NationStates Jolt Archive

remember boom towns? mostly western mining towns that grew up around the exploitation of a single natural resource and when it was exhausted everyone more or less left.

with the oil economies of the middle east we’re seeing boom countries; countries whose economies have exploded but that depend entirely on the exploitation of a single natural resource. what will happen to those countries when that resource is no longer there or no longer valuable?

Australia will take all of their wealth because when the oil is gone and people want electricity to play their Nintendos they're going to have to turn to nuclear power and Australia has some 40% of the world's uranium. That's a lot of yellow cake...

I think that unless the governments of these Middle East oil countries have invested at least some of the revenues for the future they will turn into impovrished third world countries very quickly. The rest of the world will lose interest in that part of the planet because they don't have anything else the rest of us wants. Thats just my opinion though, what actually happens could well be very different.

I think that unless the governments of these Middle East oil countries have invested at least some of the revenues for the future they will turn into impovrished third world countries very quickly.

They have invested heavily in America I think...

I think it depends on the country. If memory serves, Qatar is currently spending a lot of it's oil revenue into trying to turn itself into one of the most high tech countries on earth (it helps they're not that big). They seem to be well on their way to becoming the IT hub for that part of the world.

I doubt that the world would abandon the middle east however. It's location is too important to allow for it to be abandoned, as much as we, and some of the more radical segments of the population there, would like to.

Australia will take all of their wealth because when the oil is gone and people want electricity to play their Nintendos they're going to have to turn to nuclear power and Australia has some 40% of the world's uranium. That's a lot of yellow cake...

Our uranium is pretty inferior in quality to Canadian and even African uranium though, I believe.

Our uranium is pretty inferior in quality to Canadian and even African uranium though, I believe.

While we do have lots of yellow cake (poor quality uranium in its natural state) we also have some high quality uranium, about half as much as Canada as I recall. While yellow cake is of poorer quality it can be refined. What's more Canada has more mines (six, with another two to open soon and more to follow, mostly in Sasketchwen(Sp?) so they export more uranium than we do.

Damn you Kanabia! I had to google to make sure I was correct! :p

remember boom towns? mostly western mining towns that grew up around the exploitation of a single natural resource and when it was exhausted everyone more or less left.

with the oil economies of the middle east we’re seeing boom countries; countries whose economies have exploded but that depend entirely on the exploitation of a single natural resource. what will happen to those countries when that resource is no longer there or no longer valuable?


Uhh yeah I know 'boomtown' all too well. I was born in one of these places. A small community in northern BC Canada which was planned before it was built and projected to exceed the population of Vancouver by the millenium. Well, a little over 50 years later, 'boomtown' has roughly the same population it had 5 years after it was built (10k) and is in a rapid downward spiral. The main industry, while still very viable must soon modernize which means downsizing and the other industries that popped up in the meantime are a heartbeat away from bankruptcy. Shopping is next to non-existent even though the people there make relatively very high wages. Trouble is they mostly go out of town to buy things then come home to whine how pathetic is 'boomtown'. I had the sense to leave because it got a bit depressing watching a town you love slowly but surely die. :(

Damn you Kanabia! I had to google to make sure I was correct! :p

Hehehehe. It's cool digging up facts from the back of my mind and getting other people to verify them. :cool: :p

most gulf contries have exceeded their ability to provide enough resourses for their people without the help of oil revenues. when boomtowns fold everyone drifts away - do you think we'll see a mass arab diaspora from the gulf region?

most gulf contries have exceeded their ability to provide enough resourses for their people without the help of oil revenues. when boomtowns fold everyone drifts away - do you think we'll see a mass arab diaspora from the gulf region?

The difference between the boomtowns and the Arab world is that boomtowns are populated by people who moved in from other regions in the country, while the Arab countries have been populated by natural population growth. While they could leave in theory, I don't know if there are enough countries able to absorb such a massive influx of people.

While we do have lots of yellow cake (poor quality uranium in its natural state) we also have some high quality uranium, about half as much as Canada as I recall. While yellow cake is of poorer quality it can be refined. What's more Canada has more mines (six, with another two to open soon and more to follow, mostly in Sasketchwen(Sp?) so they export more uranium than we do.

Damn you Kanabia! I had to google to make sure I was correct! :p
well, you stuffed up on one point: yellow cake is actually uranium in the concentration process. trust me, i worked at Olympic Dam. also, to clarify a misconception, Olympic Dam is primarily a copper mine, it just so happens that there is uranium in the deposit.

What will happen to those countries when that resource is no longer there or no longer valuable?

I think it's already happening to Brunei.

Well, they better invest elsewhere or their going to suffer.

Uhh yeah I know 'boomtown' all too well. I was born in one of these places. A small community in northern BC Canada which was planned before it was built and projected to exceed the population of Vancouver by the millenium. Well, a little over 50 years later, 'boomtown' has roughly the same population it had 5 years after it was built (10k) and is in a rapid downward spiral. The main industry, while still very viable must soon modernize which means downsizing and the other industries that popped up in the meantime are a heartbeat away from bankruptcy. Shopping is next to non-existent even though the people there make relatively very high wages. Trouble is they mostly go out of town to buy things then come home to whine how pathetic is 'boomtown'. I had the sense to leave because it got a bit depressing watching a town you love slowly but surely die. :(

Your town should do what Nevada did when faced with the same situation, legalize anything you can think of to attract tourists. Then they'll come from around the world for the express purpose of giving you their money.