My hypothesis: Developed countries have mostly, but not entirely, exhausted their domestic resources. They can print dollar bills, which are still accepted as payment. The developing countries all have exploding population counts. The government leaders, benign or crooked, all have to find enough money to buy manufactured products to satisfy their domestic needs. Since they have minimal infrastructure and barely an education system, they never have the time to properly develop themselves. Yet the people have to be fed and given a phone as well. Unable to produce the necessary consumer products and having no prospect to produce them domestically any time soon, their only choice is to dig out natural resources and try to sell as much of what they have as possible. In the worst case, they may even become cut-throat competitors to sell their stuff low. Check their religions. Either Muslim or Catholic. Neither encourages nor tolerates abortion. If Bill Gates donated money for abortion, he would get his nose bloodied faster than giving mRNA vaccines to people.
Thank You, Gail. In recent decades I have formed the habit of looking at finance and geopolitics through the window of not just resource "availability" but price-the-market-might bear.
I have you to thank for that insight as to why peak-oil-looks-funny.
It is hard for people to understand that oil prices (and other resource prices) might not rise high enough to get resources out of the ground. Everyone is convinced that business as usual is the order of the day, practically forever.
My hypothesis: Developed countries have mostly, but not entirely, exhausted their domestic resources. They can print dollar bills, which are still accepted as payment. The developing countries all have exploding population counts. The government leaders, benign or crooked, all have to find enough money to buy manufactured products to satisfy their domestic needs. Since they have minimal infrastructure and barely an education system, they never have the time to properly develop themselves. Yet the people have to be fed and given a phone as well. Unable to produce the necessary consumer products and having no prospect to produce them domestically any time soon, their only choice is to dig out natural resources and try to sell as much of what they have as possible. In the worst case, they may even become cut-throat competitors to sell their stuff low. Check their religions. Either Muslim or Catholic. Neither encourages nor tolerates abortion. If Bill Gates donated money for abortion, he would get his nose bloodied faster than giving mRNA vaccines to people.
I am afraid that you are right.
Thank You, Gail. In recent decades I have formed the habit of looking at finance and geopolitics through the window of not just resource "availability" but price-the-market-might bear.
I have you to thank for that insight as to why peak-oil-looks-funny.
It is hard for people to understand that oil prices (and other resource prices) might not rise high enough to get resources out of the ground. Everyone is convinced that business as usual is the order of the day, practically forever.
I have excerpted and linked to your post here this morning: https://drjohnsblog.substack.com/p/think-globally-kill-locally
Thanks!
I appreciate being able to convey your fine analysis to others, Gail