Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival Post Carbon Institute: Energy, Climate, and Collapse
-
- Science
-
How have humans become powerful enough to disrupt the world's climate, trigger the sixth mass extinction, and cause serious harm to the biosphere? And with all the abilities and technologies we've accrued, why do we so often oppress instead of uplift one another? Join us as we explore the hidden driver behind the converging crises of the 21st century. It all comes down to power - our pursuit of it, overuse of it, and abuse of it. Learn how different forms of power arose, what they mean for us today, and why giving up power just might save us. This podcast is based on the groundbreaking book, Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival by Richard Heinberg, one of the world's foremost experts on energy and sustainability. For more information, please visit https://power.postcarbon.org/.
-
Introduction to Power
Climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, poverty, and inequality are all symptoms of one overarching problem: the way we humans accumulate and use power. If we want to address this problem and reduce the chances of a chaotic collapse of society, we will have to confront our overuse and abuse of power. But first we'll need to define power (both physical and social) and learn how energy flows through ecosystems and human society. Take a tour of these topics with succinct explanations from renowned energy and sustainability expert, Richard Heinberg, and clarifying stories that feature airplane flights, wrecking balls, charismatic leaders, and other seats of power. For more information, please visit our website.
Support the show
Learn more at power.postcarbon.org -
Power in Nature
To understand humanity's relationship with energy and power, and to get a handle on why we're experiencing a polycrisis of climate change, social inequality, and loss of biodiversity, you have to go back to the beginning – all the way back to the origins of life on Earth. Explore how power functions in nature, including predator/prey relationships, self-balancing mechanisms in organisms and ecosystems, and the maximum power principle. Along the way, you'll tour exotic locations like the Grand Canyon and volcanic vents at the bottom of the sea, as well as more humble destinations like a neighborhood pond and a root cellar – places that will help you appreciate how power in nature drives evolution and determines biological success. For more information, please visit our website.
Support the show
Learn more at power.postcarbon.org -
Fire, Tools, and Language
Join renowned energy and sustainability expert, Richard Heinberg, as he describes the flow of power in hunter-gatherer communities of the Pleistocene. As people learned to wield fire, deploy an array of tools, and coordinate actions through increasingly descriptive language, they became more capable of concentrating power. This development produced mind-blowing impacts on brain capacity and other aspects of human evolution. As you go back in time to the dawn of civilization, you'll become familiar with self-reinforcing feedback loops and how they shaped humanity's rise to dominance. And finally, you'll get to hear about (and appreciate) the surprising power of beauty in all its varied forms, but especially in the form of music. For more information, please visit our website.
Support the show
Learn more at power.postcarbon.org -
The Rise of Social Inequality
Richard Heinberg, renowned energy and sustainability expert, explores the development of social power – simply defined as the ability to get other people to do something. Whether through money, violence, writing, or other means, humans have devised interesting ways of exerting influence over one another. One major downside, with implications for the collapse of societies, is widespread inequality. Concentration of social power tends to create social instability. You'll hear how power acts as a drug, damages people’s brains, and leads to the tragedies of slavery and colonization. Along the way, you might adopt new verbs like "Tom Sawyering" and "Robin Hooding." Note: Choral music in this episode was licensed from Allen Grey Music, "Lost Voices Soundscape." For more information, please visit our website.
Support the show
Learn more at power.postcarbon.org -
Fossil Fuels Changed Everything
Over the 19th and 20th centuries physical power, social power, and economies grew explosively. The main cause was humanity’s exploitation of fossil fuels. Sources of oil, coal, and natural gas – a vast underground storehouse of ancient sunlight – provided an almost magical and seemingly unlimited supply of energy to grow more food, provision more people, build more cities, and create more technologies. But this age of "more" also brought global warfare, consumerism, and overproduction. Improve your energy literacy with stories about pushing motor vehicles, enduring blackouts, and growing $10 tomatoes, and take a tour of history that visits ancient China, industrializing Britain, the Great Depression, the Cold War, and the Green Revolution. Resources mentioned in this episode include a juxtaposition of old and new city photographs, and Jason Bradford’s report The Future Is Rural. The song, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" was written by lyricist Yip Harburg and composer Jay Gorney. For more information, please visit our website.
Support the show
Learn more at power.postcarbon.org -
Overpowered: The Days of Climate Chaos
As exploitation of fossil fuels powered exponential growth in population and consumption, humanity began running into problems. Serious problems. The existential kind, like the potential for runaway global warming and the onset of the sixth mass extinction. For many problems, a solution exists, but what happens when a selected solution actually generates more problems? Energy and sustainability expert Richard Heinberg explains the difference between problems and dilemmas, and discusses how to escape our current climate dilemma. Sources of renewable energy have a major role to play, but we can’t rely on technofixes and business as usual. Real change will require shared sacrifice and wise decisions in the face of tradeoffs. For more information, please visit our website.
Support the show
Learn more at power.postcarbon.org
Customer Reviews
Super fascinating!
WOW - this is a remarkable podcast. Co-hosts Melody and Rob and sustainability expert and author Richard Heinberg weave together a few centuries worth of human history through the lens of energy and power to create a fascinating depiction of “the converging crises of the 21st century” - and what we can do about it. Expertly explained and defiantly optimistic, Melody, Rob, and Richard each bring unique perspectives and profound insights. The prompts at the end of each episode allow the listener to apply the topics discussed to their own life. This series has given me so much food for thought, I can’t recommend it enough. Bravo!
Learned so much!
Richard tells us where we have been and where we are going. While the trajectory isn’t great, this podcast helped me understand what needs to happen next to prevent the worst outcomes. It also made me feel empowered to do my part.
Eye-opening and sober analysis
This podcast highlights the almost unfathomable impact humans have on our planet. Here's hoping it empowers each of us to think about preserving our home for future generations.