by Dybbuk » Sun 24 Feb 2013, 20:00:38
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Econ101', 'I') also think we have seen the black swan in the form of advancements in drilling technology.
If the optimistic projections for the technology's capabilities are correct, it probably will be a black swan. Whether it's a good black swan or a bad black swan remains to be seen.
Unlike some people, I don't define a good outcome vis-a-vis energy as "
maintain our current lifestyle with minimal sacrifices, until I die, after which I don't care what happens". There will come a time when civilization will not be based predominantly on fossil fuels. That may not happen as soon as some people thought, but it also won't wait until everyone alive today is dead, either. I define success as: "
whatever allows that future non-fossil-fuel-based society to still be technological and modern, rather than collapsing and reverting to a pre-technological and pre-modern state".
If non-conventional oil production allows a long plateau in production, or very gradual decline, in which there are strong economic incentives to ramp up renewable energy, while still providing the oil for essential needs, then it could be the greatest beneficial black swan of all time. But if it causes global oil production to spike much higher, leading to the global economy becoming
even more dependent on oil, with China and India becoming hooked just like the Western economies, with renewable energy withering on the vine, setting up a rapid decline in oil production after the inevitable peak, then it could be the most harmful black swan of all time.