Great simplification pulsing lines

Ep 49  |  Simon Michaux

Simon Michaux: “The Arcadians”

Check out this podcast

TGS19 Simon Michaux The Great Simplification

On this episode, mining and geology expert Simon Michaux returns to give a preliminary framework for responses to the coming energy and material constraints described in the previous episode. This includes both practical thoughts for how to organize communities around resources and also a shift in mindset from short term to long-term and from competition to cooperation. How do we simultaneously lay out all of the biophysical constraints on the table so that we can begin preparing for and adapting to a changing future? 

About Simon Michaux

Dr. Simon Michaux is an Associate Professor of Geometallurgy at the Geological Survey of Finland. He has a PhD in mining engineering. Dr. Michaux’s long-term work is on societal transformation toward a circular economy. 

In French, we have a motto that says that a simple drawing is often better than a long explanation. Jean-Marc Jancovici Carbone 4 President

That’s very understandable because with left atmosphere thinking, one of the problems is that you see everything as a series of problems that must have solutions. Iain McGilchrist Neuroscientist and Philosopher

We can’t have hundreds and hundreds of real relationships that are healthy because that requires time and effort and full attention and awareness of being in real relationship and conversation with the other human. Nate Hagens Director of ISEOF

This is the crux of the whole problem. Individual parts of nature are more valuable than the biocomplexity of nature. Thomas Crowther Founder Restor

Show Notes & Links to Learn More

00:36 – Simon Michaux info + works + TGS Episode #19 (Simon Michaux)

03:05 Finland committing to being fossil fuel free/carbon neutral by 2035

04:0380% of Finland electricity is from non-fossil fuels, all transport is from fossil fuel

04:50Energy Blind

06:35 Energy density of oil

07:38Massive pollution stream and deteriorating environment and huge population

08:27Weaponization of gas in Europe

08:55Natural gas used to balance the power grid

09:25We don’t have enough minerals to deploy electric transportation in time

11:37 Lithium 8x what it was a few years ago

11:48Offsetting resource declines with debt

13:03Peak oil potentially in November 2018

13:16Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI)

14:30Intermittence of Renewables (Wind and solar)

18:06 Bretton Woods

21:55Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

25:06Marvin Harris, 3 levels of intervention

28:22Steve Keen + TGS Episode #30 (Steve Keen)

31:20DJ White and Nate’s book “The Bottlenecks of the 21st Century”

41:41Balkanization

42:48 Contact (movie)

43:09 Overton Window

46:30Enormous problems and dependence on petrochemicals in the food system

48:10GMOs and AI in agriculture

52:20Drinking water scarcity worldwide

56:25 Sewage systems using gravity, using ponds with plants and animals to treat waste water

56:30 Gray water and black water

57:34 Geothermal for heating, geothermal for power

1:04:53We need 4.3 billion tons of copper for the first generations of renewables

1:05:23We are running 24 million tons of copper right now

1:05:46Olivia Lazard, work on geopolitics of resource scarcity

1:06:00Wet bulb temp

1:06:27Copper reserves at 880 million tons (USGS)

1:06:36 Prior to 2020, humanity mined 700 million tons of copper, to keep up with growth, the same amount will be mined in the next 22 years

More:

There Are Bottlenecks in the Raw Materials Supply Chain

Assessment of the Extra Capacity Required of Alternative Energy Electrical Power Systems to Completely Replace Fossil Fuels

Answers to Hot Topics Around Simon P. Michaux’s Report

What are the Raw Materials Supply Bottlenecks to the Green Transition? The Need for a New Plan

What are the Raw Materials Supply Bottlenecks to the Green Transition? Comments and Discussion

Download transcript
Back to episodes
Algorithmic CancerWith Connor LeahyThe Great SimplificationEp 184 | Connor Leahy

Recently, the risks about Artificial Intelligence and the need for ‘alignment’ have been flooding our cultural discourse – with Artificial Super Intelligence acting as both the most promising goal and most pressing threat. But amid the moral debate, there’s been surprisingly little attention paid to a basic question: do we even have the technical capability to guide where any of this is headed? And if not, should we slow the pace of innovation until we better understand how these complex systems actually work?

Watch nowJun 25, 2025
Rod SchoonoverThe National Security Risks We’re Not Prepared ForWith Rod SchoonoverThe Great SimplificationEp 183 | Rod Schoonover

National security concerns have been the invisible hand guiding governance throughout recorded history. In the 20th century, it was defined by a country versus country dynamic: whichever nation was the strongest and most strategic was also the safest. But today, our biggest national security threats don’t come from opposing nations – they are “actorless threats” that emerge from the breakdown of the complex systems we all depend on – from the stability of our planetary systems to our intricately complex and fragile global supply chains. In this unprecedented landscape, what is required of us in order to keep our citizens safe?

Watch nowJun 18, 2025
Movie Re-ReleaseThe Systems Science Behind Our Global CrisesWith Nate HagensThe Great SimplificationEp 182 | Nate Hagens

Three years ago, my team and I created a 30-minute movie that provides a comprehensive systems analysis of the human predicament—spanning energy, economics, ecology, and behavioral psychology. This beautifully animated film aims to help viewers understand the interconnected crises defining our era.

Watch nowJun 13, 2025

Subscribe to our Substack

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, founded in 2008, that conducts research and educates the public about energy issues and their impact on society.

Support our work
Get in touch
x