"Ever wonder how a wind farm is built and how it makes electricity? This easy to read, educational book, will show you and your children how as it follows Uncle Bill the farmer's story through words and pictures."

The Earth is finite. Fossil fuels are not renewable. The basis of all economic growth and activity is now in jeopardy. As these fuels begin to run short in years and very short in decades, the global economic system will need to find an alternative source of energy or it will completely collapse. Equally disturbing, fossil fuel combustion produces carbon dioxide—the greenhouse gas attributed to climate change scientists are warning could lead to mass drought, famine and positive feedbacks that increase warming further. Could the entire world be facing the most catastrophic culmination of events in human history? Most purported solutions to the energy conundrum are either too small to matter or have a fatal flaw. Hydroelectric power is low-cost, but cannot be expanded. Geothermal power is available in only favorable tectonic locations, and likewise cannot be expanded. Biomass as currently practiced (corn ethanol or soybean diesel) produces such small gains in net-energy that no amount of farmland could contribute significantly to reducing fossil fuel consumption. The average capacity factor of photovoltaic solar is 14%; wind 27%. The fatal flaw is that battery technology is not sufficient to store sporadic and unreliable power coming in off the grid for when it isn’t sunny or windy. Efficiency has always coincided with increased, rather than decreased, fossil fuel consumption. Hydrogen isn’t a source of energy, it is merely a carrier of energy. And finally, while the world still has enough coal, we have yet to demonstrate large-scale, long-term storage of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas attributed to runaway climate change. Two-thirds of world energy now comes from oil and natural gas—which are running short. According to the International Energy Agency, 580 of the 800 largest oil fields in the world now have declining production. Will the 21st century be the century that civilization as we know it comes to an end? As articulately explained in great detail in “The Nuclear Economy,” none of the purported solutions to the energy problem will work—except one. Using existing technology, all the problems associated with nuclear power have been solved: proliferation, waste, cost, safety, and fuel supply. A little-known technology cancelled for political reasons in 1994 promises inherently safe nuclear power unlimited by fuel supplies, with a waste product sharply reduced in both radioactive lifetime and amount. Known as the Integral Fast Reactor, it uses a revolutionary new pyrometallurgical fuel cycle 160 times as fuel efficient as the once-through fuel cycle of common light water reactors, and mixes materials in such a way that they are dangerous to handle and not suitable for bomb production. The reactor could completely solve the nuclear waste problem, since existing stockpiles of waste material could power thousands of Integral Fast Reactors for centuries. Energy is the single most important resource of any society, industrial or hunter-gatherer, and a reduction in per-capita energy use always results in a decrease in standard of living and reversion to a more primitive state. We are already witnessing the early stages of civilization’s decline happening before our very eyes as the world reaches a maximum rate of oil extraction, and economies crumble. If you are wondering why the entire global economy is screeching to a halt, oil prices are extremely volatile, and nothing seems to change—this book connects all the dots and presents a roadmap to all the answers. Finally, a solution to the energy problem that will actually work, end the world’s economic and environmental odyssey—and lead to a sustainable era of clean air and post-scarcity for all.

The Earth is finite. Fossil fuels are not renewable. The basis of all economic growth and activity is now in jeopardy. As these fuels begin to run short in years and very short in decades, the global economic system will need to find an alternative source of energy or it will completely collapse. Equally disturbing, fossil fuel combustion produces carbon dioxide—the greenhouse gas attributed to climate change scientists are warning could lead to mass drought, famine and positive feedbacks that increase warming further. Could the entire world be facing the most catastrophic culmination of events in human history? Most purported solutions to the energy conundrum are either too small to matter or have a fatal flaw. Hydroelectric power is low-cost, but cannot be expanded. Geothermal power is available in only favorable tectonic locations, and likewise cannot be expanded. Biomass as currently practiced (corn ethanol or soybean diesel) produces such small gains in net-energy that no amount of farmland could contribute significantly to reducing fossil fuel consumption. The average capacity factor of photovoltaic solar is 14%; wind 27%. The fatal flaw is that battery technology is not sufficient to store sporadic and unreliable power coming in off the grid for when it isn’t sunny or windy. Efficiency has always coincided with increased, rather than decreased, fossil fuel consumption. Hydrogen isn’t a source of energy, it is merely a carrier of energy. And finally, while the world still has enough coal, we have yet to demonstrate large-scale, long-term storage of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas attributed to runaway climate change. Two-thirds of world energy now comes from oil and natural gas—which are running short. According to the International Energy Agency, 580 of the 800 largest oil fields in the world now have declining production. Will the 21st century be the century that civilization as we know it comes to an end? As articulately explained in great detail in “The Nuclear Economy,” none of the purported solutions to the energy problem will work—except one. Using existing technology, all the problems associated with nuclear power have been solved: proliferation, waste, cost, safety, and fuel supply. A little-known technology cancelled for political reasons in 1994 promises inherently safe nuclear power unlimited by fuel supplies, with a waste product sharply reduced in both radioactive lifetime and amount. Known as the Integral Fast Reactor, it uses a revolutionary new pyrometallurgical fuel cycle 160 times as fuel efficient as the once-through fuel cycle of common light water reactors, and mixes materials in such a way that they are dangerous to handle and not suitable for bomb production. The reactor could completely solve the nuclear waste problem, since existing stockpiles of waste material could power thousands of Integral Fast Reactors for centuries. Energy is the single most important resource of any society, industrial or hunter-gatherer, and a reduction in per-capita energy use always results in a decrease in standard of living and reversion to a more primitive state. We are already witnessing the early stages of civilization’s decline happening before our very eyes as the world reaches a maximum rate of oil extraction, and economies crumble. If you are wondering why the entire global economy is screeching to a halt, oil prices are extremely volatile, and nothing seems to change—this book connects all the dots and presents a roadmap to all the answers. Finally, a solution to the energy problem that will actually work, end the world’s economic and environmental odyssey—and lead to a sustainable era of clean air and post-scarcity for all.

