Brad Matsen

Biography:

Brad Matsen is the author of Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, as well as many other books about the sea and it's inhabitants. He was a creative producer for the television series The Shape of Life, and his articles have appeared in Mother Jones, Audubon, and Nature.

Past Shows:

	End of the Industrial Age
	Saturday November 8, 2008

Researcher and explorer in alternative realities John Michael Greer discussed his new work exploring the decline and fall of the Industrial Age and what it means to our future. According to Greer, the end of our civilization will be a gradual process and "within 100 to 300 years there are not going to be industrial products available anywhere on the planet." The cause, he believes, is our dependence on oil.As evidence, Greer cited the destruction of the Mayans, which he said came about because they had based their civilization on a non-renewable resource -- fertile soil. After they reached what he termed "peak corn," production declined and along with it the Mayan civilization. Our petroleum-based economy makes us just as vulnerable as the Mayans, according to Greer. Even many of our alternative energy sources are dependent on petroleum, he explained, noting that a "huge flood of oil [pours] into each solar cell."As the oil runs out, Greer expects populations to contrac ... More
Host: Ian Punnett