Energy Expert │ Visionary │ Author“All of the debts for society’s century-long industrial fiesta are coming due at the same time. We have no choice but to transition to a world no longer dependent on fossil fuels, a world made up of communities and economies that function within ecological bounds. How we manage this transition is the most important question of our time.” —Richard Heinberg
Author of nine books, including
The Party’s Over, Peak Everything, and the newly released
Blackout, Richard Heinberg is widely regarded as one of the world’s most effective communicators of the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels. With a wry, unflinching approach based on facts and realism, Mr. Heinberg exposes the tenuousness of our current way of life and offers a vision for a truly sustainable future.
Senior Fellow-in-Residence at Post Carbon Institute, Mr. Heinberg is best known as a leading educator on Peak Oil—the point at which
we reach maximum global oil production—and the resulting, devastating impact it will have on our economic, food, and transportation systems. But his expertise is far ranging, covering critical issues including the current economic crisis, food and agriculture, community resilience, and global climate change.
Richard Heinberg brings important news that few will want to hear – the limits we’ve been hearing about for four decades our really upon us. He also brings a pretty good hit of the directions we might take to escape the tightening knot.
—Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and author of
Deep Economy and the
End of Nature Mr. Heinberg’s latest book,
Blackout: Coal, Climate, and the Last Energy Crisis, brings critical information to the debate about coal’s role as a continuing energy source in the face of climate change. Blackout sends a powerful message: With less than 20 years before US coal production peaks and no viable means to produce “clean coal,” the need to transition entirely to renewable energy is even more critical.
"Blackout provides a startling wake-up call for energy optimists who believe our economic future is guaranteed by centuries worth of available coal – as well as for environmentalists who see “peak coal” as a salvation from climate hell. This clearly written and meticulously documented book provides a powerful case for a rapid global program to rewire the world with clean energy. Any other option puts the survival of our coherent civilization at risk."
—Ross Gelbspan, author,
The Heat Is On and
Boiling PointMr. Heinberg is a much sought-after speaker and has presented in dozens of countries and across the United States. He’s featured in many documentaries, including End of Suburbia and Leonardo DiCaprio’s film 11th Hour. Mr. Heinberg has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, Canadian Broadcasting Television, BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Al Jazeera, as well as numerous radio programs (national NPR) and print publications (Time magazine).
Selected Lecture Topics:- Peak Oil and Oil Depletion
- US Energy Policy
- Energy Alternatives
- The Energy Transition
- Coal and Climate Change
- Culture and Ecology
- Sustainability
Selected Writings:- Blackout: Coal, Climate, and the Last Energy Crisis (2009)
- Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines (2007)
- The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism, and Economic Collapse (2006)
- Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World (2004)
- The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies (2003)
- Cloning the Buddha: The Moral Impact of Biotechnology (1999)
- A New Covenant with Nature: Notes on the End of Civilization and the Renewal of Culture (1996)
- Celebrate the Solstice: Honoring the Earth’s Seasonal Rhythms through Festival and Ceremony (1993)
- Memories and Visions of Paradise: Exploring the Universal Myth of a Lost Golden Age (1989; revised edition)
To watch Richard Heinberg speak about his latest book, Blackout, click here.
To watch an interview with Richard Heinberg on Clean Skies TV, click here.
To hear Richard Heinberg on Chicago Public Radio's Worldview, click here.For more information about Richard Heinberg and his work, please go to www.richardheinberg.com and the website for The Post Carbon Institute, www.postcarbon.org.