What's on This Site

Purpose: to function as a clearinghouse of useful information, as well as an incubator of provocative and innovative ideas. I have done this by trying to break down some of the complexities associated with the overlapping issues of energy, culture, politics, and economics. I cover a range of political, social, and scientific perspectives here. Although global in focus, there is a slight regional slant toward the western American state of California. The physical layout of this site is basically divided into two vertical halves: the left-hand side, and the right-hand side.

Down the left side (mostly blog posts & links):
- My Blog Posts
- Rationale: Why I designed this site
- Related External Blog and RSS Links: over 50 sources of up-to-the-minute information on politics, economics, and the environment
- My Personal Links
- Selected Global Resource Statistics
- About Me
- The Peak Oil Clock


Down the right side (mostly multimedia & links):
- Revolving Globe
- Videos: Setting the Context on Overall Resource Usage
- Additional Videos/Podcasts: Linking Energy, Politics, and Economics
- Energy-Environment-Finance Links: nearly 100 information sources and tools covering a wide range of approaches and applications
- Yet More Videos: Transition Solutions and Proposed Next Steps


Across the Bottom (information section, mostly reference material on energy consumption):
- Suggested Additional Reading and Viewing
- World Energy Consumption Statistics (year-to-date, updated in near-real-time)
- US Energy Consumption Statistics (year-to-date, updated in near-real-time)
- World Oil Prices (European Brent & American WTI, updated daily)



Keyword Search Here:

Friday, October 10, 2008

World Energy Crisis = World Financial Crisis

Colleagues:

I recently got my Ph.D., within the past year. What I now see taking place in world financial markets is giving me "PD-PTSD" (post-dissertation post-traumatic stress disorder)! Why? Well, I saw it all coming--again--sort of. At the time, I felt I could not finish writing my dissertation fast enough! The more research I did, the more I saw I was in a race against time. I concluded we were headed toward an energy-induced depression. We are in the early / prelim stages of that process now, I fear.

What does this all mean?

In the final analysis, the "financial system" is based on the "Earth system." One of the best indicators of the financial system (in terms its medium- and long-term trajectories) is human relationship with the Earth system--as seen in the human-built, global energy sub-system. And the chief proxy indicator within that system is medium- to long-term petroleum pricing and availability (year-after-year analysis; daily/weekly price analysis would only confuse). In short, follow the oil resources in order to follow the financial resources. The key is to look at the Big Picture.

The following is extracted from my dissertation, which I completed in December, 2007. Here, I look back to the early/mid-1970s, and the global economic impact of high oil prices at that time.

Ask yourselves, "Might history be repeating itself, once again?

"***William Engdahl (2004) wrote of the impact of unusually high energy prices during the period of the initial global energy crisis, during 1973/74, as follows:

"Most of the governments of Europe fell during this period, victims of the consequences of the oil crisis on their economies.

But for the less developed economies of the world, the impact of an overnight price increase of 400 per cent in their primary energy source was staggering. The vast majority of the world’s less developed economies, without significant domestic oil resources, were suddenly confronted with an unexpected and unpayable 400 per cent increase in the cost of energy imports, to say nothing of the cost of chemicals and fertilizers derived from petroleum. During this time, commentators began speaking of ‘triage,’ the wartime idea of survival of the fittest, and introduced the vocabulary of ‘Third World’ and ‘Fourth World’ (the non-OPEC countries).

According to the IMF, developing countries in 1974 incurred a total trade deficit of $35 billion, a colossal sum in that day, and, not surprisingly, a deficit four times as large as in 1973—precisely in proportion to the oil price increase." (p. 140)

Engdahl—an economist—continues on in the same section to make a strong case for the connection between global oil prices and national debt levels; however, all too often, issues of energy resource pricing and availability have simply not been sufficiently linked to issues of economy by mainstream economists, when addressing economic development (Auer, 2004; Catton, 1980; Hanson, 2001). Why might this be so? This dissertation will explore some of the assumptions that have gone into economic development discourse over the thirty year period under review here.***

End of dissertation excerpt

For more details on the theory behind all of this, please see my Dissertation.

The main idea here is that human "thoughtways" and human-built energy systems operate in symbiosis, forming positive feedback loops. Humans then structure all of their organizational systems (including financial systems) accordingly.

Please feel free to question or critique this work. I welcome your feedback.

Dr. Blaine

No comments:

Why design a site on "Culture and the Political-Economy of Energy Resources?"

Overview: A New Way for a New Era

The overall purpose of this site is to function as a clearinghouse of useful information, as well as an incubator of provocative and innovative ideas. Emphasis will be on the social implications of our heavy reliance on petroleum and related products. All of this is being discussed—either implicitly or explicitly—in the overarching / overlapping context(s) of Peak Oil and Climate Change.

The site contains a collection of useful links, original articles, re-posts from other distinguished organizations, individual writers and bloggers.

I hope that you will find this site both useful and enjoyable (and I welcome your feedback). It’s not easy to make something so serious so fun. This comes about as a result of reviewing a lot of material in the past which, although very informative, could also be quite depressing and downright discouraging at times. So, I’ve decided to take a slightly different path, in bringing you information that you will possibly find important or helpful.

Finally, know that you are not alone in all of this—far from it. These are issues we are all facing, in one way or another. So let’s find our courage and face them together.


Aerial View of Downtown Los Angeles. This city typifies the triumph of the petroleum-based industrial system of the 20th century.

External Blog and RSS Links

Research Gate

Blaine Pope

"In the beginning is energy, all else flows therefrom." -- Cheikh Anta Diop (1974)

"In the beginning is energy, all else flows therefrom." -- Cheikh Anta Diop (1974)

About Me

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A college professor and independent management consultant, focusing on general program design and administration, sustainable development, and the political-economy of energy and the environment. Faculty member at Goddard College (Plainfield, VT). Previously worked at the following academic institutions: Sociology and Anthropology Department, University of Redlands (Redlands, CA); Media and Social Change Program, jointly taught between the School of Psychology at Fielding Graduate University (Santa Barbara, CA) and the University of California at Los Angeles Extension (UCLAx) Program; Research Assistant Professor, Center for Sustainable Cities at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA); Global Studies Program, University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB); MPA Program in Environmental Science and Policy, The Earth Institute and the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University (New York, NY); and, Swahili Language Program, Council on African Studies, Yale University (New Haven, CT). -- Additional working experience in emergency relief and development in 10 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

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