---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once energy problems gain traction, there…"
description: "\"Once energy problems gain traction, there will be a large new class of economic losers, and consequently a lot of social turbulence.\" — James Howard Ku..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/james-howard-kunstler-2886_class_once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there_1517076.png"
---

#  Once energy problems gain traction, there will be a large…

![“Once energy problems gain traction, there will be a large new class of economic losers, and consequently a lot of social turbulence.” quote by James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/james-howard-kunstler-2886_class_once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there_1517076.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/james-howard-kunstler-2886_class_once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there_1517076.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/james-howard-kunstler-2886_class_once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there_1517076.png)

> “Once energy problems gain traction, there will be a large new class of economic losers, and consequently a lot of social turbulence.”

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When energy issues become urgent, they create a new class of economic losers, leading to widespread social unrest.

**In simple terms:** Energy crises cause economic losers and social unrest.

Key Takeaway

Prepare for economic shifts by diversifying resources and building resilient communities.

Themes

energy transition economic disparity social unrest resource scarcity resilience

Mood

cautious optimistic

Type

strategic educational

When to use this quote

- energy policy planning
- community resilience projects
- economic diversification
- social safety nets
- public education

Key Concepts

systems thinking economic forecasting social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What strategies can mitigate social turbulence during energy transitions?
- How can communities become more resilient to energy shocks?

A Different Perspective

Transition may be slowed by entrenched interests and political inertia.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Economic Losers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-losers-3211974/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-problems-385452/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Loser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loser/) [Losers Consequently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losers-consequently-5598385/) [New class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-class/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problems Gain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems-gain-282897/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Turbulence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-turbulence-5598384/) [Traction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traction/) [Turbulence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turbulence/)

## Related quotes

> [When you focus on problems, you gain more problems...when you focus on possibilities, you gain more opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/when-you-focus-on-problems-you-gain-more-problems-when-you-focus-on/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“Growth thus moves forward only if not blocked by the economic losers who anticipate that their economic privileges will be lost and by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/growth-thus-moves-forward-only-if-not-blocked-by-the-economic-losers/)

[Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/)

> [Drill everything, mine everything, roll back regulations, tweak the science, expedite permits. Sound familiar? The Republicans offer up more 19th-Century solutions to our 21st-Century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/drill-everything-mine-everything-roll-back-regulations-tweak-the/)

[Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/)

> [What is innovation if not our ticket to every business interest in the world? Its the ticket to solving the worlds problems - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pogue/what-is-innovation-if-not-our-ticket-to-every-business-interest-in-2/)

[David Pogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pogue/)

> [Instead of begging OPEC to drop its oil prices, lets use American leadership and ingenuity to solve our own energy problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-domenici/instead-of-begging-opec-to-drop-its-oil-prices-lets-use-american/)

[Pete Domenici](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-domenici/)

> [The energy problems that we face today were built up over a long period of time and are not going to be solved overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/the-energy-problems-that-we-face-today-were-built-up-over-a-long/)

[Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/)

> [For folks in Washington to believe that they are smart enough to pick the next energy technology is, in my judgment, the height of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pompeo/for-folks-in-washington-to-believe-that-they-are-smart-enough-to-pick/)

[Mike Pompeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pompeo/)

> [Science, as well as technology, will in the near and in the farther future increasingly turn from problems of intensity, substance, and energy, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-von-neumann/science-as-well-as-technology-will-in-the-near-and-in-the-farther/)

[John von Neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-von-neumann/)

> [It is important to allow a broad debate on energy and climate. We must urgently explore realistic ways to address the different scientific, technical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennart-bengtsson/it-is-important-to-allow-a-broad-debate-on-energy-and-climate-we-must/)

[Lennart Bengtsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennart-bengtsson/)

> [Instead of begging OPEC to drop its oil prices, let's use American leadership and ingenuity to solve our own energy problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-domenici/instead-of-begging-opec-to-drop-its-oil-prices-let-s-use-american/)

[Pete Domenici](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-domenici/)

> [London in the '70s was a pretty catastrophic dump, I can tell you. We had every kind of industrial trouble; we had severe energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/london-in-the-70s-was-a-pretty-catastrophic-dump-i-can-tell-you-we/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [The Nation needs to take a new approach to our energy problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/the-nation-needs-to-take-a-new-approach-to-our-energy-problems/)

[Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/)

