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  • From: Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Homestead] Deep Economy
  • Date: Wed, 09 May 2007 21:04:18 -0700

I read "Deep Economy" by Bill McKibben a couple of weeks ago. As Gene said I tend to devour books so I need a bit of time to think about them. The book is not a book on economics but a book on the economy. The two have a loose relationship, the economy is your day to day activities, economics is an attempt to explain it all as if it were a scientific process.

In "Deep Economy" McKibben attempts to lay out what sort of economy we could be facing in a future no longer fueled by cheep energy. He starts out by pointing out that no system can expand forever. As Edward Abbey observes, uncontrolled growth is a cancer. Always before we have lived in a world where more is better. Now we have moved to a world where more has separated itself a long ways from more.

As an example consider a very poor farmer. A farmer who can only afford one blanket. Now if that farmer can improve his lot to where he can buy a second blanket, more is defiantly better. Now consider ourselves. We have sufficient blankets to keep us warm in the coldest winters so more blankets is not better. You can expand this to anything, does getting a bigger TV translate to better? A 3000 sq. ft. house better than 1000?

Politicians now promise more and more as if it were better but since more and better are now widely separated, it is getting more difficult to keep those promises. He points out that the standard of living for the 4000 years leading to the mid 1800s increased about 100% but has increased many times since then, driven by the industrial revolution and fueled by cheap oil. We cannot grow at those rates for many reasons, not the least of which is that we are running out of resources. There is not enough available iron to give the Chinese or Indians the level of automobile ownership we in the US have. There are many examples, there is not enough wheat in the world for the Chinese double their beer consumption.

In the book McKibben extends this to a future of oil shortages. In that future growth has slowed or even stopped. Our national transportation network can no longer deliver food the 1500 miles we do now so there will be a rise of local producers. Pesticides and fertilizers will also be limited as will fuel to power large farm machinery so those local farms will be smaller to make them easier for a single family to work them. For some this will be a giant step backwards but it will be unavoidable and we will have to make accomodations.


Don Bowen Awl Knotted Up KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com
My travel journal
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

I am omnivagant.
From becida AT comcast.net Thu May 10 00:41:36 2007
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At 5/9/2007 09:04 PM,Don Bowen wrote:
IThere are many examples, there is not enough
wheat in the world for the Chinese double their beer consumption.

This is some kind of statement!

I can get an idea of the amount of beer the Chinese drink from this site.
http://www.kirin.co.jp/english/ir/news_release051215_1.html

>>Kirin Research Institute of Drinking and Lifestyle - Report Vol. 29 -
Beer Consumption in Major Countries in 2004 <<

Now I guess I have to find out how much wheat is used to make a given amount of beer..

I'll have to remember to look for that tomorrow, it's bed time now.



Rob
becida AT comcast.net




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