[bratticus]

So I see peak oil as more of a glass ceiling on the economy. Where we are now, looking in the rear view mirror in order to put a badge on peak oil as the cause of the crisis serves only propaganda purposes to artificially promote peak oil theory to those who are only concerned with economic collapse. It will be a more compelling case when oil puts a lid on any recovery attempts down the road.

But certainly even "plateau oil" provides a glass ceiling on global GDP beyond which we can't cross as long as we remain so dependent on oil.

America is about to become the most evil empire of all time or it will be removed from world power by the crash. Either way peak oil has become the glass ceiling, we will never make 95mbpd, even 90 seems unreasonable because if there were any type of recovery oil prices would double in short order, and then we are right back where we started.

Now that an oil plateau has set in, easy credit/capitalism is bumping into the glass ceiling of limited world resources.

[bratticus]

The Oil Ceiling (link)
February 4, 2010

The expression “glass ceiling” is probably familiar to most of my readers. It refers to that invisible barrier of unwritten rules that prevents women and minorities from being promoted past a certain level. Being an energy wonk, I am interested in an analogous concept I’ll call the oil ceiling.

[bratticus]

Bytesmiths @ TOD on March 25, 2009 (link)

What's happened is that the growth-based economy has bumped up against the glass ceiling of energy availability. This has caused a "bounce" off that glass ceiling, if you will, and at some point, $40-$50 oil will once again fuel growth, and we will come up and smack our heads on the glass ceiling again. Only the next time, it won't be at 85.5 million barrels a day; it may be at 83 mb/d (3% annual decline), or lower.

We'll see this cycle repeat: bumping up against energy constraint glass ceiling, followed by an energy-shock recession, followed by cheap(er) energy, followed by wildly optimistic growth, followed by bumping up against the glass ceiling again, only lower this time.

[bratticus]

There's the glass ceiling. How about the energy ceiling? (link)
February 22, 2009

An energy "peak oil" ceiling to prosperity. Instead of the glass ceiling, how about the gas ceiling as in gasoline.

It's like the glass ceiling that feminists talked about as an impediment to upward mobility.

[MD]

I think you need to try for another meme. That one doesn't work. Plus it's already taken. The whole idea of a meme is to come up with a new one that catches fire on its own.

The "glass ceiling" in this case is just analogy, and a poor one.

[bratticus]

I think you need to try for another meme. That one doesn't work. Plus it's already taken. The whole idea of a meme is to come up with a new one that catches fire on its own.

I'm only observing other's usage of it.

[Novus]

Peak oil is NOT an Economic Glass Ceiling. Glass Ceiling implies that the ceiling can be broken. The economic ceiling created by peak oil is an absolute ceiling and it is moving coming down on us like an economic guillotine.

[bratticus]

I thought "glass ceiling" implies that it's not visible until you bump into it.

[Tanada]

I thought "glass ceiling" implies that it's not visible until you bump into it.

That is part of it, usually in the past I have seen it used to describe difficulty people of a gender, race, or education level have of achieving leadership posts (or high income).

Until the first female CEO's managed to get the job of CEO, or the first 'American of African descent' got to be Mayor or Governor or President there was said to be a 'glass ceiling' on what they could achieve.


I think for Peak Oil it is not apropos because once we hit geophysical peak there is no way to shatter the ceiling and go higher as has occurred for the social limits usually described by this analogy.

[oxj]

Peak oil is NOT an Economic Glass Ceiling. Glass Ceiling implies that the ceiling can be broken. The economic ceiling created by peak oil is an absolute ceiling and it is moving coming down on us like an economic guillotine.

How about, "Peak Oil is Chewbacca's trash compactor?"

[rangerone314]

Peak oil is NOT an Economic Glass Ceiling. Glass Ceiling implies that the ceiling can be broken. The economic ceiling created by peak oil is an absolute ceiling and it is moving coming down on us like an economic guillotine.

How about, "Peak Oil is Chewbacca's trash compactor?"

Darn you beat it to me.

Although after that I was thinking in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where the ceiling with spikes comes down... that'd make a great cartoon.

[Minor Heretic]

Ok, a clumsy analogy. I was trying to lead people into the concept of an oil price ceiling to economic growth via a familiar concept. Global oil supply IS more like a slowly descending spiked iron ceiling.

In my own defense I'll say that it is like a glass ceiling in that most people don't perceive it until they bang against it.