With the quite incredible hikes in oil prices over recent days, where do you think all of this is going? What effects do you think the rising cost of oil will have on western countries in the next 1-3 years, or for those with a longer vision, the next 5-10 years? Do you believe we are too dependent on oil? Do you agree with the term, - 9 Meals From Anarchy? This is a reference to countries such as the United Kingdom having at most a 3 day total food supply. If you could provide a forecast for future events, what impacts do you think this rising cost of oil will have on our lives? How do you see the short, medium and long term futures panning out - what is your forecast, either from a local community point of view, regionally as applicable to your area, or nationally and internationally? How long do you think it will be until oil hits $150 a barrel? Do you believe the the systems that we rely on so much are sustainable? Do you worry about these issues at all and if the opposite view is held by you, i.e. you do not worry at all, how do you arrive at your conclusion? What is the basis for your optimism? Please feel welcome to discuss.
Personally, I'm thinking within another 2 weeks. Already gas what we call petrol here in the UK, is still steadily rising day by day at the pumps, hitting motorists very hard and especially truckers. The black market for fuel supplies has already begun in earnest here, with more trucking and transport operators running the gauntlet / risk of facing very heavy fines by cutting costs, using red diesel, which is for use in the marine and agricultural sectors and is much, much cheaper than ordinary diesel. Also many pensioners are already facing the hard choice between feeding themselves properly here or using the money they get for their energy bills. This past winter I think will pale into insignificance compared to what many will face come the next lot of winter months, from October / November through April / May depending on where you live in the country. Diesel here is now well over one pound thirty a litre, that's $2.58 (a litre). With 4.55 litres to one gallon, that's now $11.64 a gallon equivalent. Petrol (gas) is $2.30 a litre or $10.44 a gallon in the UK on average.
Oil will go up to $150 a barrel just to show it can be that high. They should lower speed limit in the USa back to 55 mph that would lower prices in under 2 weeks. They should have raised milage on cars and trucks years ago.