Global Permaculture Solutions
a graceful end to cheap oil
local bioregional global solutions
GlobalPermaculture.org Permatopia.com
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Global Permaculture Solutions GlobalPermaculture.org Permatopia.com |
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PERMACULTURE permaculture for nine billion Permatopia dictionary: documents: environmental patterns Greenwash Permatopia food water shelter: energy
transportation
community
money: health: permaculture: waste: forests:
biomimicry detoxification: primitive technology homesteading eco-cities related websites:
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Peak Forests Peak Oil is likely to create simultaneous separate incentives for slower and faster liquidation of forests. An economic disruption caused by Peak Oil would probably reduce construction projects, which would make lumber less needed and valuable. However, economic disruptions would also create an incentive for those who own forests to speed up their obliteration to generate cash flow. This would exacerbate the current trends for clearcutting versus selective forestry -- the practices that create the most short term return are those dominant in the industry, while those that create more board-feet in the long run are rarely practiced by corporate forestry. In addition, cutting could accelerate if biofuels made from tiny trees becomes widespread. Several generators have been built across the United States that burn wood chips to create steam to generate electricity -- which create a market for trees too small to process into high-quality boards. There are also technologies available for transforming tree farms into liquid fuels for internal combustion engines, which pose severe threats to forest integrity due to rapacious demands. The environmental movement has largely ignored the environmental implications of Peak Oil. Perhaps the most important question is what will we use the rest of the oil for -- for solar panels or for battleships, for more overconsumption or for relocalization of production? The answer determines the future of the human race. |
