OIL: 300 Dollars a Barrel

[lifterdead]

Keep in mind, he said this over a year ago. I recall my friends at the university laughing at this, calling him a lunatic.

 

[JS316]

Here in France,(well atleast where I am), tomorrow there is no petrol stations open because of shortage.

 

[lifterdead]

No shit?

I remember seeing gas prices well over 7 dollars a gallon in some places in Asia. Most Americans still don't realize how good we've got it.

 

[philosopher]

I'm paying around 1.56 - 1.60 euro (2.46 - 2.52 USD) per L.

 

[Ironslave]

Really scary shit.

The peak oil stuff is interesting, anybody ever seen "End of Suburbia" ?

 

[pegasus]

you posted that vid a while ago. i had time to watch some of it.

 

[lifterdead]

Really scary shit.

The peak oil stuff is interesting, anybody ever seen "End of Suburbia" ?

Yep. I've even corresponded with Jim Kunstler a couple of times. Despite all the changes this implies, I personally don't believe peak oil is going to bring about the apocalypse, like some. Hell, I think the rising cost of oil is good thing.

I might have already posted it, but the ASPO is a great organization if you want to learn more.

http://www.peakoil.net/

 

[Hypocrisy86]

Yea, Americans dont know how good they got it.
when i was in Europe i saw Gas there for like 5 euros, this was 6 years ago though.

 

[Ironslave]

Yep. I've even corresponded with Jim Kunstler a couple of times. Despite all the changes this implies, I personally don't believe peak oil is going to bring about the apocalypse, like some. Hell, I think the rising cost of oil is good thing.

I might have already posted it, but the ASPO is a great organization if you want to learn more.

http://www.peakoil.net/

Good link. Why do you think rising oil price is a good thing?

 

[Duality]

Good link. Why do you think rising oil price is a good thing?

in no way is it a good thing. it puts so much unbelievable stress on the lower middle class to just get by. food prices in turn rise. everything suffers because oil companies refuse to make less profit. disgusting.

 

[lifterdead]

Warning* rant follows.....


Cheap oil more or less destroyed small town America and took away a substantial part of the economy.

Since the cost of shipping was low, it didn’t matter where things were made or grown. Beef could be raised in Argentina, and shipped to Ohio. Shoes could be made in China from rubber bought in Brazil, and sold in New York. Entire industries simple got up and left the United States. All we have left is the rust belt. Small farms couldn’t compete, factories closed, and lost of small towns and cities started to look like ghost towns. Lacking an economy of real substance, we tried the service economy, the information economy, and finally an economy based off speculation of the markets. All of them have proven to be more or less BS.

As peak oil drives the cost of nikes and corn flakes up, people will start looking for local solutions. (I hope.) This could lead to the return of small, local markets with locally produced food. It could mean making more of the goods usually produced overseas domestically again. It could be good for a lot of reasons. Maybe people will start seeing the need for decent public transportation again.

Of course, for people who have to drive everywhere and shop at Wal-Mart, it’s gonna suck. Wal-Mart had record profits this year, but I’ll bet they’re going to have a hell of a time in doing business 10 years from now.

in no way is it a good thing. it puts so much unbelievable stress on the lower middle class to just get by. food prices in turn rise. everything suffers because oil companies refuse to make less profit. disgusting.

Are you kidding? Oil companies are not causing high oil prices, and neither is OPEC. Higher demand + less production = inflation. Trying to blame someone is a bad idea and NOT a solution. America needs to get over it's cheap energy joy ride and start working towards a better system.

 

[German_Joe]

its going to be a rough transition

 

[pegasus]

higher oil prices will eventually cause people to change their ways. i mean people don't really listen when you tell the to drive smaller cars or drive less or whatever, but what really gets peoples attentions is high fuel prices, and then they will definitely change their ways.

other things will also begin to change. there will be more people working at home or working fewer days but longer hours.


anyways the recent rise in the prices is all because of the speculators. how could the price double in 1 year! even considering the inflation and the few percent increase in the size of the chinese and indian markets.

when people change their ways the demand will decrease and the prices will fall as fast as they went up.

 

[lifterdead]

its going to be a rough transition

That's for sure. I enjoy debating just what the transition might be like with my friends. Some assert technological innovation will save us, or the market, other seem to think it will be the second coming and the collapse of industrialized civilization......


Personally, I favor somewhere in between. Certainly not the end, just a new start after some hard times.

 

[Duality]

Warning* rant follows.....


Cheap oil more or less destroyed small town America and took away a substantial part of the economy.

