38 min listen
Maximum Power and Scarcity, or... the Story of the Birdbrained Backhoe on the Beach
FromCrazy Town
ratings:
Length:
55 minutes
Released:
Jun 16, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
The "maximum power principle" may sound like the doctrine of an evil supervillain, but it actually applies to all living creatures. The principle states that biological systems organize to increase power whenever constraints allow. Given the way humans adhere to this principle, especially by overexploiting fossil fuels, we often do behave like supervillains, wielding power in wildly irresponsible ways and triggering climate change, biodiversity loss, and other aspects of our sustainability predicament. Sometimes it seems like we're using a backhoe to dig our own grave. Fortunately, once you understand efficiency and its different flavors, you can see opportunities to optimize power rather than maximize it. While considering the outlook for humanity, the Crazy Townies ponder a weird question: are we smarter than reindeer? Richard Heinberg, author of Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival, joins the team to share his research on how people can optimize power.Support the show (https://www.postcarbon.org/supportcrazytown/)
Released:
Jun 16, 2021
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
My Dinner Is Stuck in Traffic: Fossil Fuels and the Food Transition by Crazy Town