The Crash Course

Discover how and why the world’s crises are interconnected and what you can do to prepare for the next one

The world is experiencing a series of crises. In The Crash Course: An Honest Approach to Facing the Future of Our Economy, Energy, and Environment, Revised Edition, veteran executive and strategist Chris Martenson delivers an incisive and eye-opening exploration that explains why the reader needs to understand that it is the interconnectedness of the various crises that matters most. From energy shortages to climate instability, financial crises, supply chain disruptions, pandemics, war, and crop failures, you’ll discover the common factor that is driving them all and how to adapt to volatile new realities and safeguard your own personal wealth, health, and community.

In the book, you’ll find effective solutions for living with unpredictability and change, as well as:

• A workable framework for understanding the “how” and “why” of dramatic societal, environmental, and economic transformation
• A rich set of solutions, complete with examples, you can use to draw inspiration and motivation to act in your own life
• An expansive amount of new material, fully updated since the last edition

A transformative and thought-provoking strategic playbook for managing increasingly unexpected events, crises, and revolutions, The Crash Course, Revised Edition is an essential resource for anyone concerned about their retirement savings, the world’s environment, as well as anyone hoping to become more independent and self-reliant.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

Part I How to Approach the Next Twenty Years 1

1 The Coming Storm 3

2 The Lens: How to See the Future 7

3 A World Worth Inheriting 11

4 Trust Yourself 14

Part II Foundation 21

5 Dangerous Exponentials 23

6 Problems versus Predicaments 38

7 An Inconvenient Lie: The Truth About Growth 42

8 Complex Systems 47

9 Our Money System 55

10 What Is Wealth? (Hint: It’s Not Money) 69

Part III Economy 75

11 Debt 77

12 The Great Credit Bubble 90

13 Like a Moth to Flame: Our Destructive Tendency to Print 100

14 Fuzzy Numbers 109

15 Crumbling Before Our Eyes: The Story of Concrete 118

Part IV Energy 123

16 Energy and the Economy 125

17 Peak Oil 141

18 Shale Oil 160

19 Necessary but Insufficient: Clean Energy, Nuclear, and Coal 166

20 Why Technology Can’t Fix This 191

Part V Environment 199

21 Minerals: Gone with the Wind 201

22 Soil: Thin, Thinner, Gone 211

23 Parched: The Coming Water Wars 219

24 All Fished Out 226

25 What Do You Mean We’re Running Out of Sand? Strange but True 231

Part VI Convergence 233

26 Where Have All the Insects Gone? Silence of the Lamps 235

27 The Bumpy Path to 2030 238

Part VII What Should I Do? 247

28 The Good News: We Already Have Everything We Need 249

29 Closing the Book on Growth 257

30 What Should I Do? 260

31 Build Up Your Capital! 270

Appendix 291

Notes 293

Index 303

CHRIS MARTENSON, PhD (Duke), MBA (Cornell), is a former Vice President at SAIC, worked for Pfizer, and created the viral video series, The Crash Course, which has been viewed by millions of people and translated into 4 languages. He is a world-class communicator and dot-connector, a sought-after writer and speaker, and is the host of the online resilience community at peakprosperity.com.

Our global economy, energy, and environment are in a slow-moving crisis, but there is hope. Former corporate executive and strategist Dr. Chris Martenson delivers an insightful and thought-provoking discussion of climate instability, energy shortages, supply chain disruptions, pandemics, war, crop failures, and financial failures. These volatile new realities require you to adopt a new approach to your wealth, health, and community. In this book you’ll find effective, new solutions for living with unpredictability and constant change. Dr. Martenson outlines a practical and workable framework for understanding the “how” and “why” of dramatic changes that are already underway — so that you can take steps now to protect yourself and your loved ones. Most importantly, you’ll get a roadmap to the future which will allow you to make better decisions and live a happier life.

A transformative and persuasive reading experience, The Crash Course, Revised Edition is a strategic playbook for managing increasingly unexpected events, crises, and revolutions around the world. It’s an essential resource for anyone concerned about their retirement savings, the world’s environment, and anyone trying to become more independent, self-assured, and self-reliant.

Praise for THE CRASH COURSE

“In 1972, I was a U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant, a helicopter gunship pilot in Vietnam. My crew and I crashed three times in Vietnam. All of us returned home alive and in one piece. Why? Because Marine flight crews…practice crashing. If you want to survive the next ten years, I highly recommend you study my friend Chris Martenson’s The Crash Course, and thrive while the global economy crashes.”
—Robert Kiyosaki, bestselling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad

“Chris Martenson’s The Crash Course lifts away the mystification about our money, and the system it fuels, and makes absolutely clear why our society is wobbling into a dark age. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for fortifying your family and your community for the rough ride that’s starting right now.”
—Jim Kunstler, prolific author and blogger

“As a former investment manager and current energy investor, I’m shocked that my professional colleagues seldom fully understand the interactions between energy, the economy, and the environment. The Crash Course explains how these interactions work, and the complex ways they affect the average person. Fortunately, Dr. Chris Martenson has a gift for making complex subjects easy to understand. The Crash Course is an absolute must-read for anyone who cares about the future of our planet.”
—Erik Townsend, former software entrepreneur and hedge fund manager