Category Archives: Planning for the Future

Planning for Higher Food and Energy Prices, and their Wider Impacts

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Gail Tverberg

Over the years, we have become accustomed to a rising standard of living. One of things that has helped this happen is a gradually declining ratio of food costs to total personal expenditures. Energy costs have not followed as clear … Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications, Planning for the Future | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

What President Obama Should Have Said Regarding Energy Policy

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Gail Tverberg

We meet here at a tumultuous time for the world.  In a matter of months, we’ve seen regimes toppled and democracy take root across North Africa and the Middle East. One particular area of concern is our energy supply, both … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy policy, News Related Post, Planning for the Future | Tagged , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Tainter’s Law: Where is the Physics?

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Gail Tverberg

This is a guest post by Ugo Bardi. This post previously appeared at his English language blog, Casandra’s Legacy. Joseph Tainter’s interpretation of the cause of the collapse of civilisations is that social structures generate negative returns when they become … Continue reading →

Posted in Planning for the Future | Tagged , | 26 Comments

Peak oil and the third demographic transition: A preliminary model

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Gail Tverberg

This is a guest post by Dr. Gary Peters, retired geography professor and author of Population Geography. The growth of the human population cannot continue forever—there is a limit to our numbers, even if we cannot specify what that limit … Continue reading →

Posted in Food issues, Planning for the Future | Tagged , | 43 Comments

If Oil Supply Declines Quickly, How do We Deal with It?

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Gail Tverberg

We don’t know precisely how oil supply will work out, but if it declines quickly, we need to think about how we can deal with such an outcome. A quick decline could come if some combination of events starts oil … Continue reading →

Posted in Planning for the Future | Tagged , , | 74 Comments