Here’s a nice little animated history of fossil fuels (below, about 5 minutes long), produced by the Post Carbon Institute. I recognize the voice of Richard Heinberg as the narrator, so you can be sure the technical presentation is reliable.

But Jonathan Hiskes, writing about this video in Grist, complains that it lacks advice on specific steps which could be taken to achieve resilience:

“Giving the public this sort of foundational knowledge is useful, but it would be helpful to give them some concrete steps to take — build a neighborhood solar co-op, get a Complete Streets plan passed in their town … for example.“

That’s a good point. Hiskes should take a look at the work of the Post Carbon Institute itself. It’s a combination think tank and resource center for concrete solutions.

And local readers can take heart. There’s an organization here in Nevada County whose mission it is to bring people together to work on the kind of positive specific projects that will ease the transition to resilience: A.P.P.L.E. (the Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy) was founded precisely to address the issues raised by the depletion of fossil fuels. (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the A.P.P.L.E. board).

Check out Heinberg’s tale. It’s fascinating.

And for hope, and a way to take action (which is the expression of hope), contact A.P.P.L.E. and the A.P.P.L.E. Center.