On Friday, 06 May, 2011, Professor David Summers posted on OilPrice.com an oddly emotional article, A Look at the Serious Energy Shortages in India and Pakistan . Dr. Summers correctly points out that severe shortages of coal supply in India and Pakistan will not be quenched by imports from Australia, because China will outcompete anyone for the same coal imports. From our analysis it follows that China's coal production will be difficult or impossible to maintain at the current high level. And China's coal demand is skyrocketing despite attempts to reign in coal burning by their most inefficient industrial enterprises. Dr. Summers then goes on to say that the folks like Tad Patzek and Dave Rutledge have it wrong anyway, when they talk about the global peak of coal production and inability to satisfy demand that follows. Well, here we are: Too much demand worldwide, and not enough supply. The coal price goes up, way up, and still not enough supply. How does o...
In this blog, I continue to write about the environment, ecology, energy, complexity, and humans. Of particular interest to me are human self-delusions and mad stampedes to nowhere.