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Page added on July 2, 2013
Ugo Bardi on “Plundering the Planet” – Part IV
The control of noble metals was a key to ancient and modern empires. Soldiers were paid with gold or silver coins, so they were able to extent the empire and conquer more mines to pay more soldiers. Modern empires like the British Empire were built on coal – which went down with the end of British coal resources. The Empire of our times is built on fossil fuels as well: controlling them means to dominate the world. However, shortages of oil, coal and metals combined with catastrophic climate change could lead to a collapse of modern civilization and bring us back to an agrarian society. However this scenario is avoidable according to Bardi, if we stop mining the earth and start mining our waste, closing the resource cycle.
7 Comments on "Ugo Bardi on “Plundering the Planet” – Part IV"
Arthur on Tue, 2nd Jul 2013 12:08 pm
“Modern empires like the British Empire were built on coal – which went down with the end of British coal resources.”
True. One barrel of oil represents 8 warrior years, losely speaking.
Btw, the British empire did not come to it’s demise because it ran out of coal; it had more than enough access to oil from the ME. The real reason why the British lost their empire was because the British war party, centered around Churchill, was bought and paid for by certain circles in US politics and got the upperhand (thanks to the media) over the British mainstream politics centered around Chamberlain. Central figure in the drama in Europe was Roosevelt’s henchman William Bullitt, ambassador to Paris, who managed to manouver Britain into the fatal garantee for Poland in case of war with Germany. US ambassador Drexel Biddle to Warsaw secretly encouraged the Poles to confront the Germans over the Danzig issue under the false garantee that under all circumstances the US, Britain and France would support Poland. That was a lie, after the war Poland was handed over to the loving care of Stalin without a peep of protest. The Poles had played their role as useful idiots in getting the war kicked off and after that they were an expendable item.
Roosevelt and Stalin could shake hands in Yalta with a broad grin, as they had succesfully managed to sick British and French fools (who were still in the Versailles mode of thinking) against Germany, thanks to the Poles, so they could divide the European loot amongst themselves.
There are signs that Russia is willing to open the revisionist box of Pandora.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8541921
BillT on Tue, 2nd Jul 2013 2:03 pm
Since we will NOT stop mining the earth and will continue to bury our waste and plant grass on it, I guess we will go back to being farmers. After we bury about 6 billion of our neighbors and family members, I suspect.
DC on Tue, 2nd Jul 2013 4:55 pm
That’s technically true Arthur, but the UK has actually gone through several energy peaks. The UK , squandered all its high-quality coal long ago. That industry is for all intents and purposes,dead. There is still coal in the ground in the UK, but…we know the story there right? Then the British, being the keen observers of history they are, did the exact same thing with North Sea Oil, only that peak came on even faster. Prof. Bardis larger point IS however accurate, the British Empire was a coal-based empire, and it went away about the same time as the coal stared too.
Now that of course, is a over-simplification, but main point he is making is valid. He is saying energy is the new coinage of empire, and the details of the rise and fall of empires, while interesting and relevant, still sit on a base of coin. Gold, coal or oil, take your pick. Everything empires do relies on one some or all of those ‘coin’s. When they start to run down-so does empire.
Arthur on Tue, 2nd Jul 2013 7:27 pm
DC, Churchill in his capacity of secretary of the British navy was the first in the world to transform the navy from coal run to oil run.
http://www.epmag.com/archives/digitalOilField/5911.htm
There was no shortage of oil for the British, ever. They got their oil from the ME. After WW2 the British and French ‘allies’ were summoned to dismantle their respective empires… by the Americans. After Suez 1956 the show was run by Americans and Soviets.
Britain lost it’s empire because it had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, the real start of WW2, that is on the only friend it could have had in the world, but Britain did not want that friendship. Britain chose to open the gates of Europe for Soviets and Americans. Meanwhile the eastern half has been liberated from the Russian backed communist regimes. The western half and their suicidal multiculti NWO regimes, backed by the US, are next: 2015-2025 (whenever the US inititated global financial meltdown will begin).
moli on Tue, 2nd Jul 2013 7:55 pm
and lets not forget who has infiltrated the usa uk and every other eu positions of power. . . the zionists.. . . the pending meltdown will not be without its bang.
Frank Kling on Wed, 3rd Jul 2013 6:49 am
Outstanding dose of political realism thanks to “Arthur”. Well done and thank you.
Arthur on Wed, 3rd Jul 2013 8:29 am
Arthur is my real name. I have no secrets for my friends at the NSA, not even if I wanted to 😉