The current financial crisis is a direct result of peak oil. There may be oscillations in the economic situation, but generally, we can't expect things to get much better. In fact, there is a very distinct possibility that things may get very much worse in the next few years. Full Story »
Posted by Mike LaBonte
Basically a presentation with speakers notes interleaved, this blog post does a good job making it's point. It has a handful of links, but otherwise identifies data sources only here and there. The author has good credibility, based on past posts, although her predictions are unusually dire here.
The presentation provides a basic economic analysis under the apparent assumption that oil or natural gas continue to be the source of energy. The complexity of outside constraints and systemic changes is avoided. The increasing importance of hidden costs that have previously been ignored or socialized may be a systemic change.
If the globe cannot support the current population, is continuous growth a good assumption, or a necessary assumption? Is there a viable economic model for a contracting population?
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