Will Sargent reviewed Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler
Review of 'Long Emergency' on 'Storygraph'
2 stars
There are some good points to this book. Just about everyone I know who has looked into the future a ways down the road has not liked what has been staring back at them. But...
The man is a crank.
He covers the history of the US with outright venom, detailing at every step how oil and non-renewable resources have enabled mankind to do things that are not sustainable, but then goes out of his way to worry about HIV going airborne and how hip hop is going to contribute to the breakdown of civilization. His coverage of the southern states is simply dyspeptic.
In general, he is broadly correct and cites his sources. However, he speculates far too much on how society reacts to shortfall, without following through the implications on a global scale. he talks about the end of oil and the need to grow food locally... but …
There are some good points to this book. Just about everyone I know who has looked into the future a ways down the road has not liked what has been staring back at them. But...
The man is a crank.
He covers the history of the US with outright venom, detailing at every step how oil and non-renewable resources have enabled mankind to do things that are not sustainable, but then goes out of his way to worry about HIV going airborne and how hip hop is going to contribute to the breakdown of civilization. His coverage of the southern states is simply dyspeptic.
In general, he is broadly correct and cites his sources. However, he speculates far too much on how society reacts to shortfall, without following through the implications on a global scale. he talks about the end of oil and the need to grow food locally... but barely covers what happens to Africa, India and China when they can no longer feed their citizens. It might be that he simply didn't know what the overall impact of climate change was, but I suspect that his vision simply didn't reach outside the US.
It's a shame. In firmer hands with less self indulgence, this could have been brilliant. As it is, he continually undermines his own citations and evidence with some transparent wish-fulfillment.
EDIT: Also worth reading a New Yorker article for more context on Kunstler: www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/26/090126fa_fact_mcgrath?currentPage=all