Dale Allen Pfeiffer
Encyclopedia
Dale Allen Pfeiffer is a geologist and writer from Michigan
, U.S.
who has investigated and written about energy depletion and potential future resource wars. He has also written about class war, sustainability
, direct action
and the environment. He is also an anarchist
activist and a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
. In 1999, he was one of the organizers of a hunger strike to provide medical care for political prisoner Leonard Peltier
.
In 2001 he began writing articles regarding energy at From the Wilderness. In 2005 he ended his association with the website and its founder, Michael C. Ruppert. He is the author of the often cited essay on peak oil
and food production titled Eating Fossil Fuels. In 2006, this paper was expanded into a book of the same title, published by New Society.
After a careful analysis, Pfeiffer believes that energy depletion will have a major impact upon the socioeconomic system that will not be resolved by turning to renewable energy alone. Through mathematical modeling, he demonstrated that energy consumption has grown to the point that we will never sustain our current consumption levels without plentiful and cheap fossil fuels.
He argues that we must cut our consumption, abandoning the current socioeconomic system in favor of re-localization, sustainability and decentralization
. He believes it is possible for human society to achieve equitable, sustainable stability while maintaining a reasonable quality of life
. To reach this goal, he recommends direct action on a grassroots level, as opposed to a reliance upon government and business.
In 2007, he retired from writing nonfiction. Since that time, he has been busy writing fiction under a pen name (PD Allen).
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who has investigated and written about energy depletion and potential future resource wars. He has also written about class war, sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
, direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
and the environment. He is also an anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
activist and a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
. In 1999, he was one of the organizers of a hunger strike to provide medical care for political prisoner Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier is a Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement . In 1977 he was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for first degree murder in the shooting of two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents during a 1975 conflict on the Pine...
.
In 2001 he began writing articles regarding energy at From the Wilderness. In 2005 he ended his association with the website and its founder, Michael C. Ruppert. He is the author of the often cited essay on peak oil
Peak oil
Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
and food production titled Eating Fossil Fuels. In 2006, this paper was expanded into a book of the same title, published by New Society.
After a careful analysis, Pfeiffer believes that energy depletion will have a major impact upon the socioeconomic system that will not be resolved by turning to renewable energy alone. Through mathematical modeling, he demonstrated that energy consumption has grown to the point that we will never sustain our current consumption levels without plentiful and cheap fossil fuels.
He argues that we must cut our consumption, abandoning the current socioeconomic system in favor of re-localization, sustainability and decentralization
Decentralization
__FORCETOC__Decentralization or decentralisation is the process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens. It includes the dispersal of administration or governance in sectors or areas like engineering, management science, political science, political economy,...
. He believes it is possible for human society to achieve equitable, sustainable stability while maintaining a reasonable quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
. To reach this goal, he recommends direct action on a grassroots level, as opposed to a reliance upon government and business.
In 2007, he retired from writing nonfiction. Since that time, he has been busy writing fiction under a pen name (PD Allen).
Published Books
- Eating Fossil Fuels: Oil, Food And the Coming Crisis in Agriculture (2006), New Society Publishers
- Blood Moon (Tales of da Yoopernatural, #1) (2009)
- The End of the Oil Age (2004)
- Afraid of the Dark; Tales of da Yoopernatural, Volume 3 (2010)
- The Secret Life of Trees (Tales of da Yoopernatural, Volume 2) (2010)
- The Eighth Tier (2003)
- Giants in Their Steps (2010)
See also
- Colin J. Campbell
- Kenneth S. DeffeyesKenneth S. DeffeyesKenneth S. Deffeyes is a geologist who worked with M. King Hubbert, the creator of the Hubbert peak theory, at the Shell Oil Company research laboratory in Houston, Texas. Deffeyes holds a B.S. in petroleum geology from the Colorado School of Mines and a Ph.D. in geology from Princeton University,...
- Richard HeinbergRichard HeinbergRichard Heinberg is an American journalist and educator who has written extensively on energy, economic, and ecological issues, including oil depletion. He is the author of ten books...
- Matthew R. Simmons
External links
- From the Wilderness http://www.fromthewilderness.com
- The Complete Mountain Sentinel http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Sentinel-1-Complete/dp/B002ACZ38A
- Eating Fossil Fuels (paper) http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/100303_eating_oil.html
- Eating Fossil Fuels (book) http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3933
- Leonard Peltier Fast Statement http://www.thepeoplespaths.net/LeonardPeltier/1999/LP990410campaign.htm
- The Nature of Action http://www.spunk.org/texts/intro/practice/sp001779.html
- How Much Energy do We Consume? http://medialeft.net/main/index.php/dale-allen-pfeiffer-medialeftcontributers-267/934-how-much-energy-do-we-consume
- List of published books by Dale Allen Pfeiffer/PD Allen http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/108312.PD_Allen