On the weird psychology of humans facing peak oil (speech mp3)

[auroraglacialis]

Here is a speech of Kathy McMahon on the weird psychology in the face of peak oil and global warming

http://bit.ly/gj0rbK
http://bit.ly/gJWBxr

I found it very enlightening and in parts quite funny. It deals with how people react if or despite they see that oil is peaking, global warming accurs and biodiversity is declining. She covers several reactions, including denial, "pathological optimism", "Mc Gyverism" (="We will invent our way out of this with a pocket knife and a paper cup") but also mentions individual survivalism and preppers (which she says are doomed to fail, as the true survival strategy of humans is to form communities). A sometimes gloomy but enlightening and reassuring talk by "The Peak Shrink"

"We are not crazy. The facade of the dying oil civilization is definitely crazy" says Alex Smith, the journalist recording this talk.

She explains the difference between "problems" (which humans enjoy solving) and "dilemmas" (which we loath). The dilemma has no good solution. We get more problems whatever we try, all options stink. She goes on to describing that peak oil (and the future of industrial civilization with it) is such a dilemma in that no matter what options one can take, it always is undesireable in some way to many (use less oil and walk more? face economic crash when oil runs out? produce nuclear waste to cover the energy need? consume a lot less?)

There is a shorter edited version on Internet Radio