Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Molly Scott Cato Waste is an obsolete concept: the future is one without waste where materials will circulate through our economy rather than entering as raw materials at one end and being dumped into landfill at the other. his conception of the economy as circular is due to Kenneth Boulding, a leading figure in the development of a green approach to economics…
To feed a growing world population, we have no option but to intensify crop production. But farmers face unprecedented constraints. In order to grow, agriculture must learn to save.
My colleague at the National Review, Jonah Goldberg, recently penned an article, in which he starts down the road with a sure step but then falters and ultimately stumbles over his erroneous notions about economic growth. I provide some subjective commentary below, but I also offer an objective economic analysis to set the record straight. I have devised a nonparametric econometric statistic, normalized on a scale from 1 (utterly false) to 10 (unassailably true) that rates the veracity of each of Mr. Goldberg’s premises (in the interest of conserving ink, I shall refrain from reproducing the 17-page formula here; in any case, it is likely that readers would find it well beyond their comprehension).
Immediately after 9/11, Washington Post columnist and premier Inside-the-Beltway pundit George Will asserted that America had taken a “Holiday from History” during the previous ten years and that the attacks had brought it to an abrupt end. In reality, by ignoring energy issues Americans took their holiday from history for a much long period, from 1981-2005, and we’re about to pay a very steep price for it.
A Transition Enterprise (TE) is a financially viable trading* entity that fulfils a real community need, delivers social benefits and has beneficial, or at least neutral, environmental impacts.
So what’s the alternative to slashing government programs, budget cutting, and more concentrated wealth at the top? The centerpiece of a new approach is to re-structure the labor market by reducing hours of work. That may seem counter-intuitive in a period when the mainstream message is that we are poorer than ever and have to work harder. But the historical record suggests it’s a smart move that will create what economists call a triple dividend: three positive outcomes from one policy innovation.
The world oil production data below tell a story about: 1) nations that are past peak, because of geologic limits (e.g., US, Norway, etc.) or other reasons; and 2) nations that have yet to peak, or if they have peaked it is not yet clear.
The “financialization” of commodity markets has changed trading behaviour and significantly affects the prices of such basic goods as staple foods, a new UNCTAD study says. The study focuses on how financial investors in commodity markets rely on information related to just a few commonly observable events or on mathematical models, rather than on the physical realities of supply and demand.
Oil is often described as ‘the life-blood’ of modern society. It is as vital to our globalized economy as water is to the human body. A reduction in supply of only a few percentages could create difficulties throughout the entire system. Further reductions could lead to a complete failure of critical systems.
An analysis of the fragility of the global economy and why the era of economic growth is over.
Jan. 1, 2013 — Somewhere, Texas —
Retired Marine Master Sergeant Jasper Sweet today announced the opening of his ninth Peak Oil Boot Camp – this one in Somewhere, Texas. During the opening ceremony, Master Sergeant Sweet spoke about his calling to open the Camps. “After thirty-two years serving my country, I realized America needed people every bit as tough as soldiers – she needed farmers. And by God, I’m going to give them to her, even if I have to wipe the snot off the nose of every last pansy-a$$ juvenile delinquent in Texas.”
When the Saudi oil minister speaks to the world’s business reporters, one cannot rely that his words will later match the kingdom’s official reports to international statistical agencies. Whether through sloppiness or otherwise, at least one of Mr al-Naimi’s statement and the Saudi report were in error to the tune of almost half a million barrels a day — more than five percent of production — at a time when oil markets are critically seeking signals of Saudi intentions and capabilities.
