Author Archives: Gail Tverberg

About Gail Tverberg

My name is Gail Tverberg. I am an actuary interested in finite world issues - oil depletion, natural gas depletion, water shortages, and climate change. Oil limits look very different from what most expect, with high prices leading to recession, and low prices leading to financial problems for oil producers and for oil exporting countries. We are really dealing with a physics problem that affects many parts of the economy at once, including wages and the financial system. I try to look at the overall problem.

Losing the Iran War May Be the Best Outcome for the World

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Gail Tverberg

At this point, the world economy needs to make a major transition in order to deal with the inadequate level of fuels available for long-distance transportation.
It is ironic that the world economy cannot make a change such as this without a war to focus our attention in this direction. Continue reading →

Posted in Energy policy, Financial Implications, News Related Post | Tagged , , | 370 Comments

A New Explanation for Tariffs and Bombings

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Gail Tverberg

Because of energy-related shortages that are already being encountered, national economies are beginning to act like the players in a game of musical chairs, with one too few chairs. Leaders have taken to building up armies, cutting off exports of critical minerals, imposing tariffs, and bombing other countries. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications | Tagged , , | 3,475 Comments

Understanding Deglobalization: The Role of Diesel and Jet Fuel

Posted on February 2, 2026 by Gail Tverberg

While international trade grew as a percentage of GDP between the 1960s and 2008, it has been basically flat since then. Now the shortages of diesel and jet fuel are forcing the international trade percentage to start falling to a lower level. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications, News Related Post | Tagged , | 1,446 Comments

2026: Expect a very uneven world economic downturn

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Gail Tverberg

The Maximum Power Principle strongly suggests that even as limits are hit, the world economy cannot be expected to collapse all at once. Instead, the most efficient producers of goods and services will be able to succeed as long as resources are available, while less efficient producers will tend to fall by the wayside. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications, News Related Post | Tagged , , | 1,895 Comments

Too many promises; too few future physical goods

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Gail Tverberg

The world is filled with financial promises, including loans, pensions, and even the market value of stocks. So far, the system seems to be working, but in a finite world, it is hard to believe that the system will work indefinitely. Governments can create money simply by adding more promises, but they cannot create goods and services in a similar fashion. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications, Planning for the Future | Tagged , , , | 1,375 Comments