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by
Chris Martenson
Forty years ago, a group of researchers at MIT ran a study to address the question of how humans would adapt to the physical limitations of a finite planet. That study became the book Limits to Growth.
It should have been a starting point for a critical discussion at the national – or even global – level. It could have led to the birthing of many practical and then-implementable initiatives that mighthave brought our unsustainable demographic, industrial, and consumptive behavior under better control. But sadly, the book instead became a lightning rod for controversy. And decades later, the issues it warned of loom larger than ever.
In this interview, Chris discusses our collective failure to act on this book's message with Jorgen Randers, one of the authors of Limits to Growth and Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update as well as a new book, 2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years.
While there are some differences in opinion between Jorgen and Chris, particularly on the acuteness of our resource predicament, both agree that continuing to pursue the status quo will result in a poorer quality of life for most of the world's denizens. We increasingly appear to be facing a future shaped either by design or disaster, and unless we actively decide to intelligently change our behavior, the latter outcome will prevail.
Jorgen Randers: Our Species’ Biggest Risk is Our Lack of Coherent Long-Term Decision Making
by Chris MartensonForty years ago, a group of researchers at MIT ran a study to address the question of how humans would adapt to the physical limitations of a finite planet. That study became the book Limits to Growth.
It should have been a starting point for a critical discussion at the national – or even global – level. It could have led to the birthing of many practical and then-implementable initiatives that mighthave brought our unsustainable demographic, industrial, and consumptive behavior under better control. But sadly, the book instead became a lightning rod for controversy. And decades later, the issues it warned of loom larger than ever.
In this interview, Chris discusses our collective failure to act on this book's message with Jorgen Randers, one of the authors of Limits to Growth and Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update as well as a new book, 2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years.
While there are some differences in opinion between Jorgen and Chris, particularly on the acuteness of our resource predicament, both agree that continuing to pursue the status quo will result in a poorer quality of life for most of the world's denizens. We increasingly appear to be facing a future shaped either by design or disaster, and unless we actively decide to intelligently change our behavior, the latter outcome will prevail.
by
Gregor Macdonald
Executive Summary
- Why oil price vulnerability is growing
- Why the marginal cost of oil is rising higher at an accelerating rate
- Why the marginal cost of oil for non-OPEC regions is now above $90
- The hard math explaining why an increase an output from OPEC will no longer reduce the world price for oil
- The new rules that will govern the price of oil from here
- The alarming growing risk of large-scale war for oil
Part I: OPEC Has Lost the Power to Lower the Price of Oil
If you have not yet read Part I, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
Part II: The Cruel Math of the Marginal Barrel
An unpleasant megatrend that has affected global oil production the past decade has been the quickly escalating cost of production. However, prices have finally risen high enough to stabilize declines in regions like North America.
This actually makes for a new and emerging vulnerability: the risk that prices fall at some point through levels that remove the new oil supply.
Given that world oil production has been trapped below 74 mbpd since 2005, and that the cost of the marginal barrel keeps rising, this vulnerability is growing.
The Cruel Math of the Marginal Barrel
PREVIEW by Gregor MacdonaldExecutive Summary
- Why oil price vulnerability is growing
- Why the marginal cost of oil is rising higher at an accelerating rate
- Why the marginal cost of oil for non-OPEC regions is now above $90
- The hard math explaining why an increase an output from OPEC will no longer reduce the world price for oil
- The new rules that will govern the price of oil from here
- The alarming growing risk of large-scale war for oil
Part I: OPEC Has Lost the Power to Lower the Price of Oil
If you have not yet read Part I, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
Part II: The Cruel Math of the Marginal Barrel
An unpleasant megatrend that has affected global oil production the past decade has been the quickly escalating cost of production. However, prices have finally risen high enough to stabilize declines in regions like North America.
This actually makes for a new and emerging vulnerability: the risk that prices fall at some point through levels that remove the new oil supply.
