Friday, March 7, 2008

I Can't Quit You Babe!

The price of oil hit a new high this week -- over $104 per barrel. What did our leaders have to say?

President Bush responded, "It should be obvious to all that the demand is outstripping supply... We've got to get off oil." What is obvious to many is not always obvious to all... like a 3rd grader "discovering" gravity.

And, Exxon Mobil Chief Executive, Rex Tillerson, offered, "It's pretty crazy, isn't it?" I believe Jed Clempett of the Beverly Hillbillies uttered a similar remark when he unexpectedly struck oil while hunting opossum on his farm in the Ozarks.

There is a lot of finger pointing going on. What's driving up the price? The weak dollar. OPEC production controls. Commodity speculators. Developing countries like China and India.

Like gravity, the underlying principle is very simple. As demand increases and supply dwindles, the price of oil will go up. And up. When it hits $150/barrel, I will offer my own pithy insight, "I told you so."

1 comment:

Kevin C said...

This goes beyond "I told you so."

If the underlying energy problem is Peak Oil - our entire global society is at stake. We need to fundamentally change our lifestyle and relocalize our economy. Societal collapse should not be seen as an option, because chaos usually ensues. No true justice can come of it.

Powering down our society to a more "green" one that lives within the parameters that Earth has set is more logical. We have the technology to stay within these confines and still thrive, but it will mean more "order" be it from social or political pressures.

Rather than poking fun at those stuck in groupthink mentality, it would be best to work on positive solutions that will enable societal change.