Worldwide oil crisis soon...

[Turanil]

First of all: I hope I am not inadvertently mentioning a political thing with this. If it is the case, let me apologize.

So here is what I discovered yesterday: It looks like the world is heading relatively fast toward a freakin oil crisis (http://www.oilcrisis.com/). But you and me, most people, are not aware of it yet. What do you think is going to happen? Do we have replacement energy sources and technologies on the way? and especially for cars, planes, and other vehicles? Do you think such technologies will arrive very soon? I remember having read a few years ago an article about hydrogen/electricity cars for a near future (they said 20 years, so it should now be 12-15 years ahead), but then nothing...

 

[jonesy]

But you and me, most people, are not aware of it yet.

I quite clearly remember my 3rd grade teacher talking about it.

What do you think is going to happen?

Either someone comes up with something so great that companies can't afford to continue using oil, or someone comes up with something great after we no longer have oil.

I remember having read a few years ago an article about hydrogen/electricity cars for a near future.

http://www.h2carco.com/

 

[Abstraction]

The important thing to remember is that, practically, we are NOT going to run out of oil. What we are going to run into is the law of diminishing returns. Up until recently, the oil we got out of the ground was the easily-pumped kind. There is still a good amount of oil in those oilfields, but they will take increasingly more work to dredge it out. So, don't worry about oil disappearing. Just worry about it becoming unaffordable.

Of course, I have no worries. I drive a hybrid. 57 miles to the gallon, baby!

 

[Darrin Drader]

I look forward to the day. The world's economy will come to a screeching halt, millions, if not billions, will become homeless and starve to death. At the very least, us environmentalists will be able to stick our tongues out at the previously ignorant masses and say that we told them so. Or maybe we'll just end up throwing rocks at each other from the street corners. Whatever happens, modern society has been running at break-neck speed towards the edge of a cliff and its a hell of a drop on the other side, but most people seem to think that it better not to admit that the cliff really exists.

 

[der_kluge]

I've heard about this peak oil thing for going on 3 years or so. I'm sure it's been around longer. I suspect people in the 70s were more concerned about this stuff then than today.

I saw on the news tonight where some people who drive diesel cars are buying a soy-diesel, and despite it being about $2.50 a gallon (at least at the place they mentioned), it is purely biological, and none of it comes from overseas supplies.

So, even if we run out of oil, there are alternatives.

 

[trancejeremy]

I remember stories like this when I was a kid in the 70s. Also, back then, about how the next Ice Age was soon to be upon us...

And of course, people haven been warning about running out of food since the days of Malthus...

Anyway, what Abstraction said is pretty much right. As the price goes higher, getting oil out of other things becomes more feasible. Eh.

Still, hopefully higher gas prices will result in the end of SUVs. Those are just silly, IMHO.

 

[Umbran]

It is true that various folks have been saying, "We're going to run out of oil real soon now" for decades.

It is also true that oil is a finite resource, and it will eventually run out - at least as a practical matter, as it becomes to difficult to get more out of the ground.

It is true that much of the current problems with oil prices have nothing to do with oil or technology or anythign other than politics.

It is also true that as prices go higher, for whatever reason, the world economy will suffer.

It isn't right to be Chicken Little, and claim the world is abou to end. It also isnt' right to say that others are bing Chicken Little, and use that as an excuse to ignore the problem.

All in all, different technologies need to be discovered.

Note that hydrogen cars are, in and of themselves, not a solution. They have their problems. The biggest of which is that at the moment the only economical way to get that much hydrogen calls for us to burn fossil fuels to make electricity...

 

[howandwhy99]

Of course, I have no worries. I drive a hybrid. 57 miles to the gallon, baby!

57 miles? Pshaw! I'm going on 5 years without a vehicle this summer. Of course, I still rent every month or so, but I have never felt the gas crunch. Nor Atlanta traffic.

As a bonus work pays for free busing (which is natural gas powered) so my transportation costs are minimal. Plus I walk home 4 miles after work.

Now if the DOT would only spend at least 1% of its finances on building new sidewalks and bikelanes I might be able to walk directly home the 2 miles it should be. But the walk is good exercise. (and I need it)

 

[Crothian]

I look forward to the day. The world's economy will come to a screeching halt, millions, if not billions, will become homeless and starve to death. At the very least, us environmentalists will be able to stick our tongues out at the previously ignorant masses and say that we told them so. Or maybe we'll just end up throwing rocks at each other from the street corners. Whatever happens, modern society has been running at break-neck speed towards the edge of a cliff and its a hell of a drop on the other side, but most people seem to think that it better not to admit that the cliff really exists.

The problem is the enviromentalists will be starving to, and you can't eat "I told you so"

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

We had one. In 1979. I remember it well.