Tag Archives: peak oil

Today’s Energy Crisis Is Very Different from the Energy Crisis of 2005

Back in 2005, the world economy was “humming along.” World growth in energy consumption per capita was rising at 2.3% per year in the 2001 to 2005 period. China had been added to the World Trade Organization in December 2001, … Continue reading

Posted in Energy policy, Financial Implications | Tagged , , , , | 3,147 Comments

The world has a major crude oil problem; expect conflict ahead

World crude oil production has been falling behind needed levels since 2019. This problem, by itself, encourages the world economy to contract in unexpected ways, including in the form of economic lockdowns and aggression between countries. This crude oil shortfall seems likely to become greater in the years ahead, pushing the world economy toward conflict and the elimination of inefficient players. Continue reading

Posted in Financial Implications, oil shortages | Tagged , , , | 4,255 Comments

Where Energy Modeling Goes Wrong

There are a huge number of people doing energy modeling. In my opinion, nearly all of them are going astray in their modeling because they don’t understand how the economy really operates. The modeling that comes closest to being correct … Continue reading

Posted in Financial Implications | Tagged , , , , | 3,331 Comments

2020: The Year Things Started Going Badly Wrong

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

Today’s Energy Predicament – A Look at Some Charts

Today’s energy predicament is a strange situation that most modelers have never really considered. Let me explain some of the issues I see, using some charts. [1] It is probably not possible to reduce current energy consumption by 80% or … Continue reading

Posted in Financial Implications, Introductory Post | Tagged , , , | 2,368 Comments