terça-feira, 15 de novembro de 2011

Contrariando ideias feitas

Este artigo no Wall Street Journal constituiu como que o lançamento do novo livro de Daniel Yergin, "The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World". Yergin, vencedor de um prémio Pulitzer, é provavelmente, o maior especialista vivo em economia e história da energia, e tem-se dedicado em particular em desmistificar o "iminente" fim das fontes energéticas de origem fóssil relembrando, por exemplo, que já nos anos 80... do século XIX(!), se falava em "peak oil". Escreve Yergin :
«This is actually the fifth time in modern history that we've seen widespread fear that the world was running out of oil. The first was in the 1880s, when production was concentrated in Pennsylvania and it was said that no oil would be found west of the Mississippi. Then oil was found in Texas and Oklahoma. Similar fears emerged after the two world wars. And in the 1970s, it was said that the world was going to fall off the "oil mountain." But since 1978, world oil output has increased by 30%.

Just in the years 2007 to 2009, for every barrel of oil produced in the world, 1.6 barrels of new reserves were added. And other developments—from more efficient cars and advances in batteries, to shale gas and wind power—have provided reasons for greater confidence in our energy resiliency. Yet the fear of peak oil maintains its powerful grip.»
Sempre que um dado grupo de pressão consegue influenciar um governo no sentido de este, pela força da coerção e dos impostos, "acelerar" o ritmo da história, é de socialismo que estamos a falar. De promoção activa da pobreza, portanto. Nunca nos  esqueçamos desta verdade elementar.

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