Since the cost of shipping was low, it didn’t matter where things were made or grown. Beef could be raised in Argentina, and shipped to Ohio. Shoes could be made in China from rubber bought in Brazil, and sold in New York. Entire industries simple got up and left the United States. All we have left is the rust belt. Small farms couldn’t compete, factories closed, and lost of small towns and cities started to look like ghost towns. Lacking an economy of real substance, we tried the service economy, the information economy, and finally an economy based off speculation of the markets. All of them have proven to be more or less BS.

As peak oil drives the cost of nikes and corn flakes up, people will start looking for local solutions. (I hope.) This could lead to the return of small, local markets with locally produced food. It could mean making more of the goods usually produced overseas domestically again. It could be good for a lot of reasons. Maybe people will start seeing the need for decent public transportation again.

Of course, for people who have to drive everywhere and shop at Wal-Mart, it’s gonna suck. Wal-Mart had record profits this year, but I’ll bet they’re going to have a hell of a time in doing business 10 years from now.







Are you kidding? Oil companies are not causing high oil prices, and neither is OPEC. Higher demand + less production = inflation. Trying to blame someone is a bad idea and NOT a solution. America needs to get over it's cheap energy joy ride and start working towards a better system.

in regards to the last paragraph: it's not that basic in terms of just simple inflation but you're right i misspoke regarding it being purely a profit issue that's not what i meant.

 

[Ironslave]

Warning* rant follows.....


Cheap oil more or less destroyed small town America and took away a substantial part of the economy.

Since the cost of shipping was low, it didn’t matter where things were made or grown. Beef could be raised in Argentina, and shipped to Ohio. Shoes could be made in China from rubber bought in Brazil, and sold in New York. Entire industries simple got up and left the United States. All we have left is the rust belt. Small farms couldn’t compete, factories closed, and lost of small towns and cities started to look like ghost towns. Lacking an economy of real substance, we tried the service economy, the information economy, and finally an economy based off speculation of the markets. All of them have proven to be more or less BS.

As peak oil drives the cost of nikes and corn flakes up, people will start looking for local solutions. (I hope.) This could lead to the return of small, local markets with locally produced food. It could mean making more of the goods usually produced overseas domestically again. It could be good for a lot of reasons. Maybe people will start seeing the need for decent public transportation again.

Of course, for people who have to drive everywhere and shop at Wal-Mart, it’s gonna suck. Wal-Mart had record profits this year, but I’ll bet they’re going to have a hell of a time in doing business 10 years from now.

Interesting points. Will the higher price of oil though necessarily promote the creation of industry in the United States? I think the problem was that it was, and remains, cheaper to get various imports from a country like China, which is due to both the conditions many of the factories there have for their workers, but also their advanced productivity. I guess I could see your point though that if shipping gets much more expensive, there would be less incentive to pay higher costs of shipping from abroad.

I think the problem is also that the rising cost of oil would still make things very difficult on anyone who is making anything, including a service like local farming and such, since oil is needed for example, to drive the machinery, be used in many of the pesticide/fertilizer, and so on.

Are you kidding? Oil companies are not causing high oil prices, and neither is OPEC. Higher demand + less production = inflation. Trying to blame someone is a bad idea and NOT a solution.

I'd agree it's not likely the main cause, but I wouldn't rule it out as a factor, especially with regards to government connections, such as the Bush/Cheney families have with the oil industry.

America needs to get over it's cheap energy joy ride and start working towards a better system.

I doubt you'll get much disagreement on this point from anybody

 

[lifterdead]

Interesting points. Will the higher price of oil though necessarily promote the creation of industry in the United States? I think the problem was that it was, and remains, cheaper to get various imports from a country like China, which is due to both the conditions many of the factories there have for their workers, but also their advanced productivity. I guess I could see your point though that if shipping gets much more expensive, there would be less incentive to pay higher costs of shipping from abroad.

You're quite right. High oil prices may not necessarily bring back industry to the U.S., although I suspect it will influence the return of some small scale business.

I think the problem is also that the rising cost of oil would still make things very difficult on anyone who is making anything, including a service like local farming and such, since oil is needed for example, to drive the machinery, be used in many of the pesticide/fertilizer, and so on.

Definately. Ever hear of the three F's? Fertilizer, food, fuel? I think industry will function on a vastly reduced scale. My best friend once remarked that only the Amish won't be bothered by high oil prices, haha. Seriously, even the Amish go to town to shop. This particular point is an issue of contention here at my university. Many hippies want to use peak oil to further their "green" cause, I think. I'm all for healthy, organic food but I don't see American society going back in time.