Twilight of Abundance: Why Life in the 21st Century Will Be Nasty, Brutish, and Short

This is an excellent book discussing what may be in our future from the big picture standpoint. Whether you think we can control the climate or that it will change, there are resource considerations such as energy, food, and water serving a growing well armed population that will require more focus than Carbon Dioxide, or crisis for the week, tunnel vision. The discussions in Twilight of Abundance should be applied to our civilization's current situation even if our climate doesn't change. The book doesn't declare future doom but offers considerations for avoiding that outcome.For much of the last century we have enjoyed so much abundance that we have time to argue and focus on relatively small things. Yes there are wars but the human civilization has made great progress in spite of weather or climate using the energy abundance that is easy to take for granted. This book explores what might be in our future and the things we should consider doing now so that when, or if, the energy and food abundances are no longer there that we are prepared for the range of possibilities, rather than assuming that our future is solely dependent on carbon dioxide concentrations.We know that the planet has survived with healthy and abundant biodiversity with much more CO2 and higher temperatures than we can expect in the next generation. However we are focusing trillions of dollars on short term and dramatic changes that may make us more vulnerable to the return of climates that this planet has exhibited. Twilight of Abundance discusses some ways our civilization can still prosper with energy, peace, and food for all who want to work and plan rather than profit on fear and religious and political division.

This is a welcome voice opposing the destructive UN Agenda on its war on affordable energy. Anyone who follows climate science is familiar with the political nature of the IPCC and its efforts to end the use of coal, oil and gas. Dr. Judith Curry is speaking the truth when she states that scientists do not know enough about the complex climate of the world to make predictions. (The meteorologists cannot even predict local weather more then a couple of days as anyone knows.) Old people remember the scary scenarios of the 1970's when global cooling was supposed to destroy the world. This book refers to studies of the sun which indicate a cooling period ahead, and that is important to balance the war on CO2. However, the IPCC-connected people are now claiming that any climate disruption is caused by CO2.The author obviously did not read Yergin's epic history of oil which documents Pres. Eisenhower at the end of WW2 making all federal lands off-limits to oil and gas exploration in the effort to have plenty when the next big war comes along, as oil won both WW1 and WW2....The US Government's immense assets include mineral acreage the size of Canada. It was the beginning of 'peak oil' scares to the public by government.Another science branch that the author omitted is the abiotic origins of oil, gas and coal. Thomas Gold spent his efforts on this, and the USSR files released when it folded proved that Russian scientists used this theory to explore and expand production. Gold documents that when coal and oil were first used there were no scientific efforts to prove fossil origins; the existence of fossils where such were found was assumed to be their origins, but no technology existed then to explore the emission of methane from the earth's mantle that seeped upward. That technology now exists, and for example, new studies show the giant Permian Basin oil field in west Texas has much more oil under it than was ever extracted. Technological innovation continues to change the old picture. Why doesn't the author of this book delve into this area?The future of energy? If we had a free market, innovation would already be under way to develop individual or neighborhood electric generators that would obsolesce the need for electric lines which are very expensive to maintain and which increasingly pose a potential of shutting down cities when the electricity goes out. Places without such availability often use individual diesel generators for dwellings. I know a ranch that is in northern Mexico that uses such. The author doesn't mention the scalability of his pet solution, which begs the question of why he is peddling it.The consideration of a cooling period like the one 300 years ago should be a balance to the current political efforts to shut down energy for the US. This book is a good starting place for a new debate to form in the halls of the elite who rule over us.

