Global Energy Stressors: Can Anybody Help? || Aug 7, 2026

Please use my monthly subscription to buy a mic.

Peter, why is your audio so garbled and unintelligible at times?

GREAT

Many would slap me upside the head for suggesting this, but how about a climate friendly measure that would CONSERVE (what a concept) the resources available. A revenue neutral carbon fee, where the average citizen wouldn’t be losers of their hard earned money, but the energy gluttonous rich and powerful would pay their fair share. All as meant as a deterrent to waste and a carrot to transition to cleaner energy sources. Geez, what a concept. Citizens Climate Lobby has been touting the idea for some time. It’s pretty reasonable, but ask our government to consider anything reasonable is, well, not in the stars at the moment. Here’s hoping humanity comes to its senses as our lack oil security is begging for and inviting creative solutions.

Do you know about China cutting its imports. It sounded unbelievable but the article said they could have been hoarding billions of gallons pre-war.

Someone buy the man a microphone

Good points, thanks @Phil

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End of the World Again? Keep walking

All the analysis I have been seeing says that we should hit operational limits for oil (potentially resulting in price spikes) this month - where does that stand?

Question for a’future video. When and what will be the effect on US and world oil prices when the various strategic reserves are “emptied?” (I know there is base to the reserves and it is not zero.)

It seems to me like a battery technology leap is the lurking dark horse that could enable a great many places in the world to electrify.

How do I cancel a double subscription This has been going on for almost 2 years

Biden killed the keystone pipeline into the USA that would have sent Canadian crude to US refineries. It would take a decade to undo this providing Canada cooperates. Ironically, the same voices that opposed the keystone pipeline are now complaining about the lack of oil. Same-same for rare earth mineral mining.

And to add some cheer here: The population of the planet in 1929 (during the Great Depression) was just two billion (2 billion). The population of the Earth in 2008 (GFC1) was just under seven billion (7 BN). The population of the planet now is just over eight billion ( 8 BN). Depression 2.0 or GFC2 will make the first ones seem like a PICNIC!

Peter - I have read (hard copies and Kendal versions) & listened to all your books (Audible version) - have been a great fan since "Accidental SP". Now that it seems like what you had predicted about the collapse has started - TIME TO PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO AN UPDATE - instead of 10 years out on one book - do an X years out on your forecast. I have hard copies, Kendal versions and Audible versions of all your books.

I agree with your assessment completely. I own several major oils, Canadian o & G's, Petrobras, Australian o & G's.......and NONE of them are performing anything near what the supposed "headlines" (world affairs/geopolitics) says! That's how fucking MANIPULATED these markets are! Pretty soon I'm gonna sell it all (I'm 74 and have been investing for the last 45 years)....and just go beachcomb somewhere and drown my liver and kidneys in cheap Caribbean booze!

I'd comment but the wind here is too strong to type.

MNNO (Michael) or other Zeihan on Geopolitics staff: Can you please explain the flurry of "Comment hidden" actions? I am reasonably sure one of mine, a comment about UAE's challenges and motives for a sea-level canal bypassing Hormuz, was among comments thus hidden. I replaced it with a pithier one, which went untouched; ergo my guess of a sudden, undocumented comment-length limit. But it would be nice to know more than my guess.

There have been a lot of comments on supply. Can Peter comment on demand? Specifically China. There have been Wall Street Estimates that China reduced its imports of crude by 5 bpd in the month of June! That is significant. So the if true- the question is: How much of the reduction is switching to EV (semi permanent), drawing of stock piles, or just doing consuming less. I think this demand piece is what was largely missed by analysts in the Spring and why oil is not at the demand destruction level of $150-$200. Of course what matters is how long can this demand reduction last - stockpile and tightening of belts only lasts so long.

The wind situation is getting out of hand.

The curtailment of oil and gas supplies may speed up development of renewables, which is absolutely essential if we don't want to become extinct. Or don't you believe in global warming/climate change yet?

Any thoughts on who shipped those Moroccan migrants to Ceuta?

Why can't we predict this crisis, because so many state actors and traders have a vested interest in having true price discovery. So, buckle up, and get ready. Meanwhile, keep on doing whatever. Traders expect opportunities, and sometimes, the steam roller gets them grabbing nickels. In short, unless you are Xi, MBS, or Putie, your data is meh.

Is the Saudi military capable of dealing with the Houthis with boots on the ground, or are the Houthis a military danger to the Saudis? Things have been popping these last few days.

Explain why your prediction on the timing of the crisis was so off

What about Norway?

Suggestion for another part; What are the next set of vulnerabilities? At least from a European perspective, Azerbaijan is awkwardly located between Russia and Iran, and you also mentioned Angola output dropping.