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I watched a documentary on Channel 5 last night, on consumerism, part of a series called 'Big Ideas That Changed The World'. This episode was by Jonathon Porritt, co-founder of the Green Party and former chairman of Friends of the Earth. Porritt argues that consumerism, a subject never far from the news headlines today, has a dark and destructive side and is in danger of destroying the planet.

He looked at the rapid economic growth in China, and some of the plans for the future. Some of the statistics are frightening. The Chinese plan to build 36 power stations in the next 12 months? A rapid growth in car production and ownership in China. If everyone in China had the same car ownership ratio as the USA, the World would use as much oil in a day as it currently uses in a whole year! (I think that's what was said).

Obviously that is not going to happen; its an impossibility. Thinking it through, its obvious what is going to happen. There is a fixed quantiy of fossil fuel in the Earth and an ever growing rate of use (or depletion). The laws of supply and demand come into operation........... prices go skywards. Unfortunately economic recession has always accompanied such movement.

Why is this relevant to a small business blog? What is the value of a crystal ball? Energy prices are going to rise, no doubt about it. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next year, but at sometime in the next five years it's going to happen. That has to be valuable knowledge for all business owners.

The end of cheap oil

Forbes - cheap oil, enjoy it while it lasts

I'm an optimist, our planet is washed with renewable energy waiting to be harvested - the sun, wind, tides, and we are a very resourceful species. However, even an optimist has to admit that a transition from fossil fuel to other fuel sources is likely to be a rocky path for us all.