This content is no longer available. It was a pre-publication draft of a section of “Energy Limits to Growth,” a report that will be published in expanded form by Post Carbon Institute and International Forum on globalization in May.
The conservation imperative: energy limits to growth and the path to sustainability – part II
By Richard Heinberg, originally published by Museletter / Global Public Media
February 24, 2009
Richard Heinberg
Richard is Senior Fellow of Post Carbon Institute, and is regarded as one of the world’s foremost advocates for a shift away from our current reliance on fossil fuels. He is the author of fourteen books, including some of the seminal works on society’s current energy and environmental sustainability crisis. He has authored hundreds of essays and articles that have appeared in such journals as Nature and The Wall Street Journal; delivered hundreds of lectures on energy and climate issues to audiences on six continents; and has been quoted and interviewed countless times for print, television, and radio. His monthly MuseLetter has been in publication since 1992. Full bio at postcarbon.org.
Tags: Biofuels, Biomass, Coal, Consumption & Demand, Electricity, Energy Policy, Fossil Fuels, Geothermal, Hydropower, Industry, Marine Energy, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Oil, Photovoltaic, Renewable Energy, Shale Oil, Solar Energy, Solar Thermal, Tar Sands, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy, Wind Energy
Related Articles
Ditching Dualism #2: Animism
Rather than being a religion, animism is a mindset that had common purchase around the globe prior to modern times. Not only is it important to appreciate how we used to be when the planet’s ecological relationships were more “normal,” but it offers a worthy alternative to dualism that has much overlap with an astrophysical perspective.
December 3, 2025
Reimagining Ourselves at the End of Our World: Kinship, Interconnection, and Spirituality in the Metacrisis
By Nate Hagens, The Great Simplification
In this episode, Nate is joined by guide and author Samantha Sweetwater to explore how separation is at the root of the metacrisis and how nurturing interconnection, relationships, and ecological maturity act as foundational components for systems change.
December 2, 2025
Marx and Sartre go shopping for a car
By Bart Hawkins Kreps, An Outside Chance
Why is it so difficult to find a job or to buy products that align with our values? Why is it difficult to even know whether our personal choices might have effects in the right direction?
December 2, 2025


