Tag Archives: economic growth

Why raising interest rates to reduce inflation may work out very badly

Posted on July 5, 2022 by Gail Tverberg

Are we headed for very high energy prices? Or, are we headed for a financial system that starts falling apart? The whole economic system may change remarkably. For example, what many people thought was money, or a promised pension plan, may not really be there when the time comes to get value from it. Shelves in stores may be empty when it comes time to make a purchase. Continue reading →

Posted in Energy policy, Financial Implications, News Related Post | Tagged , | 3,945 Comments

Don’t expect the world economy to resume its prior growth pattern after COVID-19

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Gail Tverberg

Most people seem to think that the world economy is going through a temporary disruption, caused by a novel coronavirus. As soon as COVID-19 goes away, they expect the economy will be back to normal. I think that this assessment is overly optimistic. The way I see the situation, the world economy was already having severe growth problems, caused indirectly by resource problems, even before COVID-19 hit. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications | Tagged , , , | 3,576 Comments

2021: More troubles likely

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Gail Tverberg

Most people expect that the economy of 2021 will be an improvement from 2020. I don’t think so. Perhaps COVID-19 will be somewhat better, but other aspects of the economy will likely be worse. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications | Tagged , , , | 3,373 Comments

2020: The Year Things Started Going Badly Wrong

Posted on December 23, 2020 by Gail Tverberg

Some might describe the energy story as a “diminishing returns” story, but it’s really broader than this. It’s a story of services that we expect to continue, but which cannot continue without much more energy investment. It is also a story of the loss of “economies of scale” that at one time helped propel the economy forward. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications | Tagged , , , , | 2,805 Comments

Humans Left Sustainability Behind as Hunter-Gatherers

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Gail Tverberg

Many people believe that humans can have a sustainable future by using solar panels and wind turbines. Unfortunately, the only truly sustainable course, in terms of moving in cycles with nature, is interacting with the environment in a manner similar to the approach used by chimpanzees and baboons. Even this approach will eventually lead to new and different species predominating. Continue reading →

Posted in Financial Implications | Tagged | 2,604 Comments