Gail Tverberg is a writer and speaker about energy issues. She is especially known for her work with financial issues associated with peak oil. Prior to getting involved with energy issues, Ms. Tverberg worked as an actuarial consultant. This work involved performing insurance-related analyses and forecasts. Her personal blog is ourfiniteworld.com. She is also an editor of The Oil Drum.
The years between 1981 and 2020 were very special years for the world economy because interest rates were generally falling: Figure 1. Yields on 10-year…
Media outlets tend to make it sound as if all our economic problems are temporary problems, related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact, world…
Most people have a preconceived notion that there will be a clear winner and loser from any war. In their view, the world economy will…
Russia’s attack on Ukraine represents a demand for a new world order that, over the long term, will support higher prices for fossil fuels, especially…
We have been told that intermittent electricity from wind and solar, perhaps along with hydroelectric generation (hydro), can be the basis of a green economy.…
We live in a world where words are very carefully chosen. Companies hire public relations firms to give just the right “spin” to what they…
A $1.9 trillion stimulus package was recently signed into law in the United States. Can such a stimulus bill, plus packages passed in other countries,…
It seems like a reset of an economy should work like a reset of your computer: Turn it off and turn it back on again;…
Energy Forecast for 2020 Overall, I expect that oil and other commodity prices will remain low in 2020. These low oil prices will adversely affect…
Many people have the impression that recessions come from financial missteps, such as the US subprime loan fiasco. If energy is involved at all, the…
The world today has a myriad of energy policies. One of them seems to be to encourage renewables, especially wind and solar. Another seems to…
The energy needs of the world’s economy seem to be easy to model. Energy consumption is measured in a variety of different ways including kilowatt-hours,…
Powering the world’s economy with wind, water and solar, and perhaps a little wood sounds like a good idea until a person looks at the…
Many people, including most Peak Oilers, expect that oil prices will rise endlessly. They expect rising oil prices because, over time, companies find it necessary…
Oil prices are now as high as they have been for three years. At this writing, Brent is $74.14 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate…
The most prevalent view regarding future oil supply, as well as total energy supply, seems to be fairly closely related to that expressed by Peak…
It is impossible to tell the whole oil story, but perhaps I can offer a few insights regarding where we are today. [1] We already…
Central bankers seem to think that adjusting interest rates is a nice little tool that they can easily handle. The problem is that higher interest…
Since the late 1990s, globalization has seemed to be the great hope for the future. Now this great hope seems to be dimming. Globalization sets…
Today, we have a surplus of oil, which we are trying to use up. That has never happened before, or did it? Well, actually, it…