[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'T')he Chinese care a great deal about peak oil.

Why do you think they are buying commodities and oil and building wind farms and doing everything they can do to get their society as ready as possible for the future?

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'I')t takes about 10 YEARS to develop an offshore oil field. The idea that we can close down our offshore oil industry now only to suddenly call on them to rehire the workers and rebuild the rigs and spring to action to "tap" our last reserves years from now when the whole world is falling apart isn't going to work.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'H')ow the heck do you expect to build solar plants, wind farms and nuclear power plants, new smart transmission grid and electric intercity rail and light rail commuter lines and the other new infrastruture we need right now to deal with the peak oil crisis if the US continues to not have an energy policy, doesn't take the necessary steps to have a strong economy, and won't face up to the peak oil problem....?

[Plantagenet]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', 'O')il is peaking Plant...

[Lore]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Plantagenet', 'T')he peak oil crisis is already underway. Thats why oil is up at $90 bucks in spite of the bad global economy.

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', '
')To make matters worse, the impact is asymmetrical. People (at least historically) tend to overreact to high oil prices and make a lot of bad investments out of fear. Incidentally, the same happens with taxes/subsidies. Lots of people bought cars they couldn't afford to take advantage of a small tax credit under the Cash For Clunkers program.

[anador]

For every windmill the chinese build, I guarantee you they build 50 new cars, 500 acres more of suburban housing tracts, and 15 km of highways.

If they're so concerned about peak oil why are they producing a society less able to mitigate and manage an energy transition?

[Outcast_Searcher]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('anador', 'F')or every windmill the chinese build, I guarantee you they build 50 new cars, 500 acres more of suburban housing tracts, and 15 km of highways.

If they're so concerned about peak oil why are they producing a society less able to mitigate and manage an energy transition?

[Cog]

Perhaps the Chinese are thinking their largest competitor for oil, the United States, will simply not be a factor in the competition.

Since I do not believe the Chinese government is stupid, I'm going to assume they understand Peak Oil and have a rough feel for the timing for when its going to come into play as a supply crunch. That would explain why they have been in the process of buying up as much raw materials, oil supply and production, and rapidly industrializing their country. They understand that to make this great leap forward in solar, wind, nuclear and other renewables they need the fossil fuel energy now to make this happen on a short time scale. A short time scale for them being a decade or two.

I don't understand how they plan to take the United States out of the equation but I have a feeling they have thought this through to the endgame.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', '
')
Armageddon should create a lot of short term employment before eliminating the need.

[SeaGypsy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cog', 'P')erhaps the Chinese are thinking their largest competitor for oil, the United States, will simply not be a factor in the competition.

Since I do not believe the Chinese government is stupid, I'm going to assume they understand Peak Oil and have a rough feel for the timing for when its going to come into play as a supply crunch. That would explain why they have been in the process of buying up as much raw materials, oil supply and production, and rapidly industrializing their country. They understand that to make this great leap forward in solar, wind, nuclear and other renewables they need the fossil fuel energy now to make this happen on a short time scale. A short time scale for them being a decade or two.

I don't understand how they plan to take the United States out of the equation but I have a feeling they have thought this through to the endgame.

[SeaGypsy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ludi', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', '
')
Armageddon should create a lot of short term employment before eliminating the need.

[deMolay]

To my comments that lack of spending by the BabyBoomers, the collapse of home values you can add these facts. The core economy has produced net zero jobs since the financial crisis hit. The partime workers segment of the economy has increased and this is what the government is touting as job growth but they never say that just part time work has increased. Watch the video from about 3 minutes on. http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1680963951&play=1

[deMolay]

The Chinese are very aware of Peak. They have been buying in heavily into Alberta's Oil Sands plays, bought up about 5 companies this year alone, they are pushing for rail and pipelines from Alberta to the BC Coast. They have tried to buy up Sask. Potash mines the largest in the world. The untold story of why the Canadian government slapped down the BHP bid. They have bought up over 200M acres of farmland in Africa and S.America. They are well aware of the "Peaks" that are happening.

[deMolay]

China is the biggest bubble of all and will soon crash hard and probably violently. There core economy is wildly inflated and overheating. The Chinese have 25% of the world mouths to feed. They have 6% of the world's potable water, and 7% of the world's arable farm land. Unless they force mass emigration they will soon have to go to war to obtain new resources just to feed their people. Either all out economic war, which they are waging now. And their economy is collapsing or physical real war. Which they have been building up for rapidly.

[Lore]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('deMolay', 'C')hina is the biggest bubble of all and will soon crash hard and probably violently. There core economy is wildly inflated and overheating. The Chinese have 25% of the world mouths to feed. They have 6% of the world's potable water, and 7% of the world's arable farm land. Unless they force mass emigration they will soon have to go to war to obtain new resources just to feed their people. Either all out economic war, which they are waging now. And their economy is collapsing or physical real war. Which they have been building up for rapidly.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lore', '
')Unfortunately for them, us and everyone else on this planet the outcome of this struggle does not appear to have a happy ending.

[Xenophobe]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lore', '
')Unfortunately for them, us and everyone else on this planet the outcome of this struggle does not appear to have a happy ending.

[jmnemonic]

Obama and his administration knows all about Peak Oil. Stephen Chu certainly knows all about it. But we are now so close to the edge of collapse that talking about such things, from the administration or anybody really high in it, would INDUCE the collapse immediately. Are you ready for the lights to go out and the grocery stores to close and the police and firefighters to go off-duty permanently? I know I'm not.

So, they are trying to prepare us as best they can, without drawing ANY attention to the fact that they ARE trying to prepare us. Mrs. Obama's gardening thing - that's preparation for Peak Oil. When you can't get anchovies from Iceland or whatever, you are going to need locally-sourced food supplies. There's nothing more local than your own yard. It's good for the environment, it saves money AND fuel andm, most importantly, it is something they can do without immediately bringing on a panic-induced collapse. In the background, our military and government are (somewhat quietly) going renewable as fast as they can.

The sad fact is, there isn't a ton Obama can do now. We waited too long, got too close to the edge. We're just too close to collapse to talk about it publicly without making collapse an immediate self-fulfilling prophecy.

So DON'T count on government. Maybe they will be helpful once the panic begins. Maybe not. You can really only count on yourself and what steps you have taken. Personally, I'm hoping for about six more years of BAU while I get things together. Eight years would be even better.