Putting the puzzle pieces together: Economics, Energy and the Environment.

I was alerted to this article today: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/earth-insight/2013/jun/14/climate-change-energy-shocks-nsa-prism

I find it very interesting (topicality of PRISM aside) that it casts well referenced insight into what's the driving concern behind these governmental efforts to spy on their own citizens:

The study also warned of a possible shortfall in global oil output by 2015:

"A severe energy crunch is inevitable without a massive expansion of production and refining capacity. While it is difficult to predict precisely what economic, political, and strategic effects such a shortfall might produce, it surely would reduce the prospects for growth in both the developing and developed worlds. Such an economic slowdown would exacerbate other unresolved tensions."

That year the DoD's Quadrennial Defense Review seconded such concerns, while recognising that "climate change, energy security, and economic stability are inextricably linked."

That economics, energy and the environment are inextricably linked is a primary contention of this blog. Failing to recognise these three are interlinked, and placing too much weight on one or two when making strategic decisions leads to all sorts of bad decision making.. Like pursuing growth as the end goal of the economy - fails to recognise the hard limits we are facing in energy and environmental terms. Like thinking low human effort (but high energy demand) pest control modes like 1080 in NZ are a good idea - fails to consider the energy situation.

This is happening here in NZ too:

New Zealand court records suggest that data harvested by the NSA's Prism system has been fed into the Five Eyes intelligence alliance whose members also include the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Have you faced our most probable future yet?