Steve Hallett - Civilizations Quotes

3 Sourced Quotes

View all Steve Hallett Quotes

Cellular systems, ecosystems, and civilizations are, at base, thermodynamic systems.... The system uses energy, eventually releasing it as useless heat.... there is one vital difference between natural systems and human systems: natural systems receive a fixed energy input that never varies. If we could set a strict limit on energy use, we could build a human system that is just as stable as an ecosystem.

Steve Hallett

We seem to have quite a few problems: global climate change, peak oil, overpopulation, collapsing fisheries, desertification, wealth inequality, species extinctions, freshwater shortages, hapless governments, deforestation, disease epidemics, and agricultural failures top the list.... our civilizations have been in similar situations before... a long list of civilizations from the Maya to the Romans all collapsed. The precedent is set...

Steve Hallett

We don't know exactly when out fossil fuels will run out... but by the end of the century, our oil and natural gas supplies will be virtually non-existent, and limited coal supplies will be restricted to only a handful of countries.... We are at the peak of a remarkable two-hundred-year glitch in the history of civilization and are about to embark on the descent. The coming changes will be earth-shattering.

Steve Hallett