I just finished this book and found it to be quite interesting, since it provides more on what the consequences might be should his conclusions come to pass. The notion of CTF (coal to fluid) discussion, the thorium-burning molten-salt reactors and the disruption of economies should there be a reduction in food crops, namely wheat, corn and soybeans for those nations that rely heavy on imports to feed their population. This book is worth the money and should be read if you want to get a different prospective then what is portrayed in the media and through the political narrative. I have read other books on this topic e.g. The Chilling Stars, A Cosmic View of Climate Change, The Great Global Warming Blunder and Climate Confusion. I would much rather read about climate change over hundreds and thousands of years, rather than just 50-150 years as has been suggested in other books and those who feel climate change has more to do with man's activities on the planet. The planet has warmed and cooled since the earth was born and much of this warming and cooling had little to do with man's activities, hence the contribution of CO2. I would like to see a broader look at the factors suggested in these books investigated and not to place all one's eggs in one basket. The solutions suggested by anthropogenic proponents e.g. a carbon tax, battery powered cars, solar, wind, biofuels etc... would cause more disruption to our economy, then focusing on solutions and new technology to make available energy sources cleaner. Technologies e.g. wind and solar will one day have a place in the overall solution, by right now not very economical on a large scale. Lastly, if you go to www.LunarPlanner.com, cooling is suggested in solar cycle 24 and 25 with the peak suggested in the year 2030. Take a look at the cooling and warming that has taken place over the last 100,00-1,000,000 and you might see a correlation with the suns solar activity, the number of sun spots and where our galaxy has passed through the solar system as it relates to climate change.

This book is not one you would read for pleasure, but nevertheless I think it aught to be on your bookshelf.The author paints a coherent (and, it has to be said, bleak) picture of where our world could be heading. He draws together several strands of environmental, political, scientific, and historical thought, and comes up with a direction we are heading in as humanity. I don't necessarily agree with all he has to say, and I would think neither will you, but the author does not come across as a "kook" or "extremist" with any sort of agenda of his own to pedal. In fact he comes across measured and analytical, mostly from the fact that the majority of his statements and sources are referenced throughout. This, as far as I'm concerned, sets this work apart right from the start, as a book which has had a lot of thought and work put into it.So, why 4 stars instead of 5? Only because it covers so much ground that I felt it didn't dive deep enough in any of the subjects covered. I think this books content could easily be 4 or 5 separate books on several different subjects if each were examined to exhaustion. I would like to read them if they were, as the author is clearly capable and talented at what he does.Technically this book, which could have been heavy going (but isn't), is well written, clearly formatted, and methodically organized. If you're interested in political history, prepping, world events, environmental care, or where your kids might be living after your gone then read this book.

Very good. Makes a sound and cogent case for the decline of abundance. I particularly liked the chapters on global cooling which is fast approaching, based on the work of many, many eminent scientists, (not an incestuous, left-wing political party, making its members very very rich - which is what the IPCC represents.....what about the 97% consensus? all scientists need grants and these are withdrawn if politically incorrect science is approached, all science journals are part of the 97% left wing American further education establishment....need I go on - it's all a fraud) Global warming is based on models and the erroneous belief that carbon dioxide is a major driver of climate - anyway the predictions made by the IPCC and others have proved hopelessly wrong which is A FACT, but why ? the discussions about solar cycles really convinced me and led to further investigations.

Some very interesting ideas.I did some fact checking and the facts did not always bear out - I don't know where he is getting no temperature change over the last 10 years as he provided no reference. Similarly, the guy who or iginally discovered the correlation between solar cycles and climate has now retracted - apparently the relationship no longer holds. The cooling expcted by the author just hasn't arrived.More interesting is the analysis of the impact that cooling will have on agriculture and the nations of the Middle East and North Africa. Cooling is not the only thing that would tip them over the edge - I think the world is in for very interesting (read dark) times ahead - and in our lifetimes.

Could be described as a bit pessimistic, but you never know. Well researched and laid out conclusions covering all the main countries involved in competition with us.. With his own recommendations as to how we should actually be using up our resources and producing our energy supplies with the best options available at the moment. The future does not look very bright for a lot of countries if his predictions are anywhere near correct and the world food supply is as tight or non existent as he suspects. Thought provoking stuff although things never work out how we expect and lots of things suddenly 'turn up' just to throw a spanner in the works. Good read though.

An alternative and dsistinctive few of the future and a warning of the impending disaster from food shortages and overpopulation in the third world. Particularly relavent when considering Britain and the EU, mass migrations and the consequnces of a seriously cooling climate.