From wiki: "In 2008, oil, gas and coal generated approximately 69 percent of New Zealand's gross energy supply and 31 percent was generated from renewable energy, primarily hydroelectric power and geothermal power."

Yes, that's including transportation. 80% is the electricity figure.

Also, the government you spoke of is authoritarian, not socialist.

I was talking about methods of production, not who sits on the top. Different, compatible things.

Explain about the transportation, please? I don't get it.

"Gross energy supply" in a country includes energy used in transporation. We don't have any oil-fuel power plants and we have very few electrically-powered cars.

Hrrm. Very well. I think it was a bit misleading to use that figure, however. Additionally, I laughed because you specifically mentioned "American Middle Class", instead of "Middle Class". When you focus on the American Middle Class about an issue that will hurt most countries far more, it's not being balanced.

And, though, yes, the US is more susceptible than some to rising prices of energy due to the suburban phenomenon, it's certainly nothing the economy can't handle. As prices go up, cities will expand to match that. And America remains the country in most ways most capable of adapting to such an occurence. Maybe less so than France, which is largely nuclear-powered, but America also has a significant technological lead in most spheres, and will be able to shift to other sources of energy quicker than most other countries. The real losers, I would say, are those in countries that are poor - it'll be more difficult to catch up to Western countries with high energy prices.

Thorium reactors and hydrogen cars, please.

I suggest you try reading the articles I linked to, as well as other posts on that site, Cent, and you might not be quite so optimistic. It's pretty clear that you haven't read any of it, given the interval between my posts and yours.

This article suggests that by 2050 if we continue resource consumption at the current rate, we'll need to colonise another two planets. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/jul/07/research.waste?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038

Quote

The United States places the greatest pressure on the environment, with its carbon dioxide emissions and over-consumption. It takes 12.2 hectares of land to support each American citizen and 6.29 for each Briton, while the figure for Burundi is just half a hectare.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall, Cent.

That article is from 2002, I wonder what their projections are now?

Projections still on track for the world economy to collapse in the 2030's: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/next-great-depression-mit-researchers-predict-global-economic-190352944.html