End of "civilisation" as we know it..

matt b

Indexing all opinion
its a mis-used term; check the latest greg palast book:

which explains what it REALLY means- its linked to the $ price of a barrel of oil, so when the theory was developed oil that was un-economic to extract, like oil sand (i think- canada's got loads) wasn't included. with the high price of oil now, it is economic to extract.

radio 4 had a series on it recently too
 

PeteUM

It's all grist
So matey's dystopian near-future isn't going to happen? Or has it just been put back a bit?
 

DJ PIMP

Well-known member
which explains what it REALLY means- its linked to the $ price of a barrel of oil, so when the theory was developed oil that was un-economic to extract, like oil sand (i think- canada's got loads) wasn't included. with the high price of oil now, it is economic to extract.
What does the greater cost associated with this extraction do to the price of crude?

It will more rapidly distance the haves and have-nots?
 

matt b

Indexing all opinion
i'd guess it means that whilst the price of oil is high, other sources of oil will come on stream. this may undermine the power of OPEC a little (but not a lot- the oil companies have a vested interest in high oil prices), if supply/demand theory holds. however as its managed supply/demand i don't see the price fluctuating too much. also if the price dropped, the extraction of oil sands would become uneconomic, leading to supply issues hence price rises etc.

re: the haves- still following adam smith's vile maxim, as always


re: the dystopian future thing- global warming seems to be a far more important issue than the end of oil.
 
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DJ PIMP

Well-known member
re: the dystopian future thing- global warming seems to be a far more important issue than the end of oil.
Methinks the two are linked... but I do agree. Just the other day I was thinking about how much more turbulent the weather is now then when I was a kid.

In New Zealand the kiwifruit growers have already started migrating South. In the North Island they are simply not getting the hard frosts that are required for the plants to bud and fruit.
 

DJ PIMP

Well-known member
Tangentally... in the west we've spent the past 2000 years reacting against christianity (itself a reaction to paganism). We've killed god, created the apparition of Nietzsche's ubermensch in the form of celebrity, discovered thats not such a hot idea, and now we don't know how to get out of the parody of heaven we've constructed.

Just as well nature is asserting herself...
 

PeteUM

It's all grist
At some point in the future I'm hoping to dramatically raise my profile with a new Um long-player entitled Celebrity Backlash... ;)

On the subject of oil sand, the site does have an update on that situation.

http://www.pastpeak.com/archives/2006/07/oil_sands_produ.htm

Savinar also seems to not have much hope for these "other sources of oil"

And I agree that global warming is important and terrifying, but this stuff is pretty scary too, and not unrelated.
 

matt b

Indexing all opinion
this stuff is scary, but it won't kill/drown/burn us like global warming may do.
its the old 'if you were standing up to the neck in shit and someone threw a bucket of puke at you, would you duck?' conundrum, innit?

interesting article

"Gillon said at $11 billion, the company is paying twice as much for 100,000 barrels of oilsands crude as it would by buying conventional production."

petrol at £1.60 a litre?
 
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