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Tag Archives: resource insights
Why the fight for GMO labeling is (possibly) over
Why the fight for GMO labeling is (possibly) over Ever since it became clear that Vermont’s law for mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically engineered ingredients would actually go into force this summer, the big question has been how many food companies would choose to label their products and how many would choose simply not to […]
Corruption, resources, climate and systemic risk
Corruption, resources, climate and systemic risk Corruption is a loaded word. One person’s corruption is another’s sound social policy. Some people believe providing unemployment benefits to laid-off workers corrupts them by making them “lazy.” Many others think such benefits are sound social policy in an economic system that is prone to major cyclical ups and […]
Vermont calls Big Food’s bluff on GMO labels
Vermont calls Big Food’s bluff on GMO labels Large food processors have long claimed that state laws forcing them to label foods containing genetically engineered ingredients would lead to 1) higher prices for consumers who would end up paying the cost of special labeling for one or just a few states and/or 2) fewer food […]
Energy policy and uninformed opinion
Energy policy and uninformed opinion Famed economist John Kenneth Galbraith used to respond to questions about the direction of the economy and financial markets by saying: “I answer because I’m asked not because I know.” Such is also the case with poorly informed members of the public whose views pollsters seek on every conceivable topic […]
Oregon says yes to coal-free electricity
Oregon says yes to coal-free electricity The Oregon legislature has adopted a first-in-the-nation plan to phase out electricity from coal, a major source of climate-changing greenhouse gases. The state’s environmental community had been gearing up for a ballot initiative this year that would have forced the state’s utilities to abandon coal as a fuel for electricity. But negotiations between […]
Ready for more punishment: Investors load up on oil share offerings
Ready for more punishment: Investors load up on oil share offerings The $9.2 billion investors paid to snap up new equity offerings from U.S. oil companies in 2016 proves those investors are indeed ready for more punishment. The amount is in line with the pace of such equity offerings in 2015 even as the mood in the […]
“The Future” as a sales pitch
“The Future” as a sales pitch No one can know the future. But it turns out we can invent a place called “The Future” and invite people to inhabit it. In order to inhabit “The Future”–which is really just an enactment of our ideas about the future–you need the right accessories. For starters you’ll need the basics: the latest […]
Stability begets instability: The challenges of the post-2008 world
Stability begets instability: The challenges of the post-2008 world Most people value stability in their lives. And, this makes perfect sense. Stability usually means an adequate, secure income; an established group of friends and family members with whom we are close; an identity in our communities based on our jobs, community involvement, and personal networks; […]
Politics in a full world
Politics in a full world When Scientific American published Herman Daly’s “Economics in a Full World” in September 2005, few people knew what lay ahead: oil climbing to $147 a barrel, the relentless rise in global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions, the food riots of 2008 sparked by rising food prices, the economic crash that followed, and the […]
‘Occupied’ Norway a window into our fossil fuel addiction
‘Occupied’ Norway a window into our fossil fuel addiction Okay, I admit that the premise of Norwegian television’s new political thriller series “Occupied” is far-fetched. But that premise is a window on just how addicted to fossil fuels we are. In “Occupied” Norway’s Green Party wins parliamentary elections and makes good on its (not-altogether-fictional) promise to shut […]
Volatility, oil and stock markets
Volatility, oil and stock markets “Down” is such a downer word. That’s why when prices fall for practically anything Wall Street wants to sell you, Wall Streeters talk about volatility instead. Volatility allows for the possibility that prices will recover soon and go to new highs. Any setback is just temporary. The market turbulence, it […]
The great condensate con: Is the oil glut just about oil?
The great condensate con: Is the oil glut just about oil? My favorite Texas oilman Jeffrey Brown is at it again. In a recent email he’s pointing out to everyone who will listen that the supposed oversupply of crude oil isn’t quite what it seems. Yes, there is a large overhang of excess oil in […]
Five energy surprises for 2016: The possible and the improbable
Five energy surprises for 2016: The possible and the improbable Many energy analysts like to make predictions at the end of the year for the coming year. Instead, I’ll point to five possible surprises in energy–surprises because few people expect them to happen. I am not predicting that any of the following will happen, only […]
The zombie apocalypse in oil: Why it’s a bad sign for all of us
The zombie apocalypse in oil: Why it’s a bad sign for all of us The dramatic drop in oil prices has created what are called “zombie” companies, oil companies which can still afford to pay interest on huge debts, but little else. If oil prices stay low, the problem is likely to spread and become an […]
