Richard Heinberg will be in Cape Town, talking about ‘Peak Oil’. He’s been invited by SANE, and will be talking in Rondebosch on May 7. Full press release below.
Richard Heinberg will speak on Oil, the Environment, the Economy, and Avoiding Catastrophe
The South African New Economics Network (SANE) has taken the initiative of inviting Richard Heinberg to South Africa for a series of talks, private meetings and seminars. His current focus is on the challenge of ‘Peak Oil’, a subject he has researched deeply and which he believes carries far-reaching economic and political implications, most of them inadequately understood. He is coming to South Africa in order to help raise the level of public discourse around what actions are most appropriate if we are to avoid the worst consequences of the imminent slow-down in global oil production.
Richard Heinberg is the author of six books including:
* The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies (2003), and
* Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World (2004)
He is a core member of faculty at the New College of California in Santa Rosa, where he teaches a programme of Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community. He writes the award-winning monthly MuseLetter (now in its 14th year, at www.museletter.com) and his essays and articles have appeared in many journals. His books have been translated into eight languages. He travels internationally to speak on the subject of Peak Oil, and has given over 100 presentations on the subject to academic and general audiences.
Heinberg writes: “The world is about to plunge into a new era of dwindling fossil fuels, and no one is prepared. If the leadership of the US (and other countries) continues with current policies, the next decades will be filled with oil wars, economic collapse, and environmental catastrophe. The political elites find it difficult to understand or deal with the depletion of the resources that fuel the modern world. As a result, our global industrial civilization is likely to collapse as others have in the past, but this time the scale will be global.”
Heinberg will discuss in detail the evidence for a near-term global peak in oil production, as well as the likely consequences for the economy, transport, agriculture, and geopolitics. His presentation is a starkly frank look at our prospects as the industrial period winds toward its inevitable conclusion. However, in addition, he also indicates the direction in which business and government need to work now to lay the groundwork for survival, and for a truly sustainable economy and culture for coming generations.
Venue: 2nd Floor Rouwkoop House, 46 Rouwkoop Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town.
Directions: Proceed along Camp Ground Road (heading south from Cape Town direction & past Belmont Road). Rondebosch Boys’ Preparatory school will be on the right, just before Rouwkoop Road. Turn right into Rouwkoop Road. Before the road turns left at the railway line, turn left into Rouwkoop House.
RSVP: sane@iafrica.com or phone 021 689 6892.