by MrBill » Wed 26 Apr 2006, 10:39:52
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ranglepung', 'T')he world GDP is 59 590 000 000 000 USD (source: CIA factbook)
The world produces 82 000 000 barrels a day (give or take).
After the math, it seems we use about 3,52% of the worlds total spending power on oil a year, with 70 USD a barrel.
It's probably less, as I'm not certain military funds are included in the GDP figure.
Isn't this a rather small figure when we consider the importance of the product?
How big a percentage is reasonable?
If we surmise that 10% should be spent, we get approximately 200 USD a barrel.
Is that unreasonable?
And is 10% enough to break the world economy?
It really shouldn't be, but I can see it happen, as that 7% difference has to come from somewhere.
And that won't be from the owners pockets.
I think world supply & demand of crude is closer to 85 mbpd, but like let's not split hairs here.
Crude may only be $70/75 at the moment, but crude only accounts for about half the cost of refined products like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc., so you have to add in refining costs, distribution, etc.
Agriculture may only account for 5-7% of GDP,but jobs associated with the food industry are a much larger portion and account for many more jobs. Think supermarkets, food processing, restaurants, farm machinery, etc. Not too mention all those one horse towns who depend on the farmer for their own livelihood.
The oil industry is also a big employer as is energy overall. A lot of jobs keeping the infrastructure going. Shipping, transport, refining, distribution, retail sales, etc. What will all those RV & SUV salesmen do in the future? No more jet skis to ruin my morning at the beach in any case.
Also as has been pointed out you need energy to run those bits of the economy not directly related to oil & gas like mining, agriculture, transport of finished goods, etc. So like someone else said, like blood flow. Critical.
Based on that it is not the cost of crude or gasoline, but its availability that matters most of all. We have too many legacy costs sunk into energy intensive processes now to simply walk away when crude gets too expensive. We will continue to run this beast until we can no longer feed it through physical shortages, not at some price point where we give up and say, ah its too expensive. Too many applications simply have to be run on fossil fuels or not at all.
Demand destruction will have to come from what else we have to give up to keep driving, getting produce delivered, running critical infrastructure, etc.
Imagine the McMansion with two or three families in it, while dad commutes into the city in the crowded mini-van with 10 others, and mom walks down to the local distribution point to pick-up a week's worth of unprocessed food like, gasp, raw vegetables, floor and sugar. No free delivery of pizza and sushi anymore! ; - )
Like one of those African buses you see with about 150 people piled on because it only goes from one town to the next once per week, but it is better than walking across the desert! Heck, it could be the American South West just as easily? ; - )
The organized state is a wonderful invention whereby everyone can live at someone else's expense.