Peak Oil : Apocalyptic Environmentalism and Libertarian Political Culture

In recent years, the concept of “peak oil”—the moment when global oil production peaks and a train of economic, social, and political catastrophes accompany its subsequent decline—has captured the imagination of a surprisingly large number of Americans, ordinary citizens as well as scholars, and created a quiet, yet intense underground movement. In __Peak Oil__, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson takes readers deep inside the world of “peakists,” showing how their hopes and fears about the postcarbon future led them to prepare for the social breakdown they foresee—all of which are fervently discussed and debated via websites, online forums, videos, and novels. By exploring the worldview of peakists, and the unexpected way that the fear of peak oil and climate change transformed many members of this left-leaning group into survivalists, Schneider-Mayerson builds a larger analysis of the rise of libertarianism, the role of oil in modern life, the political impact of digital technologies, the racial and gender dynamics of post-apocalyptic fantasies, and the social organization of environmental denial. The concept of 'peak oil' - the moment when global oil production peaks and a train of economic, social and political catastrophes accompany its subsequent decline - has captured the imagination of a large number of Americans and created a quiet, yet intense underground movement. This book delves deep inside the world of 'peakists', showing how their hopes and fears about the postcarbon future led them to prepare for the social breakdown they foresee. By exploring their worldview, and the unexpected way that these fears transformed many members of this left-leaning group into survivalists, it builds a larger analysis of the rise of libertarianism, the role of oil in modern life, the political impact of digital technologies, racial and gender dynamics of post-apocalyptic fantasies and the social organisation of environmental denial In Peak Oil, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson takes readers deep inside the world of "peakists," showing how their hopes and fears about the postcarbon future led them to prepare for the social breakdown they foresee--all of which are fervently discussed and debated via websites, online forums, videos, and novels. By exploring the worldview of peakists, and the unexpected way that the fear of peak oil and climate change transformed many members of this left-leaning group into survivalists, Schneider-Mayerson builds a larger analysis of the rise of libertarianism, the role of oil in modern life, the political impact of digital technologies, the racial and gender dynamics of post-apocalyptic fantasies, and the social organization of environmental denial.--Publisher description Oil and AntiPolitics..............1 1 The Peak Oil Ideology and Subculture..............17 2 Abundance Scarcity and Limits in the Age of Oil..............47 The Libertarian Shift and the Network Effect..............77 4 Apocalyptic Popular Culture and Political Quiescence..............103 5 White Masculinity and PostApocalyptic Retrosexuality..............129 Climate Change and the Big Picture..............150