> [One thing you can say about nuclear power: the people who believe it is the silver bullet for America's energy problems never give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/one-thing-you-can-say-about-nuclear-power-the-people-who-believe-it/)

[Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/)

> [We need to learn to process things in a different way. I always think of everything in terms of energy. To me, problems represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/we-need-to-learn-to-process-things-in-a-different-way-i-always-think/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [We need a legal and political understanding of the right of the refugee, whereby no solution for one group produces a new class of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/we-need-a-legal-and-political-understanding-of-the-right-of-the/)

[Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/)

## More by James Howard Kunstler

> [ The ideas of \[ Le Corbusier \] that actually found their way into practice were deeply destructive - for instance, the tower-in-a-park, which mutated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-ideas-of-le-corbusier-that-actually-found-their-way-into-practice/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [ “On my way out of \[Atlantic City\] at quarter after seven in the morning, a young pump jockey at the gas station \[...\] mentioned… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/on-my-way-out-of-atlantic-city-at-quarter-after-seven-in-the-morning/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [Ahead now, I think you'll see the big nations shrink back into their own corners of the world. I'm not saying we'll see no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/ahead-now-i-think-you-ll-see-the-big-nations-shrink-back-into-their/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [The task we face is reorganizing the systems we depend on for daily life in a way that is consistent with the realities coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-task-we-face-is-reorganizing-the-systems-we-depend-on-for-daily/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [White America is tortured by black America's failure to thrive, and all that guilt and anxiety has only gotten worse as a substantial quota…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/white-america-is-tortured-by-black-america-s-failure-to-thrive-and/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [What we face is a comprehensive contraction of our activities, due to declining fossil fuel resources and other growing scarcities. Our failure is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/what-we-face-is-a-comprehensive-contraction-of-our-activities-due-to/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [We're living in a culture that doesn't believe in decorating buildings, or proportioning them properly. And they don't know how to do it anymore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/we-re-living-in-a-culture-that-doesn-t-believe-in-decorating/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [Because I believe a lot of people share my feelings about the tragic landscape of highway strips, parking lots, housing tracts, mega-malls, junked cities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/because-i-believe-a-lot-of-people-share-my-feelings-about-the-tragic/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [No amount or combination of alternative fuels is going to allow us to continue running what we're running, the way we're running it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/no-amount-or-combination-of-alternative-fuels-is-going-to-allow-us-to/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [Everything we do these days - our lust for ever more comfort, pleasure, and distraction, our refusal to engage with the mandates of reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/everything-we-do-these-days-our-lust-for-ever-more-comfort-pleasure/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [There's a lot of wishful thinking that somehow we'll replace fossil fuels with alternative energy sources, but they remain far from reality. We're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/there-s-a-lot-of-wishful-thinking-that-somehow-we-ll-replace-fossil/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [Our twenty-first century economy may focus on agriculture, not information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/our-twenty-first-century-economy-may-focus-on-agriculture-not/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [I think that Obama's failure to reestablish the rule of law in money matters is the most damaging thing that he's done - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/i-think-that-obama-s-failure-to-reestablish-the-rule-of-law-in-money/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [I'm not against Kyoto. I just think it's a fantasy, especially considering China's energy predicament and their coal supplies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/i-m-not-against-kyoto-i-just-think-it-s-a-fantasy-especially/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

> [The American house has been TV-centered for three generations. It is the focus of family life, and the life of the house correspondingly turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/the-american-house-has-been-tv-centered-for-three-generations-it-is/)

[James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

[Explore all 146 James Howard Kunstler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/)

## More Class quotes

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/)

[David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/)

> [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/)

[Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/)

> [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/)

[Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/)

> [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/)

[H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/)

> [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/)

[Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/)

> [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/)

[Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/)

> [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/)

[Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/)

> [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/)

[Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/)

> [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/)

[Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/)

[Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Once energy problems gain traction, there will be a large new class of economic losers, and consequently a lot of social turbulence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Howard Kunstler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there-will-be-a-large-new-class-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Class"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there-will-be-a-large-new-class-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/james-howard-kunstler-2886_class_once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there_1517076.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/james-howard-kunstler-2886_class_once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there_1517076.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/james-howard-kunstler-2886_class_once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there_1517076.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Once energy problems gain traction, there will be a large new class of economic losers, and consequently a…” — James Howard Kunstler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James Howard Kunstler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Once energy problems gain traction, there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there-will-be-a-large-new-class-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/once-energy-problems-gain-traction-there-will-be-a-large-new-class-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
