The History Channel is showing "Prophets of Doom," and it is not your routine

[Skidmore]

Nostradamus/Mayan Calender/New Age stuff. This is genuinely scary. It is a discussion about the real world of population, consumption, and economics by 3 futurists. One of these guys is Nathan Hagens. I was not aware of him or his writings. He called the global economy "a giant ponzi scheme" and laid out really good reasons why it will collapse under its own weight. Good discussion of fuel resources & water resources and the problems of empires.

[hlthe2b]

1. I think I'd rather watch the Nostradamus/Mayan Calendar/New Age crap...

That, I can discount. This sounds like something that would send me hiding under the bed! Denial is an effective coping mechanism, after all.... ;)

[Lucky 13]

2. I'm in a graduate program right now which focuses on a lot of that.

Destruction of the environment is directly linked to exponential human population growth, increased consumption in the developed world and massive poverty in the third world. Not sure which will collapse first... the environment or the economy. It's a race to the finish.

[kristopher]

11. Want a reading rec?

Try "Cultural Materialism" by Marvin Harris. It will definitely assist your efforts to organize a comprehensive mental model of the subject matter.

[Lucky 13]

12. I'll check it out. My reading recs:

Jeffery Sachs, "Common Wealth"

Lester Brown, "Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization" - available FREE online for your reading pleasure at: http://www.earth-policy.org/index.php?/books/pb4/pb4_table_of_contents

Both of these books really started me thinking about population, economy and environment in an entirely new way.


I'll try to check out Harris's book... though right now I'm up to my neck in REQUIRED reading!

[kristopher]

14. thank you.

Cultural Materialism is pretty dense, takes a bit of time to absorb.

You might try a shorter popular press sample of the application of the theory. "Cannibals an Kings" also by Harris. Much more readable and shorter, however you'll need "Cultural Materialism" if you want to apply it yourself.

[Lucky 13]

15. Excellent. Thanks for the info.

[Myrina]

3. What year was this from?

I recall one they did in '06 or '07 that Al Gore was featured for 'natural doom' being one of the ways we're going to off ourselves.

Very interesting stuff.

[Skidmore]

4. I don't know, but the materials being discussed are

quite recent, and I've seen nothing of Al Gore in it. Right now there is a discussion of the increasing scarcity of water.

[Laxman]

8. Excellent Show

I've seen it before. John Cronin, the ex-Hudson Riverkeeper discusses the politics of water. Good intelligent sober discussion of long-term planning issues. A miracle anything like that ever got on TV. What I'm having for dinner tonight does not count as planning ahead.(Which is the republican planning horizon)

[snappyturtle]

5. Thanks! Recording what's remaining...can't find it re-scheduled. nt

[Motown_Johnny]

9. try the web site

[mochajava666]

6. It's worth checking out

Also, the movie Collapse is good, too.

[Cleita]

7. I was always disturbed by the economic growth model

which I was taught in school. When I questioned what would happen when we couldn't grow anymore, I was often told that I none of us would be alive then. I was also taught that when we exhausted a resource, there was always another virgin resource to tap into. I think renewable and sustainable would be a better direction to go in.

[Skidmore]

10. Jesu, watching this makes me wonder what is going on now isn't

just a great robbery by the upper class but the last grab at consolidating wealth before "the Great Contraction" because people in power are fully aware that economies based on petroleum will not be able to continue.

[Xicano]

13. Video Link:

The first link is full version but is less quality. The second link is missing about the first ten minutes but is a little better quality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gi53kq4vzY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSpLUpiMkj0