“The Long Emergency”

by James Howard Kunstler

Book Review by Jay Gilbertson
Now how’s that for a down right peculiar title? It got your attention though, didn’t it? This book is actually an important guide to life after what is called ‘Peak Oil’ and, if you can reflect on the information beyond the author’s sometimes rather cranky moments, you’ll come away with some truly useful analysis.

Kunstler was one of the first to bring the idea of ‘Peak Oil’ to the public’s attention with this book, which was written in 2006. The concept is simple, oil production is now at its peak and worldwide demand is soaring, fuelled by the growth of India and China. Yes, there is more oil in the ground, but it is going to be much harder and much more costly to extract. The days of easy energy are over and we can look forward to more wild swings in gas prices as they seesaw ever higher over the next few decades. It’s a scientific fact and honestly, can any of us be that surprised?

He also takes issue with the ingrained American belief that our technology will save us, carefully making the case that alternative fuels do not have the energy return of oil and ultimately depend on oil to build the equipment for their production. The author also traces how environmental issues and the economy will converge to create this “Long Emergency.”

Kunstler has penned a wake up call, a banging on the hood—pull your head out of the sand—get with the program, kind of book that lays it all bare. Isn’t it time? Actually, that’s one of his main points: we’re nearly out of time. Nearly. Now I don’t want to scare you away from even taking this book down and cracking the ol’ binding for a look because I feel this stuff is really important. Kunstler isn’t foretelling an end to the world, but he is hinting (heavily and with italics) about big changes coming our way with regard to cheap goods from Wal-Mart, lawyer-foyer homes with a zillion wings and driving all over the state in search of the best Chinese Buffet.

Many of us in this beautiful country have chosen to be here and would love to see our hometowns once again flourish. The re-localization of villages and small towns all across America is what “The Long Emergency” suggests as a possible strategy to survive the coming crisis. We need to makes plans for a different kind of future now.

Kunstler makes it clear that the solution to our mad addiction to oil, is a road that isn’t going to be easy to exit from. The first thing he suggests is simple conservation. Next is the importance of community and with that the need to grow and store and preserve as much of our own food as possible—for starters. From there Kunstler asserts that the way through the Long Emergency is using the strength of our communities to find ways to meet the needs of all, re-learning to co-exist on a much smaller, local, more sustainable scale—and yes—we can do this.

It all seems to boil down to an awareness of what our future might look like without oil. To know your neighbors, the community and stay connected—we’re all in this together and isn’t that The Long—Solution?