The Earth is finite. Fossil fuels are not renewable. The basis of all economic growth and activity is now in jeopardy. As these fuels begin to run short in years and very short in decades, the global economic system will need to find an alternative source of energy or it will completely collapse. Equally disturbing, fossil fuel combustion produces carbon dioxide—the greenhouse gas attributed to climate change scientists are warning could lead to mass drought, famine and positive feedbacks that increase warming further. Could the entire world be facing the most catastrophic culmination of events in human history? Most purported solutions to the energy conundrum are either too small to matter or have a fatal flaw. Hydroelectric power is low-cost, but cannot be expanded. Geothermal power is available in only favorable tectonic locations, and likewise cannot be expanded. Biomass as currently practiced (corn ethanol or soybean diesel) produces such small gains in net-energy that no amount of farmland could contribute significantly to reducing fossil fuel consumption. The average capacity factor of photovoltaic solar is 14%; wind 27%. The fatal flaw is that battery technology is not sufficient to store sporadic and unreliable power coming in off the grid for when it isn’t sunny or windy. Efficiency has always coincided with increased, rather than decreased, fossil fuel consumption. Hydrogen isn’t a source of energy, it is merely a carrier of energy. And finally, while the world still has enough coal, we have yet to demonstrate large-scale, long-term storage of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas attributed to runaway climate change. Two-thirds of world energy now comes from oil and natural gas—which are running short. According to the International Energy Agency, 580 of the 800 largest oil fields in the world now have declining production. Will the 21st century be the century that civilization as we know it comes to an end? As articulately explained in great detail in “The Nuclear Economy,” none of the purported solutions to the energy problem will work—except one. Using existing technology, all the problems associated with nuclear power have been solved: proliferation, waste, cost, safety, and fuel supply. A little-known technology cancelled for political reasons in 1994 promises inherently safe nuclear power unlimited by fuel supplies, with a waste product sharply reduced in both radioactive lifetime and amount. Known as the Integral Fast Reactor, it uses a revolutionary new pyrometallurgical fuel cycle 160 times as fuel efficient as the once-through fuel cycle of common light water reactors, and mixes materials in such a way that they are dangerous to handle and not suitable for bomb production. The reactor could completely solve the nuclear waste problem, since existing stockpiles of waste material could power thousands of Integral Fast Reactors for centuries. Energy is the single most important resource of any society, industrial or hunter-gatherer, and a reduction in per-capita energy use always results in a decrease in standard of living and reversion to a more primitive state. We are already witnessing the early stages of civilization’s decline happening before our very eyes as the world reaches a maximum rate of oil extraction, and economies crumble. If you are wondering why the entire global economy is screeching to a halt, oil prices are extremely volatile, and nothing seems to change—this book connects all the dots and presents a roadmap to all the answers. Finally, a solution to the energy problem that will actually work, end the world’s economic and environmental odyssey—and lead to a sustainable era of clean air and post-scarcity for all.

Ecological roots of our toubled time are deeper than its economic manifestations. Anguished posterity will look back on this 21st century as “the bottleneck century.” Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse was written to show how and why three converging trends have put humankind in much deeper peril than is generally acknowledged. First, there are many more of us inhabiting this planet than it can sustain. Second, technological advances of recent centuries have made gigantic and prodigal our per capita resource appetites and our per capita environmental impacts. Third, even though, as the symbol-using species, we humans conceivably could do better at anticipating future circumstances and planning ahead, our evolutionary heritage together with unanticipated dysfunctions of modern division of labor have kept us too preoccupied with short-term concerns. People today are dependent upon a fantastically intricate web of exchange relations (“the market”). Even when functioning normally—and not in a collapsed condition, as currently—this system of relations has a serious and pervasive dehumanizing effect not adequately discerned by economists nor sociologists. Recognition of and adequate adaptation to the deteriorating ecological context of human life has been impeded. Human societies (even our own) are almost certainly going to act in ways that will make an inevitably difficult future unnecessarily worse. Factors analyzed in this book have made people seriously averse to the kind and extent of cooperation our difficult future will require. Together with the basic trio of disturbing trends—humans having become so numerous, so ravenous, and so short-sighted—this has made the nature of today’s human prospect far more dire than most policymakers dare admit. It tempts even the wisest and most civic-minded to seek or promote “remedial” policies that will worsen the real predicament.

