Acts of Kindness and Unity in Australia

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In Australia, Rick experienced a heartwarming incident while walking his dogs: he noticed someone having an epileptic fit and offered help. What amazed him was that everyone passing by also wanted to assist, including a bus driver. This demonstrates the existence of a parallel universe where people care for each other, especially those with illnesses or disabilities, alongside the market-based capitalist system.

On this episode, Nate is joined by Graham Palmer, a scholar and engineer in the field of energy. While this show frequently covers the importance of energy itself, this discussion focuses on how the ability to store and access energy has critically shaped societies. From agriculture, to wood, to coal, to oil, each transition has marked a new way for humans to interact with the world around them. What would it mean for economic growth if we no longer have access to these storable energies? What does the necessity of storability mean for electricity - an inherently flow-based energy form? Would human societies moving back to a flow-based energy system also mean once again becoming in-sync with the Earth and her ecosystems?

About Graham Palmer

Graham Palmer is a researcher at Monash University, with an industry background as an engineer and researcher in manufacturing, HVAC and electronics. He has published in the area of biophysical economics, renewable energy, life-cycle analysis, and energy-economic modeling. Graham obtained his PhD in the area of energy-return-on-investment (EROI) of electricity supply. His current research interests include the future role of emerging energy storage systems.

Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tSsp_XyXfyY

More info and show notes: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/87-graham-palmer