Richard Heinberg to Speak on A World Without Petroleum

Richard Heinberg, lecturer, musician, journalist and educator at the New College of California will be coming to speak on Tuesday, April 12 at 7p.m. in Heritage Commons. His lecture will focus on current and future oil production and its possible effects on the global economy. He will include resources for the Plymouth community to promote sustainability. Many may know him as a main speaker from “The End of Suburbia” documentary which was shown in Hyde last month. According to museletter.com, the website for the “cultural renewal” newspaper Heinberg edits, he is the author of many books, including Memories and Visions of Paradise: Exploring the Universal Myth of a Lost Golden Age, Power Down: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World, and Party’s Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial Societies. He feels that energy-efficient mass transit between neighborhoods is essential. In a recent interview with Raise The Hammer (www.raisethehammer.org), Heinberg talked about his feelings regarding the decline of oil production. “These days,” he commented, “the evidence for a near-term peak (2010 or earlier) is so complete and convincing that most people who take the time to study it are convinced rather quickly.” When asked about his vision of a truly sustainable city, he described it as needing to be “organized into dense neighborhoods surrounded by green space for food production.” According to the winter 2001 issue of Yes! Magazine, www.futurenet.org, Heinberg fears the changes that may occur during the first have of this century. He bleakly describes the world as he sees it today- “global elites appear to be preparing for a devilish endgame in which winners will literally take all. The world’s middle classes are hypnotized by the lure of cheap consumer goods and kept frantically busy meeting the demands of new market opportunities. The world’s impoverished are trapped in a system that institutionalizes inequality.” Sustainability is obviously important to him. The lecture, which is sponsored in part by The Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative, is free to the public. Reservations can be made, however, by calling 535-ARTS. A reception and refreshments will be served following the lecture. This is the last lecture of the semester.