Fleeing Vesuvius. Gillian Fallon
>
Fleeing Vesuvius
FLEEING
VESUVIUS
OVERCOMING THE RISKS OF ECONOMIC
AND ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAPSE
Edited by Richard Douthwaite and Gillian Fallon Foreword by RICHARD HEINBERG
Copyright © 2011 by FEASTA and individual contributors. All rights reserved.
Cover design by Diane McIntosh.
Printed in Canada. First printing March 2011.
ISBN 978-0-86571-699-5 e ISBN 978-1-55092-476-3
Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of Fleeing Vesuvius should be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below.
To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America)
1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com
Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
(250) 247-9737
New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in fundamental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but through action. Our printed, bound books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified acid-free paper that is 100% post-consumer recycled (100% old growth forest-free), processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based, low-VOC inks, with covers produced using FSC-certified stock. New Society also works to reduce its carbon footprint, and purchases carbon offsets based on an annual audit to ensure a carbon neutral footprint. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Fleeing Vesuvius : overcoming the risks of economic and environmental collapse /
edited by Richard Douthwaite and Gillian Fallon ; foreword by Richard Heinberg.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-86571-699-5
1. Sustainable development. 2. Sustainable living — Economic aspects.
I. Douthwaite, Richard II. Fallon, Gillian
HC79.E5F64 2011 338.9'27 C2011-900096-2
In memory of
Anne Behan 1959–2004
David O’Kelly 1946–2004
and
Will Howard 1951–2008
Contents
Foreword [RICHARD HEINBERG]
Author of The Party’s Over, Peak Everything and The End of Growth.
Introduction [RICHARD DOUTHWAITE]
The people who began using fossil fuels to increase their productivity 300 years ago set the world on its path to the present crisis.
On the Cusp of Collapse: Complexity, Energy and the Globalized Economy [DAVID KOROWICZ]
If less energy is available in future, our economic system will not contract in a gentle, controllable manner. Instead it is likely to collapse.
Future Energy Availability: The Importance of “Net Energy” [CHRIS VERNON]
Although there is a lot of oil still left in the ground, its supply will contract very rapidly indeed and the world may have run out of oil to burn for energy by 2050.
Calculating EIRR, the Energy Internal Rate of Return [TOM KONRAD]
If a standard assessment tool, the internal rate of return, is used to compare the net energy yield of various projects, it shows which to prioritise for the energy transition.
Energy and Water: The Real Blue-Chips [NATE HAGENS AND KENNETH MULDER]
The world needs to abandon money as its measure if it is to invest its scarcest, most limiting resources in the best possible way.
Part II: Innovation in Business, Money and Finance
The Supply of Money in an Energy-Scarce World [RICHARD DOUTHWAITE]
If less energy is available in future the existing stock of money can either lose its value gradually through inflation or suddenly because of the collapse of the banking system that created it.
Liquidity Networks: Local Trading Systems Using a Debt-Free Electronic Currency System [GRAHAM BARNES]
No currency will work unless people accept it from each other so this novel money will be put into circulation as a way of rewarding those who are accepting and spending it most.
Equity Partnerships: A Better, Fairer Approach to Developing Land [CHRIS COOK]
A new way of organizing developments promises better buildings, more affordable rents and a stake in the outcome for everyone.
Using Equity Partnerships to Rescue Building Projects Hit by the Downturn [JAMES PIKE]
Community land partnerships provide an alternative way of becoming a property owner and gaining a voice in the management of the development in which one lives.
Trying to Form an Equity Partnership to Buy a Welsh Farm [TIM HELWEG-LARSEN]
Because there isn’t a market yet for shares in an equity partnership, it proved hard to convince would-be investors that someone would pay a fair price for their holding when they wanted to move on.
The Mondragon Bank: An Old Model for a New Type of Finance [OSCAR KJELLBERG]
A new type of institution is needed to handle non-debt finance. It should help promoters plan their projects and then find outside investor-partners in return for a share of each project’s income.