As oil prices increase and the presidential campaigns heat up there is a lot of discussion about increased drilling for oil. In economic theory higher prices will give market signals to increase exploration and exploitation of resources. But in the US?

It seems to me that there is likely to be a very short path from petroleum shortages to electricity shortages. There are a lot of issues involved, from the fact that the fuels used in electricity production are themselves dependent on petroleum.

Cement is mainly used to make concrete, and is sort of the "active ingredient" in concrete - it is combined with sand and gravel in roughly fixed proportions. So cement is considered a proxy for the total amount of construction. China's doing a lot of it.

Our house was built around 1900. It is an end-terrace house with 2 bedrooms, located in an inner-city area in Bury, Lancashire, UK. Our household comprises me and my partner, with no children, and we live in the property all year round. Here's what we did

Cheap gas and diesel due to government fuel subsidies has become one of the favored whipping boys of late—a convenient way to blame high oil prices on the actions of some other government or faraway people. But how much can subsidies really cut demand?

People in poor rural areas are getting hit a lot harder by high oil and gas prices. Sucks to travel, sucks overall.

There is little doubt that during that last 60 years we here in America have transformed our manmade landscape in a way that is fundamentally different from any form of human habitation ever known. But can we keep it up?