[ExI] Doomsday Oil Price: (was RIP: Peak Oil)

[The Avantguardian]

----- Original Message -----
> From: Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org>
> To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
> Cc: 
> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 1:16 PM
> Subject: Re: [ExI] RIP: Peak Oil - we won't be running out any time soon
> 
> On Fri, Feb 24, 2012 at 09:29:19PM +0100, Stefano Vaj wrote:
>> Interesting...
>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/02/23/peak_oil_is_dead_citigroup/
> 
> The opposite, it's the usual fact-free arm-waving. Head over to
> http://theoildrum.com/ for the actual numbers and reliable facts.

I just had a sobering thought while in the shower. Since most costs of doing business or even basic survival are tied to oil prices, then the cost of researching and developing alternative energies is also proportional to the price of oil. Therefore it would stand to reason that oil prices directly define civilization's window of opportunity to survive the Malthusian Energy Crisis. I think that there is an oil price point that can be thought of as an indicator that even industrialized wealthy countries can no longer afford to develop any alternative energy sources. Then it becomes an ugly last-man-standing downward spiral to atavism.
 
Unfortunately, I don't know what that price point is, nor am I certain how to calculate it. I do think each alternative energy source brought online should raise the Doomsday Oil Price significantly. Any suggestions?
 
Stuart LaForge

 
"The state that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards, and its fighting by fools." -Thucydides.