With a sometimes harrowing personal story spanning decades in service to his family, the oil industry and
then the Earth, Jan Lundberg brings good tidings of culture change and multi-leveled liberation for those
who know to ride out petrocollapse and “climate extinction.”
Petrocollapse: the Basis of Crash and Culture Change
Jan C. Lundberg,
oil-industry analyst and anti-petroleum activist
With a sometimes harrowing personal story spanning decades in service to his family, the oil industry and
then the Earth, Jan Lundberg brings good tidings of culture change and multi-leveled liberation for those
who know to ride out petrocollapse and “climate extinction.”
The subject of petrocollapse -- i.e., the effects of peak oil, unplanned for -- has been explored in his over
250 essays and reports, as well as in conference speeches and media interviews. All this was undertaken
after an eco-activist career (1988-2001) saving wildlife habitat and farms. His message is in part that of
an oil-industry analyst, called “the Oracle” by the Vice Chairman of Chevron in 1987. In an about face in
1990 Lundberg was called a “visionary” by Associated Press regarding his paving-moratorium campaign.
Those apparent opposites characterize Lundberg’s journey comprising his David-and-Goliath struggle
against oil interests, a leap of faith into environmentalism, ground-breaking nonprofit work, hard analysis,
and a sensible dream. The end result is an original, new statement of humanity’s urgent predicament and
opportunity.
He told a Portland, Oregon audience recently, “We certainly could use some peace. Now, if the environ-
mental movement and the rest of what I call the ‘dominant critique’ were effective, there would be no
problema. But humanity and the Earth are plummeting into an uncertain future, in great measure be-
cause of false leadership and misplaced faith in manifestations of a questionable culture.”
Lundberg’s writings have appeared in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The Sun, Energy Bulletin,
Truthout.org, New York Times, Population and Environment, and the Auto-Free Times. He is cited in books and
heard on radio networks such as Ecoshock, NPR and CBS. Let’s not forget the small pirate radio sta-
tions, and websites such as Gaian Voices. He has spoken before many gatherings from Earth First! to The
Institute of Petroleum, and, just as important, he has learned from fellow travelers. He has performed his
eco-songs in North America, Britain and Japan.
Many of Lundberg’s Culture Change Letters have been excerpted for this book. The original book idea
based on his essays was scrapped, giving way to a fresh approach with new material. Much like having
one’s own non-corporate record label, a self-published on-demand book circumvents the obstruction of
publishing houses that may harbor biases against a book whose ideas are so unconventional. Especially
revealing is the book’s stranger-than-fiction saga of oil-industry power and familial greed that brought
disgrace out of the Lundbergs’ earlier promise.
Enter Jan Lundberg’s mind and his life’s work for a different way of seeing our world. Where’s your ecovil-
lage? What is freedom? Got rights? Skills? Will technology or shopping save us? Got overpopulation?
Do you really understand oil and the true drivers of petrocollapse? When might we be wild and free
again? Is there a cure for our Plastic Disaster? Find out here.
Published by Culture Change Press
www.culturechange.org
