Random Play: It's Not Easy Being Green-ish
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Yes I agree the only way we are going to make progress on this thing is to make people pay the true price of the energy they use
As long as the government keep their sticky little fingers out of the mix
So if it is true and we are running out of oil the price will go up and up etc
My worry is what is NZ going to do for money when the tourists can't afford to fly here and our agricultural produce is priced off the world market.
Taken in each others laundry -
A growth in population to create a strong domestic market
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Raymond,
Not necessarily. Remember the price of fuel already contains a large amount of tax. When i looked at this in the UK it turned out that VAT and other taxes actually came out about the same as pricing the cost of carbon in.
The oil market is also extremely inefficient basically run as club. NZ is far less exposed even considering trade distances. Shipping is a pretty cheap form of transport and our general costs are much lower.
NZ is well placed on all fronts to cope with any eventuality, dopey politicians notwithstanding. We have everything we need right here.
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NZ is well placed on all fronts to cope with any eventuality...We have everything we need right here.
except the whole economy is predicated on the basis of exceptionally cheap fossil energy.
shipping goods to market by sea is not an issue. but the energy used in production and internal transportation is.
and short-stay, long-haul mass tourism is surely a goner when oil gets to $500/barrel.
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when oil gets to $500/barrel the global economy will be in collapse. NZ has hydro, wind, solar, huge forest area with capacity for more and oodles of coal.
So my point is that the rest of the world be be in dire straits well before NZ is.
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considering NZ's domestic dependence on fossil fuels for transportation and agricultural production (not to mention tourism), i cannot share your confidence that "we'll be right, mate".
NZ's per capita oil consumption p.a. is way up there. 50% higher than the UK. (very roughly from memory, 15 barrels per capita/year versus 10)
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oh, and the investments needed to take advantage of renewables (solar, wind, tidal), not to mention the cost of coal mining, are going to rise exponentially as the cost of oil and gas rise. and they are never going to be as cheap as what we have grown acustomed to. a lot more hydro seems unlikely, and it won't provide cheap liquid fuels or nitrogen fertiliser anyway.
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Not quite the oil debate but there isn't an electricity crisis if we move to heat pumps & solar water heater, rather than the one-bar heater & uninsulated water cylinder.
Tidal = sushi
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