by Pops » Mon 20 Jun 2011, 11:24:29
Actually I was going to start a topic with this very title this morning.
Of course I wasn't going to say that oil was headed to $30 - as Bill pointed out above that would be very bad news indeed. In fact, I'm kind of surprised there are that many people who actually read about peak oil and still go to the trouble of denying it or actually trying to convince the populous of the myth of endless cheap oil.
Like I said over
here:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ouldn't it be a kick in the pants if everyone were wrong and the world economy pooped out at $125/bbl? And wouldn't it be even crazier if instead of the oil price stair-stepping up with each cycle, the economy just kept getting less resilient and each go around the high price was actually lower than the last time?
I think that is where we're headed if people like the OP get their way, just keep clinging to the non-negotiable lifestyle till you drown.
Frankly, I'm confused as to how oil companies could survive selling oil for less than cost for any length of time. This was a chart originally posted at TOD (sorry, can't remember by who) but even more surprisingly, this version is from CERA if you can believe it (who've been forecasting $30 oil since about '02 - and getting paid to do it)

So, anyway, I'm not holding my breath for $30 oil, in fact, the best news right now is oil at around $80-$90. Why? The simple fact is the economists were right all along, the magic hand
will find a solution to scarcity but there needs to be a clear price signal before that can happen. $30 oil ain't it.
Unfortunately, when most people hear "the Market will provide" they automatically think "more oil". But, the evidence is pretty clear that oil is finite in a practical sense and oil in formations and forms allowing fast and cheap rates of extraction are becoming scarce. So how will the market respond?
That was the
archdruid from a few weeks ago:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')ronically, one of the changes that has most often been dismissed as completely out of reach – the suggestion that Americans can and should use a great deal less energy and resources – is one that shows the strongest signs of catching on.
Although I don't know what a druid is, since his main hobby horse is named "Catabolic Collapse" I take that post about austerity becoming fashionable as a good sign.
But even better, and the good news I was going to post, was this survey I heard about over the weekend. From Coldwell Banker via
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A')ccording to a new Coldwell Banker survey among its network of real estate professionals,
and 93 percent said if gas prices continue to rise, more home buyers will choose to live somewhere that allows for a closer commute to their work.
Out of those who said gas prices affect where consumers want to live, being closer to work was the leading consideration.
“The decision to buy a home has always been tailored around the personal, multi-faceted lifestyle needs of each buyer,” says Jim Gillespie, CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate. “Today, rising fuel costs and a person’s decision to commute or perhaps work remotely are additional factors of the decision home buyers must consider.”
One trend continuing to rise in popularity, partly because of the gas price phenomenon, is the interest in urban living.
According to those who have seen an increased interest in urban living, other reasons behind this trend are: