By 2009 when Catton published his other book, Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse, he felt that the time for major mitigation of the inevitable bust portion of the population cycle had passed. During this period, the country’s unemployment increased by 10%. The recession was, however, least felt in Texas due to the presence of this industry. The deep tight oil deposit goes by the name Spraberry/Wolfcamp and is located in West Texas. The oil and gas industry also aids in indirect employment creation in related industries. This partnership was established to test the efficacy of the technology, processing 18% of the total flue gas slipstream, equivalent to 235 MW of generating power. All but one of Japan’s nuclear power plants are shut down in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster two-and-a-half years ago, leading to a surge in demand for LNG in the country. Companies are increasingly expected to assist in addressing many of the world’s pressing problems including climate change, poverty and HIV/AIDS.

Companies will naturally gravitate towards graduates with these skills because they are sure to be interested in the positions being offered and will most likely do a good job at them. Sharpen it with the skills that you possess and feel appropriate for the job. So besides professional education, what oil and gas workers in Vietnam need is job training and experience before they can move up to skilled positions. The industry says it has found a deposit of oil that may turn out to be the largest in the world. His analyses showed that in all types of basins, 100% of the reserves in the five largest fields were, on average during 1970-80, made within six years after the first field was found. But the CEO quoted in the story cited just before that link stated that “Spraberry Wolfcamp could possibly become the largest oil and gas discovery in the world,” thus leaving the impression that it was recently discovered. By summer, with the rush of spring nutrients depleted–nutrients which are like the one-time infusion of fossil fuels into human society–the algae population crashes, leaving mostly open water and sometimes just an uneven ribbon along the edge of the pond.

By this he meant the human dependence on fossil fuels which are the ancient dead remains of organisms transformed into oil, natural gas and coal. This block heater keeps the entire engine block, including coolant and oil, at an elevated temperature so the engine can be utilized at full rated load within seconds after starting. I can only surmise that this was part of the attempt to exaggerate what is actually happening. We all need to be more aware of what is going on; we can no longer bury our heads in the sand. We can adjust to these realities or they will adjust us to them. Few understand what he called “the tragic story of human success,” tragic because that success as it is currently defined cannot be maintained and must necessarily unwind into decline owing to the laws of physics and the realities of biology. Perhaps the most important thing to note about Catton is that he did not blame anyone for the human predicament. In 1980 it seemed as if this cycle might be mitigated by wise policy and serious, but achievable adjustments in the human way of life. The simplest way to illustrate point 1 is with an example from mining.

We’ve studied this from the rocks’ point of view. Perhaps the single keenest insight Catton had is that humans have become detritovores, organisms that live off the dead remains of other organisms. But, even today, few people see the world as Catton did. So, why even write another book? He likened modern humans to algae feeding on the rich surplus of nutrients from dead organic matter swept into a pond by spring rains and often multiplying so as to cover the entire pond with a green carpet. Modern masts (or towers as they are sometimes referred to) incorporate a hydraulic ram that enables the wind generator to be installed in one piece (also being used to lower the machine for maintenance/repair). The political climate has also changed as drilling legislation and regulation are being reviewed and changes are in the future. These investments, though offer lucrative profits are also considered bit risky. That tells you how far away we are from nuclear fusion as a method for producing electricity. Amoco’s subsidiaries included Winter Oil Company and Muskeg Oil Company which, when merged into Amoco Canada in 1969, had substantial producing assets.