The Long Emergency
![]() First edition cover | |
Author | James Howard Kunstler |
---|---|
Language | English |
Subject | Peak oil, Climate change, Economic instability |
Genre | Non-fiction |
Publisher | Grove/Atlantic |
Publication date | 2005 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Followed by | Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation |
The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century is a 2005 book by James Howard Kunstler published by Atlantic Monthly Press. The book examines the potential consequences of peak oil and argues that declining petroleum availability will converge with climate change, water scarcity, economic instability, disease, and warfare to create sustained global crises.[1]
Kunstler's central thesis focuses on how peak oil extraction will fundamentally disrupt American society and the global economy. He contends that these energy-related upheavals will force communities to develop more localized, self-sufficient systems of food production and resource management.[1] The book was followed by two sequels: Too Much Magic (2012) and Living in the Long Emergency (2020).
Synopsis
[edit]Kunstler argues that cheap, abundant oil forms the foundation of industrial society, and its depletion will fundamentally transform human civilization. He contends that alternative energy sources—including solar, wind, hydroelectric, coal, and nuclear power—will prove insufficient to replace petroleum. As oil becomes scarce and expensive, transportation costs will soar, making long-distance shipping of food and goods prohibitively expensive.[1][2]
The author predicts this energy crisis will force communities toward localized, self-sufficient systems, particularly for food production. Large cities, unable to achieve self-sufficiency, may experience mass starvation, disease, and civil unrest. Kunstler suggests governments will be unable to manage these cascading problems effectively.[1][3]
Reception
[edit]The Long Emergency received mixed but generally positive critical reception, with reviewers praising Kunstler's erudition and compelling writing style while expressing concern about the book's dire predictions. A chorus of critics praised Kunstler's erudition and wonderful writing, while stressing that his book thoroughly unsettled them, with one reviewer declaring that the book couldn't help but be read "with white knuckles."[2]
However, the book also received negative criticism, with Kirkus Reviews dismissing it as "cant-filled and overwrought: a crying-wolf approach to real but largely addressable issues, long on jeremiads but absent of remedies."[4]
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Akers, Keith (2 February 2006). "Peak Oil and the Coming Long Emergency". compassionatespirit.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2006. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Alexander, David. "Review of The Long Emergency". Living in Peace on Our Planet. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Alter, Lloyd (15 May 2005). "The Long Emergency: a Long Review". TreeHugger. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Barrett, Brendan F. D. (3 December 2010). "Long Emergency on Planet Eaarth". Our World. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- December, John (16 May 2005). "Book Notes: The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of the Oil Age, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century by James Howard Kunstler". December Communications, Inc. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Del Mastro, Addison (21 November 2017). "An Interview With James Howard Kunstler". The American Conservative. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Goodman, Leslee (October 2009). "The Decline And Fall Of The Suburban Empire". The Sun Magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Hartman, Jason (15 November 2013). "HS 186 - The Long Emergency with James Howard Kunstler". the Holistic Survival Show. Hartman Media. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Howells, Ken (27 April 2007). "The Long Emergency". Everything2.com. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Kaminski, Frank (9 March 2015). "A review of James Kunstler's The Long Emergency 10 years later". Resilience. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Krumpe, Ed (18 November 2013). "The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler" (PDF).
- Kunstler, James Howard. How Do You Like the Long Emergency So Far?. TEDxAlbany 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- Kunstler, James Howard (April 7, 2005). "The End Of Oil". Rolling Stone. No. 971.
- Kunstler, James Howard (1 January 2006). "The Long Emergency". Orion Magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Lacey, Josh (1 September 2005). "Review: The Long Emergency, The Monster at Our Door and A Crack in the Edge of the World". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Lenoir, Bill (15 June 2010). "TEotWaWKI Book Review: The Long Emergency". TEotWaWKI Diary: End of the World Survival, with or without Zombies. Centreville, VA. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Little, Amanda (25 May 2005). "An interview with doomsaying author James Howard Kunstler". Grist. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Lynn, R. R. (2009). It's Not the End of the World, but You Can See It from There: Legal Education in The Long Emergency. U. Tol. L. Rev., 40, 377. https://www.utoledo.edu/law/studentlife/lawreview/pdf/v40n2/Lynn_RevFinal.pdf
- McGreal, Ryan (16 May 2005). "The Long Emergency". Raise the Hammer. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- McNamee, Gregory (March 15, 2005). "The Long Emergency". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- O'Reilly, Tim (16 July 2005). "The Long Emergency". O'Reilly Radar. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Welzer, Steve (2006). "Facing Up to What Confronts Us". Green Horizon Magazine.
- Wooldridge, Frosty (6 November 2008). "First Change - The Long Emergency, Part 1". News With Views – Where Reality Shatters Illusion. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- Wooldridge, Frosty (10 November 2008). "First Change - The Long Emergency, Part 2". News With Views – Where Reality Shatters Illusion. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- "The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century" by James Howard Kunstler. Noted Author's Books of Our Time. Massachusetts School of Law. May 6, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Kunstler, James Howard (2006). The long emergency: surviving the end of oil, climate change, and other converging catastrophes of the twenty-first century. New York, NY: Grove Press. ISBN 978-0-8021-4249-8.
- ^ a b Press, Mud City (2015-03-09). "A review of James Kunstler's The Long Emergency 10 years later". resilience. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ "The Long Emergency". Grove Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ^ THE LONG EMERGENCY | Kirkus Reviews.