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102 comments on A Prince and Four Peaks: Peak Oil, Gas, Coal and Uranium

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Euan Mearns on January 20, 2009 - 5:28pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top

Rembrandt - does the prince skate in winter time? When I lived in Norway, each winter they had a festival in Oslo called the Holmenkolen festival with skiing and ski jumping. I believe the late King Olav jumped off the gigantic Holmenkolen ski jump which made the people love him, but his son King Harald never did, a black mark, redeemed by the fact that he married "a commoner". NW European monarchies are something of an anachronism - but most actually have stable political systems and are prosperous apart from UK which is preposterous - not due to our monarchy I dare say.

You are doing an amazing job promoting the concepts of PO and energy decline in The Netherlands and throughout Europe. You mentioned that you had written a book - would you care to elaborate?

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waht on January 21, 2009 - 3:47am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

If you'll allow me; yes, as a matter of fact the prince does skate in winter time. I remember a long time (+10 years) ago the prince took part in the 'Elfstedentocht' or 'Eleven-cities-tour' where skaters ride along eleven cities on ice.

I'm very pleased and surprised to hear the prince say these words. Even though he might be 'wrong' on certain specifics, it's the main gist of it that counts.

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PeakPlus on January 21, 2009 - 9:39am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

like re: deforesting
Where does he get his information on WestEuropean deforestation? Italy was probably deforested long before any collapse. Most of the Mediterranean Basin long before that (deforestation of Crete and So. Greece helped the downfall of Mycenaean Civilization - The Ceders of Lebanon plundered long before the Romans got to it.)
And Germany was hardly deforested, for instance. I mean, I'm sure the situation wasn't helped during the ca. 600 years of Roman Empire..

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lukitas on January 21, 2009 - 11:41pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

EROI.
Germany is a long way from Rome.
Imperial Rome managed to rid northern Africa and the middle east of all elephants, lions, and many other beasts, entertainingly killed at your local arena. By the time Rome fell, it cost too much to get wood from Gaul, and to get wheat and olive oil and pottery up to the northern provinces. In the mean time, relatively poor northern and northeastern tribes were sucked in to the apparent affluence of The Roman Empire. Millions of Roman citizens enrolled into slavery (what made them do so? What was so terrifying about freedom? Hunger?). An explosive (or implosive) cocktail if ever there was one.
Many lessons are to be learned from the demise or the Roman empires.

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PaulusP on January 21, 2009 - 6:50am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Yes he skates. He actually complete the 211 km. long "elfstedentocht". Mind you that this year was the first time in 11 years we could skate on natural ice here. When I was a boy we did it every winter!

Rembrandts book is called "de permanente oliecrisis"(the permanent oilcrisis) and is co-authored by a well-known economist, Mr. Willem Middelkoop. The latter also being author of the book "als de dollar valt" (if the dollar falls, or fails).

Both books make a good, basic read in a Q&A set-up.

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102 comments on A Prince and Four Peaks: Peak Oil, Gas, Coal and Uranium

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