Ecological roots of our toubled time are deeper than its economic manifestations. Anguished posterity will look back on this 21st century as “the bottleneck century.” Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse was written to show how and why three converging trends have put humankind in much deeper peril than is generally acknowledged. First, there are many more of us inhabiting this planet than it can sustain. Second, technological advances of recent centuries have made gigantic and prodigal our per capita resource appetites and our per capita environmental impacts. Third, even though, as the symbol-using species, we humans conceivably could do better at anticipating future circumstances and planning ahead, our evolutionary heritage together with unanticipated dysfunctions of modern division of labor have kept us too preoccupied with short-term concerns. People today are dependent upon a fantastically intricate web of exchange relations (“the market”). Even when functioning normally—and not in a collapsed condition, as currently—this system of relations has a serious and pervasive dehumanizing effect not adequately discerned by economists nor sociologists. Recognition of and adequate adaptation to the deteriorating ecological context of human life has been impeded. Human societies (even our own) are almost certainly going to act in ways that will make an inevitably difficult future unnecessarily worse. Factors analyzed in this book have made people seriously averse to the kind and extent of cooperation our difficult future will require. Together with the basic trio of disturbing trends—humans having become so numerous, so ravenous, and so short-sighted—this has made the nature of today’s human prospect far more dire than most policymakers dare admit. It tempts even the wisest and most civic-minded to seek or promote “remedial” policies that will worsen the real predicament.

Ecological roots of our toubled time are deeper than its economic manifestations. Anguished posterity will look back on this 21st century as “the bottleneck century.” Bottleneck: Humanity’s Impending Impasse was written to show how and why three converging trends have put humankind in much deeper peril than is generally acknowledged. First, there are many more of us inhabiting this planet than it can sustain. Second, technological advances of recent centuries have made gigantic and prodigal our per capita resource appetites and our per capita environmental impacts. Third, even though, as the symbol-using species, we humans conceivably could do better at anticipating future circumstances and planning ahead, our evolutionary heritage together with unanticipated dysfunctions of modern division of labor have kept us too preoccupied with short-term concerns. People today are dependent upon a fantastically intricate web of exchange relations (“the market”). Even when functioning normally—and not in a collapsed condition, as currently—this system of relations has a serious and pervasive dehumanizing effect not adequately discerned by economists nor sociologists. Recognition of and adequate adaptation to the deteriorating ecological context of human life has been impeded. Human societies (even our own) are almost certainly going to act in ways that will make an inevitably difficult future unnecessarily worse. Factors analyzed in this book have made people seriously averse to the kind and extent of cooperation our difficult future will require. Together with the basic trio of disturbing trends—humans having become so numerous, so ravenous, and so short-sighted—this has made the nature of today’s human prospect far more dire than most policymakers dare admit. It tempts even the wisest and most civic-minded to seek or promote “remedial” policies that will worsen the real predicament.

“The voice that comes through on the pages of “Natural Religion” is calm, compassionate, reflective. Ferris embraces differences, seeks commonality, and stays as open as a child to possibility. These attitudes help him explain the nearly inexplicable: simply, sensibly, tolerantly.” … “In small bites without bombast or pretense, he laments the wounds caused by our separation from nature; he explains that religion and nature are one; he shows the deep connections among the world’s religions; and he addresses human nature: We are better than we think we are!”

— Rebecca Rule in the Portsmouth Herald, June 20, 2004

“Brimming with ideas and overflowing with feeling, Natural Religion reminds us of what is most important in life – our connection with the Cosmos, the world around us and one another. For those who ask themselves life’s most profound questions, Neal Ferris is the perfect guide as he lifts out of diverse traditions the best they have to offer and points us in new directions toward the future we can claim, if only we would. Read this book, feel its power and be grateful for its wisdom.”

– William F. Schulz, Executive Director, Amnesty International USA; President, Unitarian Universalist Association, 1985-93

“The psychic wound that keeps us from living in harmony with the cosmos and the path toward spiritual and emotional healing are the subjects of Neal Ferris’ Natural Religion, a wide-ranging volume equally at home with the data of cutting edge science and the lore of ancient myth. Ferris is not afraid to ask the big questions. He is bold enough to propose answers that will give readers a heightened sense of wonder and oneness with all creation.”

– Gary Kowalski, author, The Souls of Animals and Science and the Search for God

"A world-saving, heartwarming message: clear, concise, thoughtful, compelling - and full of good common sense. At a time when the world so desperately needs spiritual awakening, Neal Ferris shows the way and gives us hope. Natural Religion is a compelling, thought-provoking book. Once I started it, I could not put it down."

- Peter Fernald, Professor of Psychology, University of New Hampshire

“Your [work] does me great justice and I thank you for your efforts at public communication, whereas my work was largely academic.”

– Charles Hartshorne, internationally known for his creative process philosophy and theology – letter to Neal Ferris, 1997

The excerpt available below is the first chapter of Part V of the book