Books by Richard Heinberg

Power - why giving it up might just save humanity and the planet This is the story of power - humanity's power over nature and the power of some people over others. How has Homo sapiens - one species among millions - become powerful enough to threaten a mass extinction and disrupt the Earth's climate? Why have we developed so many ways of oppressing one another? Can we change our relationship with power to avert ecological catastrophe, reduce social inequality, and stave off collapse? These questions - and their answers - will determine our fate. Weaving together findings from a wide range of disciplines, Power traces how four key elements developed to give humans extraordinary power: tool making ability, language, social complexity, and the ability to harness energy sources - most significantly, fossil fuels. It asks whether we have, at this point, overpowered natural and social systems, and if we have, what we can do about it. Most crucially, the book explores how self-limitation of power is rooted in evolution and human history, though our memory of it has been buried under a century of fossil-fuel driven economic growth. Now, at this vital moment, we must rapidly relearn the lessons of power if humanity is to have a thriving future. Essential reading for everyone who calls planet Earth home.

The next few decades will see a profound energy transformation throughout the world. By the end of the century (and perhaps sooner), we will shift from fossil fuel dependence to rely primarily on renewable sources like solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal power. Driven by the need to avert catastrophic climate change and by the depletion of easily accessible oil, coal, and natural gas, this transformation will entail a major shift in how we live. What might a 100% renewable future look like? Which technologies will play a crucial role in our energy future? What challenges will we face in this transition? And how can we make sure our new system is just and equitable?In Our Renewable Future, energy expert Richard Heinberg and scientist David Fridley explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the shift to renewable energy. Beginning with a comprehensive overview of our currenergy system, the authors survey issues of energy supply and demand in key sectors of the economy, including electricity generation, transportation, buildings, and manufacturing. In their detailed review of each sector, the authors examine the mcrucial challenges we face, from intermittency in fuel sources to energy storage and grid redesign. The book concludes with a discussion of energy and equity and a summary of key lessons and steps forward at the individual, community, and national level.The transition to clean energy will not be a simple matter of replacing coal with wind power or oil with solar; it will require us to adapt our energy usage as dramatically as we adapt our energy sources. Our Renewable Future is a clear-eyed and urgguide to this transformation that will be a crucial resource for policymakers and energy activists.

Economists insist that recovery is at hand, yet unemployment remains high, real estate values continue to drop, and governments stagger under record deficits. This title focuses on the financial crisis, explaining how and why it occurred, and what we must do to avert the worst potential outcomes.

Includes an overview of the likely impacts of oil and natural gas depletion and then outlines four options for industrial societies. This book explores how three important groups within global society - the power elites, the organized opposition to the elites (the 'activist' movements), and ordinary people - are likely to respond to these options.

The 20th century saw unprecedented growth in population, food production and energy consumption. As the population shifted from rural areas to urban cities, the human impact on the environment increased dramatically. This book addresses various cultural, psychological and practical changes we need to make as nature rapidly dictates our new limits.

Dealing with the imminent decline of cheap oil, this book shows how oil and war have been closely related in the 20th century. Tracing the crucial role of fossil fuels in the rise of industrialism, it discusses the degree to which energy alternatives can compensate for oil, and recommends a global programme of resource conservation and sharing.