Given that world oil production has been trapped below 74 mbpd since 2005, and that the cost of the marginal barrel keeps rising, this vulnerability is growing.
by
Chris Martenson
This week we bring back Alasdair Macleod, publisher of FinanceAndEconomics.org, because, as he puts it, "every horror that we discussed last time we spoke is coming about." This is especially scary since our previous conversation with Alasdair was less than three weeks ago…
Today's interview continues building on his excellent synopsis from last month that detailed the origins of the Eurozone crisis. The fundamental shortcomings warned of at the euro's creation in 1997, combined with the excessive sovereign debts run up since then, have finally expressed themselves at a scale too large to be contained any longer.
Today, Alasdair details in depth the huge and serious challenges facing Greece and the major Eurozone countries and the likely impacts of the fast-dwindling options left remaining.
He sees no happy ending to this story, no outcome in which serious pain and permanent behavior change can be avoided. And for those looking for shelter from the unfolding economic storm, he sees few options besides the precious metals (which he believes are severely underpriced at the moment):
Alasdair Macleod: All Roads in Europe Lead to Gold
by Chris MartensonThis week we bring back Alasdair Macleod, publisher of FinanceAndEconomics.org, because, as he puts it, "every horror that we discussed last time we spoke is coming about." This is especially scary since our previous conversation with Alasdair was less than three weeks ago…
Today's interview continues building on his excellent synopsis from last month that detailed the origins of the Eurozone crisis. The fundamental shortcomings warned of at the euro's creation in 1997, combined with the excessive sovereign debts run up since then, have finally expressed themselves at a scale too large to be contained any longer.
Today, Alasdair details in depth the huge and serious challenges facing Greece and the major Eurozone countries and the likely impacts of the fast-dwindling options left remaining.
He sees no happy ending to this story, no outcome in which serious pain and permanent behavior change can be avoided. And for those looking for shelter from the unfolding economic storm, he sees few options besides the precious metals (which he believes are severely underpriced at the moment):
by
Chris Martenson
Executive Summary
- Where the gold price is most likely to go from here
- History rhymes: Why today resembles 2008
- How to best deploy your capital once the central banks announce the next round of money printing
- Why prudent actions you can take now are so much more valuable than the options you'll have once the correction is underway
Part I: Get Ready: We’re About To Have Another 2008-Style Crisis
If you have not yet read Part I, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
Part II: What To Do When the Central Banks Blink
Where Gold Goes From Here
While I personally would not part with my gold these days, and certainly not at these prices, I do expect the price of gold to drop going forward.
The reason is that gold has multiple elements contributing to its price, and some of that is attributable to the speculation and rampant liquidity that is sloshing through the system. Various hedge funds and other speculative funds are holding quite a bit of gold, mainly the paper variety, and when they dump that because the tables have turned and/or their liquidity sources have dried up, they will sell that paper gold and the apparent price will go down.
Further, weak hands holding gold via the GLD ETF will be shaken out during a liquidity crisis, putting physical gold back onto the market.
However, it is my strongest contention that this will represent a very nice buying opportunity. Someday, nobody knows when, the central banks will announce another big round of thin-air money printing and that will be a turning point in the price of gold (and many other things, including stocks and commodities).
What To Do When the Central Banks Blink
PREVIEW by Chris MartensonExecutive Summary
- Where the gold price is most likely to go from here
- History rhymes: Why today resembles 2008
- How to best deploy your capital once the central banks announce the next round of money printing
- Why prudent actions you can take now are so much more valuable than the options you'll have once the correction is underway
Part I: Get Ready: We’re About To Have Another 2008-Style Crisis
If you have not yet read Part I, available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.
Part II: What To Do When the Central Banks Blink
Where Gold Goes From Here
While I personally would not part with my gold these days, and certainly not at these prices, I do expect the price of gold to drop going forward.
The reason is that gold has multiple elements contributing to its price, and some of that is attributable to the speculation and rampant liquidity that is sloshing through the system. Various hedge funds and other speculative funds are holding quite a bit of gold, mainly the paper variety, and when they dump that because the tables have turned and/or their liquidity sources have dried up, they will sell that paper gold and the apparent price will go down.
Further, weak hands holding gold via the GLD ETF will be shaken out during a liquidity crisis, putting physical gold back onto the market.
However, it is my strongest contention that this will represent a very nice buying opportunity. Someday, nobody knows when, the central banks will announce another big round of thin-air money printing and that will be a turning point in the price of gold (and many other things, including stocks and commodities).
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