We keep being told how much it will cost us to leave fossil fuels behind. Here's a little story about how much it will cost us to remain hooked:
"According to normal economic theory, and the history of oil, rising prices have two major effects," said Fatih Birol, the chief economist at the International Energy Agency, which advises industrialized countries. "They reduce demand and they induce oil supplies. Not this time."
...
"What is disturbing here is that things seem to get worse, not better," an analyst at Goldman Sachs, David Greely, said. "These high prices are not attracting meaningful new supplies."
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The outlook for oil supplies "signals a period of unprecedented scarcity," an analyst at CIBC World Markets, Jeff Rubin, said last week.
Oil prices might reach more than $200 by 2012, he said, a level that would probably mean $7-a-gallon gasoline in the United States.
Comments
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Jon Rynn Posted 8:59 am
28 Apr 2008
The discourse, even in the left media, on rising gasoline prices is really very primitive at this stage (as is the discussion on the campaign trail); we can't be in chronic decline, it must be the oil companies' fault! (an easy way to deal with the oil companies: nationalize them, just like most countries have done).
But Mouawad points to one of the big problems we face as oil production declines: "To make up the shortfall, the world is increasingly turning to fuels made from unconventional sources, like biofuels or heavy oil.". Yikes!
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JMG Posted 9:56 am
28 Apr 2008
Save your community: Cut greenhouse gas emissions 5% per year.
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Anna Haynes Posted 11:06 am
28 Apr 2008
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/243
(via earth2tech.com)
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