The book that inspired the movie Collapse.
The world is running short of energy-especially cheap, easy-to-find oil. Shortages, along with resulting price increases, threaten industrialized civilization, the global economy, and our entire way of life.
In Confronting Collapse, author Michael C. Ruppert, a former LAPD narcotics officer turned investigative journalist, details the intricate connections between money and energy, including the ways in which oil shortages and price spikes triggered the economic crash that began in September 2008. Given the 96 percent correlation between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions and the unlikelihood of economic growth without a spike in energy use, Ruppert argues that we are not, in fact, on the verge of economic recovery, but on the verge of complete collapse.
Ruppert's truth is not merely inconvenient. It is utterly devastating.
But there is still hope. Ruppert outlines a 25-point plan of action, including the creation of a second strategic petroleum reserve for the use of state and local governments, the immediate implementation of a national Feed-in Tariff mandating that electric utilities pay 3 percent above market rates for all surplus electricity generated from renewable sources, a thorough assessment of soil conditions nationwide, and an emergency action plan for soil restoration and sustainable agriculture. "Mike Ruppert has been at the forefront of speaking and writing about the grim reality that the world's crude oil output is peaking or has already peaked and will soon begin what could be swift declines over the next decade or two. The world needs to pay careful attention to the multiple risks this event will usher in. Thanks to Ruppert's new book, readers around the world will have access to his well written work."-Matthew R. Simmons, Chairman, Simmons & Company
"Ruppert confronts the stark realities of a world of declining oil production, poses vital questions of our complex oil-dependent supply chains and challenges us-people and politician alike-to build a sustainable world with what remains of our resources."-Julian Darley, Author, High Noon for Natural Gas, Founder of Post Carbon Institute
"This book not only explains the essence of the subject but provides a penetrating analysis of the wider political, military, and economic implications. The Second Half of the Oil Age now dawns and will be marked by the decline of oil production and all that depends upon it, including especially transport, trade, and agriculture. The book ends with a list of sensible new policy proposals by which to face this turning point of historic magnitude."-Colin Campbell, PhD, Former Oil Exploration Geologist (Texaco, British Petroleum), Exploration Manager, Total; Former Consultant to Shell, Statoil, Mobil and Amerada; Former Executive V.P. Petrofina; Author, many books and publications on Oil and Gas depletion
"All I can say is, "Yikes!" This is a book everyone should read. Mike Ruppert is my friend. And, sometimes I remind him, in a way that only a friend can, that my perspective is colored by my own distinct experiences as an informed woman of color in the United States. And frankly, that means that some of what is between these covers makes me cringe; but it is exactly this substance, actively suppressed in proposed national and international gatherings, that we human beings must debate and resolve, or else, we will find Dr. King's admonition, once again, to be true: "We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." We know Mike Ruppert because he became a whistleblower and told us some inconvenient truths. About crack cocaine, 9/11/01, and now this-how to step back from the brink of human disaster.
It is clear that Mike and I are headed toward the same destination, despite our differences. This book lands Mike exactly where I am-outside of the box of political orthodoxy, but well within the space of policy advocacy that is...
