TransportPlanet

Transportation ideas for a healthy planet

Stuart Ramsey, P.Eng.

I would like to say that it was the best presentation I have seen to date on the nexus of climate change and oil depletion.
~ Justin R.

Writing

Here are some things that Stuart has written. The bottom section, Stu's Notes, has summaries that Stuart has created of (usually) interesting books.

The Challenge of the Oracle PDF, 0.2Mb

Co-authored with David Hughes, this is a peer-reviewed paper on the dual challenges of climate change and peak oil, looking at how we can change our urban transportation practices in response. This is the companion paper to the presentation, "Oil, That Is", available on the Presentations page.

Of Mice and Elephants PDF, 0.1Mb

For those of you (admittedly few in number) who are looking at a traffic projection or estimate for a proposed transportation project, and wondering if it's realistic or not, this peer-reviewed paper is for you. This is the companion paper to the presentation of the same name, available on the Presentations page.

Burnaby Peak Oil Report PDF, 0.1Mb

Written for the City of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, this report provides an introduction to "peak oil": the concept that oil reserves are finite, and therefore annual production must inevitably go into permanent decline.

Stu's Notes

This started out as a collection of personal notes. They are provided here in the hope that they will help you pick some books that you'd like to read in full.

#1: When Corporations Rule the World PDF 0.1Mb

David C. Korten. Corporate power leads to environmental destruction and social injustice.

#2: Home From Nowhere PDF 0.1Mb

James Howard Kunstler. Better cities are higher-density, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented.

#3: From Naked Ape to Superspecies: A Personal Perspective on Humanity and the Global Eco-Crisis PDF 0.1Mb

David Suzuki & Holly Dressel. Magnitude and causes of environmental destruction.

#4: Sustainability and Cities PDF 0.1Mb

Peter Newman & Jeffrey Kenworthy. Improving urban sustainability by tackling auto dependence.

#5: Carfree Cities PDF 0.1Mb

J. H. Crawford. Detailed plan for building a car-free city.

#6: This Place on Earth 2001: Guide to a Sustainable Northwest PDF 0.1Mb

Alan Durning. Policies to improve sustainability in a North American context.

#7: The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies PDF 0.1Mb

Richard Heinberg. Severe societal disruption resulting from peak in global oil production.

#8: The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World PDF 0.1Mb

Paul Roberts. Excellent and balanced exploration of peaking of global oil production from multiple perspectives.

#9: It’s the Crude, Dude: War, Big Oil, and the Fight for the Planet PDF 0.1Mb

Linda McQuaig. Lively look at oil, climate, politics, consumption, efficiency, oil industry, terrorism.

#10: Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World PDF 0.1Mb

J. R. McNeill. Thorough catalogue of environmental changes of the 20th century, brought on by unaware humans.

#11: A Short History of Progress PDF 0.1Mb

Ronald Wright. Characteristics of our civilization that will lead to collapse, unless we change: wonderfully written.

#12: Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences PDF 0.1Mb

Steve Keen. Describes numerous irrational assumptions in economic theory.

#13: Heat: How to Stop the Planet from Burning PDF 0.1Mb

George Monbiot. Action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% per capita, by 2030.

#14: Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy PDF 0.1Mb

Mark Jaccard. We should continue to use fossil fuels.

#15: Lives Per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction PDF 0.1Mb

Terry Tamminen. Negative impacts of oil on our society.

Sample slide