Stories tagged with "mercantilism"

Geopolitical Peak Oil Feedback Loops Revisited

Posted by jeffvail on February 14, 2009 - 10:49am
Topic: Policy/Politics
Tags: export land model, feedback loops, geopolitics, mercantilism, nationalism, peak oil, privateering, return on investment [list all tags]

The world has changed a great deal since this post was written in October 2007. I think we would all say it is a lot less stable. It is worthwhile to stop and think how the things Jeff points out still apply, and what has changed.- Gail

It is quite common to hear experts explain that the current tight oil markets are due to “above-ground factors,” and not a result of a global peaking in oil production. In reality, geological peaking is driving the geopolitical events that constitute the most significant “above-ground factors” such as the chaos in Iraq and Nigeria, the nationalization in Venezuela and Bolivia, etc. Geological peaking spawns positive feedback loops within the geopolitical system. Critically, these loops are not separable from the geological events—they are part of the broader “system” of Peak Oil.

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Algeria & Morocco: Natural Gas Cartels, Fertilizer Mercantilism, and Rising Tensions

Posted by jeffvail on July 14, 2008 - 10:00am
Topic: Policy/Politics
Tags: algeria, fertilizer, infrastructure protection, infrastructure targeting, lng, mercantilism, morocco, natural gas, natural gas cartel, original, peak oil, phosphate [list all tags]

Algeria is one of the world’s most important oil and gas exporters. Morocco has no significant oil and gas production, but has about 2/3 of the world’s rock phosphate reserves, a critical component in global fertilizer supply that increased 300% in price in the past year (.pdf) and may peak alongside global oil production. The two nations have historically been at odds, especially over the phosphate-rich territory of Western Sahara. Now, more than ever, their exports are critical to the energy and food supplies of the world. Alongside increasing importance, tensions between the two are on the rise as the US and Russia provoke the situation with massive opposing arms deals and bi-lateral trade agreements. This article will look at the forces behind these rising tensions and consider issues of fertilizer mercantilism, infrastructure vulnerability, and the potential formation of a natural gas cartel.

will gas and fertilizer bring conflict to North Africa
Will Demand for Gas & Fertilizer Bring New Conflict to Morocco & Algeria?

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Geopolitical Feedback Loops in Resource and Oil Depletion

Posted by jeffvail on October 30, 2007 - 10:22am
Topic: Policy/Politics
Tags: export land model, feedback loops, geopolitics, mercantilism, nationalism, original, peak oil, privateering, return on investment [list all tags]

This is a repost of an article that ran a few weeks ago. It was linked to by Professor Deffeyes, so it seemed a good time to bring it forward again.

It is quite common to hear experts explain that the current tight oil markets are due to “above-ground factors,” and not a result of a global peaking in oil production. In reality, geological peaking is driving the geopolitical events that constitute the most significant “above-ground factors” such as the chaos in Iraq and Nigeria, the nationalization in Venezuela and Bolivia, etc. Geological peaking spawns positive feedback loops within the geopolitical system. Critically, these loops are not separable from the geological events—they are part of the broader “system” of Peak Oil.

There's more… (441 words) | Comments (44) | | Permalink | Without comments | PDF version

Geopolitical Feedback Loops in Peak Oil

Posted by jeffvail on October 3, 2007 - 10:00am
Topic: Policy/Politics
Tags: export land model, feedback loops, geopolitics, mercantilism, nationalism, original, peak oil, privateering, return on investment [list all tags]

It is quite common to hear experts explain that the current tight oil markets are due to “above-ground factors,” and not a result of a global peaking in oil production. In reality, geological peaking is driving the geopolitical events that constitute the most significant “above-ground factors” such as the chaos in Iraq and Nigeria, the nationalization in Venezuela and Bolivia, etc. Geological peaking spawns positive feedback loops within the geopolitical system. Critically, these loops are not separable from the geological events—they are part of the broader “system” of Peak Oil.

There's more… (441 words) | Comments (99) | | Permalink | Without comments | PDF version