In this twelfth video in the series “Peak Oil and a Changing Climate” from The Nation and On The Earth Productions, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics of the University of Missouri at Columbia John Ikerd argues that humans cannot wait much longer to address the reality that economic growth is unsustainable—because the world is running out of energy resources. “We simply can’t continue to grow at the rate we’ve been growing in the past.”

Ikerd calls for a decentralized energy system using wind, solar or photovoltaic energy. As he outlines the problems of energy as they relate to economic prosperity, he says that we don’t have to have continued economic wealth to have progress and happiness.

Finally, Ikerd says we “have to paint a vision for future” that can give people hope. We must show there is at least a possibility we will be able to tackle the impending peak oil and climate change crises.

You can learn more about “Peak Oil and a Changing Climate,” and watch the other videos in the series, here.

—Kevin Gosztola