What happens when the oil runs out?
Discussion
This isn't a thread designed to further prolong the argument about how much oil is left, and whether we need to worry about it now.
However much is left, we can't get away from the fact that one day, be it in 10 years, 100 years or 1,000, it is going to run out.
It's easy to think we've probably got enough time to find a viable alternative to powering our cars, but what about everything else? Petrochemicals are just so deeply ingrained into almost every aspect of our lives that replacing it with something else just seems utterly impossible!
What do people think a post-oil future holds, whenever it does arrive?
And just as a subtext, has there ever been, and will there ever be any single discovery that will have more impact on the human race?
However much is left, we can't get away from the fact that one day, be it in 10 years, 100 years or 1,000, it is going to run out.
It's easy to think we've probably got enough time to find a viable alternative to powering our cars, but what about everything else? Petrochemicals are just so deeply ingrained into almost every aspect of our lives that replacing it with something else just seems utterly impossible!
What do people think a post-oil future holds, whenever it does arrive?
And just as a subtext, has there ever been, and will there ever be any single discovery that will have more impact on the human race?
As oil gets more scarce, the price will rise and then other sources become financially viable - notably the Canadian oil shale fields.
The only long term answer, what with global exponential population thingy, unless we're to revert to the dark ages, is nuclear fusion. Or build rockets to found new civilisations on other planets - oh, but think of the carbon footprint...
The only long term answer, what with global exponential population thingy, unless we're to revert to the dark ages, is nuclear fusion. Or build rockets to found new civilisations on other planets - oh, but think of the carbon footprint...
Kermit power said:
What do people think a post-oil future holds, whenever it does arrive?
And just as a subtext, has there ever been, and will there ever be any single discovery that will have more impact on the human race?
1 Hydrogen power, ceramic engines and moving parts.And just as a subtext, has there ever been, and will there ever be any single discovery that will have more impact on the human race?
2 The wheel/Penicillin/Religion/Money.
Kermit power said:
And just as a subtext, has there ever been, and will there ever be any single discovery that will have more impact on the human race?
As a great man once said:"I am the god of hell fire, and I bring you Fire"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOErZuzZpS8&fea...
Olf said:
T89 Callan said:
Fittster said:
T89 Callan said:
It won't run out for hundreds of years so I couldn't give a flying f
k.
Bring China and India online and it won't last as an economically viable source of power for hundreds of years.k.I'm just interested in what might be realistic alternative routes that we go down for the future.
Kermit power said:
Olf said:
T89 Callan said:
Fittster said:
T89 Callan said:
It won't run out for hundreds of years so I couldn't give a flying fk.
Bring China and India online and it won't last as an economically viable source of power for hundreds of years.k.I'm just interested in what might be realistic alternative routes that we go down for the future.
Meanwhile I'm going to argue with the div.
The more interesting question is - has demand peaked?
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