The Coming Oil Apocalypse

[DanS]

This society was practically built on the automobile.

Rather, it was built on the railway. We could go back pretty easily, should it be necessary, considering that freight rail still serves almost every little small town across the US.

[korn469]

from the other thread

Originally posted by DanS
The trap you're falling into is thinking that the amount of resources is finite. In our era, this is decidedly not the case.

If there is a finite amount of oil, then you should be able to tell me how much there is. I can guarantee that you will be unable to come even within a half dozen orders of magnitude to the correct answer.

with our current technology, every part of our solar system is within striking distance for resources that are truly necessary. No Buck Rogers technology required.
If it were on an asteroid and we were patient, sure we could.

Forget the spaceshuttles. Mars has a gravity well a fraction of Earth's. We don't even need rigid spaceships upon launch. We have an atmosphere to slow the spaceship down on Earth entry. Only a small ablative heat shield is required.

I appologize, I thought you said it was an affordable and infinite supply, when instead it was just an infinite supply! Forgive me?

[DanS]

You are forgiven.

[MosesPresley]

Originally posted by DanS


Rather, it was built on the railway. We could go back pretty easily, should it be necessary, considering that freight rail still serves almost every little small town across the US.

That's true, but I was referring more to the 20th century. I think the automobile was the more dominant force then.

[DanS]

After World War II, yes. Before World War II, no.

[Capt Dizle]

I can't see any problem at all. I have faith that alternatives can be readily found when they become economically feasible.

This is what the US does best, turn problems into revenue.

That is the real basis of our culture.

[MosesPresley]

I'm sorry, I don't have faith. We need to start developing new energy sources right now. Why do we want to continue to enrich the middle east anyway? The US needs energy independence.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Asher
Not to mention the abundance of oil discoveries recently in South America...

The African continental self is still wildcat country as are places like Antartica, Greenland, and much of Siberia not to mention most of the oceans. There is plenty of oil left it is just located in more and more remote locations and is more and more costly to tap. There will be no sudden disappearance of oil or a collapse of society and instead will just see a slow but steady increase in price which will have some fluctuations due to the global economy.

The US has equally massive shale oil and oil sands however they tend to be thick and tar like and since the rocks incasing them have virtually no porosity the only way to recover them is to strip mine a la coal fields. That's not enviromentally friendly but if the price goes high enough people will do it. Personally, I'm leaning more towards biodesiel and ethinol blended fuels as where we will be moving in the next 30 years. They're already in use now but people won't switch unless gas becomes much more expensive and stays that way.

[notyoueither]

Dig them oil sands now!

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Theben
Damnit, you canucks need to do something about your avatars. I can't tell you apart anymore.

Didn't you know we all look alike?

[chequita guevara]

The Eastern Gulf of Mexico is also closed to exploration and exploitation since Florida is adamantly opposed to both. We don't want any oil spills on our beaches or in our fisheries. That's the only good thing about Bush being President. He won't screw his brother.

[notyoueither]

Better for us. Less oil on market, higher prices while we strip mine an area the size of France!

[chequita guevara]

If you want to destroy your environment, far be it from us to stop you.

[notyoueither]

Destroy what?

Dig up a bunch of rocks and rape them for all their worth in commercial value.

Then require the extractors to move the rocks back into the holes and pay to landscape the scene?

[chequita guevara]

Generally, there is stuff on top of the rocks that needs to be scraped away first. Then, over time, water leaches through the tailings, disolving certain trace minerals that aren't the best thing for wild life. There are many lakes of an unnatural hue in the American West because of old mines.