Category Archives: Introductory Post

Why Standard Economic Models Don’t Work–Our Economy is a Network

The story of energy and the economy seems to be an obvious common sense one: some sources of energy are becoming scarce or overly polluting, so we need to develop new ones. The new ones may be more expensive, but … Continue reading

Posted in Financial Implications, Introductory Post | Tagged , , , , , | 967 Comments

Oil Limits and the Economy: One Story, Not Two

The two big stories of our day are (1) Our economic problems: The inability of economies to grow as rapidly as they would like, add as many jobs as they would like, and raise the standards of living of citizens … Continue reading

Posted in Book draft, Financial Implications, Introductory Post | Tagged , , , | 489 Comments

Reasons for our Energy Predicament – An Overview

Quiz: What will cause world oil supply to fall? Too little oil in the ground Oil prices are too low for oil producers Oil prices are too high for oil consumers leading to recession, debt defaults, and ultimately a cut … Continue reading

Posted in Financial Implications, Introductory Post | Tagged , , , , , , | 434 Comments

Energy and the Economy–Basic Principles and Feedback Loops

Does a fish know that its nose is wet? Probably not. It swims in water, and assumes that is the only way any animal lives. We live in an economic world. Economic models that were developed years ago were created … Continue reading

Posted in Financial Implications, Introductory Post | Tagged , , , , , | 315 Comments

Reaching Limits in a Finite World

We don’t usually think about it, but we live in a finite world. In other words, in theory we can count precisely how many atoms make up the earth. We can also theoretically count how many humans live on earth … Continue reading

Posted in Book draft, Financial Implications, Introductory Post | Tagged , , , | 263 Comments