January 18, 2012 at 11:34 am
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Puplava program last Friday, in a segment they titled “Political Stand-off in US Energy Policy.” We discussed energy security, the vulnerability of island nations to liquid fuel supply, the Keystone XL pipeline, the Left-Right stalemate over energy policy, the failure of our leadership to grapple with energy and transportation transitions, the “narrow ledge” of oil prices, and how oil has effectively replaced the Fed as the primary moderator of the economy.
You can download the show (21 mins) here: RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3
See also:
Energy politics at the piano bar
Reframing the transportation debate
The narrow ledge of oil prices
Have we reached an inflection point in economics history?
November 18, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Puplava program today, in a segment they titled ”The Time for Energy Transition is Now.” We discussed the IEA’s latest World Energy Outlook report, the ongoing debate about peak oil and energy illiteracy in the mainstream press, the formation of the State Department’s new Bureau of Energy Resources, the outlook for oil production, the political standoff over the Keystone XL pipeline, why the U.S. must focus now on energy transition, and why the U.S. military is still ahead of the curve on that.
You can download the show (24 mins) here: RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3
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September 16, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Puplava program today, to discuss a report from the German military (Bundeswehr) on peak oil, and the risks it poses to German security, society, and the economy. The original report was released in November 2010, but only recently translated into English. This report (“Armed Forces, Capabilities and Technologies in the 21st Century / Environmental Dimensions of Security / Sub-study 1 / Peak Oil / Security policy implications of scarce resources”) joins a long list of studies on peak oil published by various military organizations around the world, helpfully compiled by Rick Munroe at Energy Bulletin.
We also discussed David Strahan’s observations on the lack of progress being made in the UK on crafting peak oil policy, and Jim’s observation that oil prices have taken the place of monetary policy and federal funds rates in moderating the economy, which I think is a very astute observation.
August 31, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Contributed by: Chris
I made a short guest appearance on France 24 television last night, to talk about the Exxon joint venture deal with Rosneft to explore the Russian Arctic for oil and gas. Here’s the clip, along with some notes on the deal and my perspective.
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July 8, 2011 at 11:21 am
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Puplava program today, in a segment they titled ”2012 Energy Crisis Now Looking Likely.” We discussed the futility of releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and why our government officials and business leaders are failing to come to grips with the loss of spare oil production capacity and consequent oil price spikes that should develop in 2012, followed by the long-term decline in global oil production. (I did not actually predict oil over $150 a barrel, as they indicated on their site, but I do think we’ll hit a maximum pain tolerance point that will kill demand in the OECD, and that price point will likely be lower than the $147 peak we saw in 2008.) My long-term thesis for this century is that fossil fuel supply will decline to almost nothing over the next 90 years, resulting in what I’m calling The Great Contraction–a century of economic shrinkage, and a long process of relocalization (the reversal of globalization). But our leaders are utterly failing to plan for it. I concluded that “there is no intelligent life here.” But on the bright side, solar installations are setting new records in California.
You can download the show (32 mins) here: RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3
See also: Seven Paths to our Energy Future
May 12, 2011 at 10:00 am
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Puplava program this week, to discuss the latest data on oil supply and demand; the question of whether Saudi Arabia tried to make up for Libyan production or not; the state of the US economy and our pain tolerance limits on gasoline prices; the volatility of oil prices and the role of speculators; Japan’s cancellation of its plans for new nuclear power plants; the outlook for renewables; China’s economic growth and the shifting of global oil demand from West to East; and the data on production from Brazil’s Tupi field. Simply: world commodity markets are tight and we are seeing the fireworks that should be expected in that situation.
You can download the show (18 mins) here: RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3
March 24, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Pupalava program this week, to discuss the implications of high oil prices; OPEC’s ability to compensate for lost production from Libya; how Japan will replace lost power generation from the Fukushima nuclear plant; and the outlook for future energy choices.
You can download the show (18 mins) here: RealPlayer | WinAmp| Windows Media| MP3
March 3, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Pupalava program this week, to discuss the upheaval in the Mideast; Saudi Arabia’s ability to offset lost oil production from Libya; the decline of global oil exports; the ongoing problem of energy illiteracy in America; how the Fed and US policymakers are mired in denial and have backed themselves into a corner on food and energy; how 2011 is shaping up as a replay of 2008; the structural change in the global oil markets and oil prices; “American exceptionalism”; and the importance of hedging your investments against rising oil prices and a falling dollar.
You can download the show (20 mins) here: RealPlayer | WinAmp | Windows Media | MP3
February 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Contributed by: Chris
I appeared on the Financial Sense with Jim Pupalava program this week, to discuss a new report from Shell outlining two approaches to the unfolding peak oil crisis: a “Scramble” scenario and a “Blueprints” scenario. We also talked about the Wikileaks ‘revelations’ about Saudi oil reserves; ExxonMobil’s admission that it’s having trouble replacing its reserves; the challenges of energy transition; the abysmal predictive record of CERA; and the general progress of the oil industry, elected officials, and the public in coming to grips with our energy reality, as it appears we have entered what I call a “confession” phase.
You can download the show here: RealPlayer | WinAmp| Windows Media| MP3
My segment (24 mins) is first.
Recommended related reading:
The Coming Misery that Big Oil Discusses Behind Closed Doors – Steve LeVine, Foreign Policy
The IEA’s Come-to-Jesus Moment – My commentary on IEA’s modeling from July 2007
January 19, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Contributed by: Chris
Last night I made a guest appearance (by telephone) on Dr. Phil Pearlman’s “Market Shrinkology” show on Stocktwits.tv. He featured my 2010 prediction and we discussed my macro outlook, my “Great Contraction” thesis, oil prices, and other subjects. My thanks to Phil for giving a platform to my outlier views!
Watch it here: Market Shrinkology – January 18, 2011
