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1. Richard Heinberg - Consuming Less Energy: Our Critical Transition

“Nature will win in the end and balance will be reestablished. The question is how is it going to happen and if we're working in the direction of rebalancing things and doing it from the standpoint of minimizing the casualties and maximizing the opportunities of the survivors.” -Richard Heinberg

Richard Heinberg, author and Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute, joins hosts Patrick Leung and Armando Davila for a deep conversation on the importance of reducing energy consumption for humanity’s transition to a sustainable existence on Earth. Richard sheds light on the harm that energy consumption causes, the history behind it, and the factors making it difficult to reduce. The discussion then moves to practical ways to reduce energy consumption, countries that are doing so on a large scale, how nature is supporting us in this transition, and how we can work together with nature to create a beautiful and sustainable future.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The impact of affluence on energy consumption


• How using energy almost always causes environmental harm


• The serious challenges with renewables


• The only way the energy transition is likely to work


• Why green growth is not enough without downsizing industrial society


• Practical ways to live a lower consumption lifestyle


• The hidden energy usage behind the green industry


• How the field of economics is energy blind


• The historical roots of consumerism


• The importance of social innovation


• How moving away from consumption is an act of resistance


• Why continuous economic growth is unsustainable


• The importance of periods of economic retraction


• The countries that are leading the way in methods for reducing consumption


• How consuming less doesn’t need to equate with a less happy life


• The importance of conserving wild ecosystems for future generations


• Nature’s tendency to always reestablish the balance of power


• Why we need more optimistic post-apocalyptic fiction


• The power of beauty and nature’s deliberate production of it

RELEVANT LINKS:

Earthshot Labs: www.earthshot.eco

Richard’s Website: https://richardheinberg.com

Post Carbon Institute: https://www.postcarbon.org/

Intro & Outro Music by Little Whale: https://littlewhale.bandcamp.com