Stories tagged with whale oil

Crude Oil: how high can it go? (19th century whaling as a model for oil depletion and price volatility)

19th century whaling is today one of the best examples we have of a complete cycle of exploitation of a natural resource.



The production curves of whale oil and whale bone in the United States in 19th century (from "History of the American whale fishery" by A. Starbuck, 1878). Both show a clear bell shaped Hubbert's curve. Click to enlarge.