is now to start.
Stopbeingretardedall
October 27, 2012 at 1:20 pm
lmao no. Many people will evolve and find peace. The few crazy who do will be predator droned. Democracy wins.
Stopbeingretardedall
October 27, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Yes. Well over.
Stopbeingretardedall
October 27, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Guns? What?
Stopbeingretardedall
October 27, 2012 at 2:25 pm
At first oil/gas will be used to help that gradual shift. Though it can happen, and everyone can be fine.
Stopbeingretardedall
October 27, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Will the discovery of a new energy source to replace/out-do fossil fuels make Permaculture irrelevant? Power sources always seem to be as destructive & dangerous as they are creative and beneficial, look at the devastation of petrol, nuclear or even the thoughtless egotism needed to “manage” such resources. I have little doubt that if egotist-scientists find a way to harness dark energy say, they’ll put the universe not just the planet at risk. Permaculture will be needed even more. Ta D.H.!!
tawahollow
October 27, 2012 at 3:40 pm
You’re an idiot. I have guns. Lots of us do. Steel can be repaired.
SakoTGrimes
October 27, 2012 at 3:46 pm
The planet can support well over 12 billion people.
SakoTGrimes
October 27, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Truth. The club of Rome expects that the world population will decline with 5 billion the coming 40 years. #TheFittestOfTheFittest
TerrierBram
October 27, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Thank you David, you are a ray of hope.
OVESCOIPS
October 27, 2012 at 5:01 pm
Yes, there are plenty of acres of land on Earth. But how much of that is arable land? How much land has sufficient topsoil to support crops after being subjected to modern monoculture and depletion of water supply? Or, alternately, how many decades or centuries will we need to restore our soil and water to a degree that supports such a large human population?
SamCarroll212
October 27, 2012 at 5:31 pm
These guys lose credibility to me because they don’t credit Sepp Holzer, who is the originator of permaculture back in Germany in 1962.
Soressi1
October 27, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Thank you for the little ray of hope.
MrTadblack
October 27, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Part of the problem… society expects instant gratification and stimulation. You’ll spend 15 minutes in the lineup at Starbucks but won’t sit still to listen to something vitally important to our sustainable survival. Wisdom of the elders includes learning patience. Listen carefully and stop thinking everything has to fit into the Reader’s Digest format.
planetintelligence
October 27, 2012 at 7:12 pm
With an ultra productive polyculture(permaculture) system, you can feed 10 people an acre. There are 36,794,240,000 acres of land on earth. There are between 7 billion and 8 billion people on the planet. Thoughts?
FKLampton
October 27, 2012 at 7:54 pm
With an ultra productive polyculture system you can feed 10 people an acre. There are 36,794,240,000 acres of land on earth. There are between 7 billion and 8 billion people on the planet. Thoughts?
FKLampton
October 27, 2012 at 8:33 pm