Orion Online

The Long Emergency
Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century



A five-part video exploration
with author. lecturer, and de facto cultural historian
James Howard Kunstler


PART ONE: How the Hell Did We Get Here? (6:18)
Before trying to figure out how we're going to get out of the oil mess we're in, it might help to know a bit about how it all happened. Kunstler offers a casual history of the industrial experience (fossil fuel use), from the 17th century up to the modern period.
PLAY NOW: WindowsMedia V.8 or QuickTime V.6

PART TWO: Hubbert's Curve, and Other Inconvenient Facts (8:11)
On the rise of OPEC and the turbulent 1970s -- how it all happened, and what it means for us today.
PLAY NOW: Windows Media V.8 or QuickTime V.6

PART THREE: Reagan's Short-Lived "Morning in America" (7:11)
On the 1980s, the 1990s, the "Jiminy Cricket" economy, and an awful lot of wishful thinking about alternative energy.
PLAY NOW: Windows Media V.8 or QuickTime V.6

PART FOUR: The Twilight of Wal-Mart (and Everything Else That's Huge) (7:14)
On the symptoms of systemic failure. Without cheap oil for transport, will Wal-Mart be able to maintain its long-distance romance with China? Will FEMA even be able to answer the phone in twenty years?
PLAY NOW: Windows Media V.8 or QuickTime V.6

PART FIVE: Keeping the Lights On (6:06)
On facing the New Reality. We can begin to envision and to build a post-oil "American Way of Life." But are Americans ready? (Are they even listening?)
PLAY NOW: Windows Media V.8 or QuickTime V.6



The Long Emergency
James Howard Kunstler is a regular contributor to OrionOnline, Orion magazine, Mother Jones, The Atlantic Monthly, and many other publications. He is the author, most recently, of The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century, published by the Atlantic Monthly Press. He drives a 1992 Toyota pickup truck, when he drives at all.













Related Features
Online:

Stairway to Heaven?
Exploding the Myth of the "Hydrogen Economy"
by Tim Flannery

No Problemo!
Delusions in the Easy-Motoring Economy
by James Howard Kunstler

Cargo Karma
We Got What We Asked For
by James Howard Kunstler

Big and Blue in the USA
Depression and Obesity
by James Howard Kunstler

Maul of America
The American Way of Life
by James Howard Kunstler

Man in Nature
The Fiasco of Suburbia
by James Howard Kunstler

This feature was made possible by your contributions to the Thoughts on America Fund.


Don't miss another
video feature!

Sign up here to
and we'll let you know about upcoming features. (Updates are sent only about once every two weeks.)




Copyright 2006 The Orion Society. editor@orionsociety.org