"LIfe After the Oil Crash"

[B00MINATOR]

Anyway, don't stress what you can't control, when oil runs out, we'll find something else to use as fuel.  As they say, "neccesity is the mother of invention".

Well said.

-B00M!

[KOBO]

That was cute.

To put it simply, life existed before and will exist after oil, hey maybe we might find an enviromental friendly fuel source once its gone!

[Cheeze_IZ_G00d]

Maybe people just don't get it. Everything on this earth has to do with oil, not just getting around. Unless you plan on living on your own farm where you grow your own food with a house powered entirely by solar/wind, you have a problem. Everything we eat, drink, and do has something to do with oil. Yes, if we were crunched, we could get an alternative fuel. However, wouldn't it be better to just be prepared for it?

[alamaan000]

Ever heard of solar power?

Did you know that if we had exactly 100 square miles (thats 10x10 for all those kids who haven't taken math yet) of Solar panels, that would be enough to power every single home and building in this country that depends on the power grid.

Same thing with hydrogen, it can replace fuel easily.  Haven't you seen any of those cars and trucks out there that run on hydrogen?

Put it this way, the second oil starts truly running out, people aren't gonna put money in the pockets of those oil companies anymore.  They'll look for the alternative right away.  And there is alternatives out there right now, but people would rather stick with what they know best.  So get used to using gas and petroleum products, because only whenl any type of signifigant drop in production and shipment occurs, will we fully switch over to these alternatives.  Which a lot of these alternatives we'll find better.

[Cheeze_IZ_G00d]

Where did you get that solar figure? I am not sure if you know how much power NYC and LA consume alone. Yes, hydrogen is a perfect alternative fuel, however, as of right now, its net energy is negative (meaning it takes more fossil fuels to produce than energy it does put out). The problem is we are running out of oil right now, not later. Some estimate that we will completely run out 30 years. Unless we get the ball rolling on alternative energy now, we will be sorry. The best alternative energy economy right now is Brazil, and they began in the 1970s, and they are still not done.

[The Cartographer]

funny... about thiry years ago, they said we'd be out of oil in thirty years.  It's not like we're going to wake up won day and all the oil would be gone.  We'll have plenty of warning once we start to hit rock bottom.

As for the solar power, I think it'd take a lot more solar collectors than just 100 square miles.  I vote for nulcear power.  Dispite what they say, there is little byproduct, and with the exeption of Chernobyl and one other place whose name eludes me, there have been no meltdowns.  Worse comes to worse, put all those spoiled convicts in giant hamster wheels and make them run for a while each day :lol: .

Transportation will probably either revert back to the old horse and wagon, or the car companies will come up with something new to stay in business.

That's another reason I'm not too worried.  The businesses and military, which are dependant on oil, won't let themselves get driven into the ground.  They'll create something to replace what we've got, and make a killing selling it to the rest of us. (man, I love capitalism)

[Cheeze_IZ_G00d]

Where do you come up with these facts/generalizations? I don't think that people thought that we were running out of oil thirty years ago. Why do you think the price has gone up? Oil prices per barrel are the highest that they have ever been. Supply and demand is what rules this game. Low supply, high demand, high prices. At the rate we pump this stuff out of the ground, we will use it up. I am not sure why everyone is against being prepared for when it runs out.

[Cochise116]

Well the world will be a better place after oil, it will give our Ozone a chance to begin to heal itself from all the damage that has been done. Of course our Ozone is still seeing damage from the massive ammounts of CFC's in the 60's and 70's with out vehical emissions that will be one less thing to damage it, so why not use oil faster.

Going back to the bike and walking suggestion I think would be a great idea. Maybe the world would be skinny again. Instead of inhabited by monsters eating 2 double quarter pounders and large fry.

[Cheeze_IZ_G00d]

Yes, biking and walking are great suggestions. However, they are certainly not solutions to the problem after the oil has run out.

[alamaan000]

I think you've let this extreme hype of "OMG WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE SINCE THE OIL IS SUPPOSED TO BE RUNNING OUT" get to your head.  You need to accept thatcomplaining about it and getting scared shitless is not gonna fix it.  As we've all almost stated before, the second oil production drops, the second we start creating solutions.

[Vince]

OMG WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE SINCE THE OIL IS SUPPOSED TO BE RUNNING

[Cheeze_IZ_G00d]

OIL PRODUCTION IS DROPPING RIGHT NOW. I am not complaining about it, but this scares me that no one here believes that alternative solutions need to be found now, or in the very near future. I am not saying that we need to get off of oil tomorrow, I am saying that the lack of caring/knowledge pertaining to this issue is frightening to me.

Further, how can it be "extreme" that a finite resource that the global population has been pumping from the ground for nearly 120 years cannot be running out? I am not sure of how many barrels of oil are pumped every day from the earth, but I would venture that it would be in the hundreds of thousands to millions range.

Yes, there is an extensive amount of research going into alternative fuels, but the government is simply not playing ball because all of them are in big oil's pocket.

[alamaan000]

OMG WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE SINCE THE OIL IS SUPPOSED TO BE RUNNING

Damn! Cracked me up when I saw it myself.  Now its fixed though

[The Cartographer]

First, I talk to people who were around 30 years ago and remember these things.

Secondly, just because prices are going up doesn't mean that we're running out.  There are hundreds of factors that affect the price of oil. Things such as the increasing violence in the middle east making it expensive to safely ship product in and out, companies having to go farther to gain access to oil fields, damages done to oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico after Katrina, and the fact that most of the middle east doesn't like us to begin with.

Third, define "running out".  That's probably the most vague thing I've ever heard.  Will we run out in 10 years or 110 years?  Who in the world can accurately answer that, or knows for sure how much is in the world?

Just because we aren't panicing about it doesn't mean that we don't care about the issue.  It just means that I like to see all the cards before making a decision.  Indesputably prove that oil is on it's last legs and that we're all screwed, then I'll start to worry.

As far as alternative fuels go, there is some research into that going on.  It is done by oil companies because they have the time and money to invest in these things.  If oil is "running out" like you say, it makes sense that the oil companies have a backup such as alternative fuel.  There's nothing the government can or should do about it unless they've done something illegal.  Government being "in big oil's pockets" is just something politicians say to get scare people out of voting for the other guy.

[B00MINATOR]

OIL PRODUCTION IS DROPPING RIGHT NOW. I am not complaining about it, but this scares me that no one here believes that alternative solutions need to be found now, or in the very near future. I am not saying that we need to get off of oil tomorrow, I am saying that the lack of caring/knowledge pertaining to this issue is frightening to me.

Further, how can it be "extreme" that a finite resource that the global population has been pumping from the ground for nearly 120 years cannot be running out? I am not sure of how many barrels of oil are pumped every day from the earth, but I would venture that it would be in the hundreds of thousands to millions range.

Yes, there is an extensive amount of research going into alternative fuels, but the government is simply not playing ball because all of them are in big oil's pocket.

Mabye we should start by banning Hummers :?