Oil, going, going; gone; what next?

[atomsmasher]

Oil left in the world:

1,406,052,296,258

Summary Table

Oil Reserves

1,650,585,140,000 barrels

Oil Consumption

35,442,913,090

barrels per year

97,103,871  barrels per day

Reserves/Consumption

47    (years left)

https://www.worldometers.info/oil/

 Some may think 47 years is a long way off so why worry now-?

47 years marks the timeline that we will consume it all; at the current consumption rate.

If we do nothing during this timeline the world economies will plunge into total panic creating WW3; fighting for what is left.

 Developing renewables and going green is the only path we can take if we want to protect our children’s future.

 Personally, I do not think the world’s economies will make the needed transition and yes, my children will face a bleak and dark life coming their way.

But hay, I’m 73 years old, so why should I care?

Do You-?

(:-

Edited May 28, 2023 by atomsmasher

[Moontanman]

Your post seems more than a bit bleak, 200 years ago the a similar if not the same bleak outlook could have been said about whale oil. While to us it seems that such a prediction about whale oil was silly, at the time, it was similarly bleak to the people of that time. 

Solar, geothermal, tide, wind, and even the burning of renewable trees may not be able to really replace oil they are still capable of replacing oil in limited ways and even though the new technology of using electrical power to take CO2 from the air to make hydrocarbons would seem to be less than able to make up the loss of oil we still have safe nuclear power/waste disposal both being developed and already in existence if not in widespread use. 

Then there are things like nuclear fusion to take into consideration. Then we have the unknowns, black swan events if you will, but yes we need to limit as much as possible the use of oil. Ideally oil should be an industrial feedstock not the only viable source of energy running out civilization but the problem is being worked on and viable alternatives are being found. 

Running in circles like our heads are on fire and shouting doom is not going to help for sure.  

[atomsmasher]

On 4/22/2023 at 1:10 PM, Moontanman said:

Running in circles like our heads are on fire and shouting doom is not going to help for sure. 

Check it out for yourself.

Facts are hard to ignore.

(:-

[atomsmasher]

Oil left in the world:

1,406,052,296,258

Summary Table

Oil Reserves

1,650,585,140,000 barrels

Oil Consumption

35,442,913,090

barrels per year

97,103,871  barrels per day

Reserves/Consumption

47    (years left)

https://www.worldometers.info/oil/

 Some may think 47 years is a long way off so why worry now-?

47 years marks the timeline that we will consume it all; at the current consumption rate.

If we do nothing during this timeline the world economies will plunge into total panic creating WW3; fighting for what is left.

 Developing renewables and going green is the only path we can take if we want to protect our children’s future.

 Personally, I do not think the world’s economies will make the needed transition and yes, my children will face a bleak and dark life coming their way.

But hay, I’m 73 years old, so why should I care?

Do You-?

(:-

Edited May 28, 2023 by atomsmasher

[Moontanman]

I've been hearing oil is going to run out soon since I was a child, I am now 68. Yes we need to curb the use of oil but things like wind, solar and nuclear will allow us to phase out reliance On oil for energy. 

[Vmedvil]

On 4/21/2023 at 3:28 PM, atomsmasher said:

Oil left in the world:

1,406,052,296,258

Summary Table

Oil Reserves

1,650,585,140,000 barrels

Oil Consumption

35,442,913,090

barrels per year

97,103,871  barrels per day

Reserves/Consumption

47    (years left)

https://www.worldometers.info/oil/

 Some may think 47 years is a long way off so why worry now-?

47 years marks the timeline that we will consume it all; at the current consumption rate.

If we do nothing during this timeline the world economies will plunge into total panic creating WW3; fighting for what is left.

 Developing renewables and going green is the only path we can take if we want to protect our children’s future.

 Personally, I do not think the world’s economies will make the needed transition and yes, my children will face a bleak and dark life coming their way.

But hay, I’m 73 years old, so why should I care?

Do You-?

(:-

 

On 4/22/2023 at 2:10 PM, Moontanman said:

Your post seems more than a bit bleak, 200 years ago the a similar if not the same bleak outlook could have been said about whale oil. While to us it seems that such a prediction about whale oil was silly, at the time, it was similarly bleak to the people of that time. 

Solar, geothermal, tide, wind, and even the burning of renewable trees may not be able to really replace oil they are still capable of replacing oil in limited ways and even though the new technology of using electrical power to take CO2 from the air to make hydrocarbons would seem to be less than able to make up the loss of oil we still have safe nuclear power/waste disposal both being developed and already in existence if not in widespread use. 

Then there are things like nuclear fusion to take into consideration. Then we have the unknowns, black swan events if you will, but yes we need to limit as much as possible the use of oil. Ideally oil should be an industrial feedstock not the only viable source of energy running out civilization but the problem is being worked on and viable alternatives are being found. 

Running in circles like our heads are on fire and shouting doom is not going to help for sure.  

You know, I agree with you Moontanman and Atomsmasher. We will need to use nuclear power, solar power, geothermal power, biofuels, wind power, and hydroelectric power to get off fossil fuels, it will take a combination of all of that to sustain our civilization without fossil fuels because of our vast energy consumption in around 100 years we have nearly exhausted all the fossil fuels on the planet. I think our civilization uses alot of energy thus it will take all of those to sustain it without fossil fuels as we are burning fossil fuels like they are going out of style. The thing is oil is used to make a variety of other products and we will need some quantity of it to continue to make them. This species cannot continue to burn oil at the rate we are doing right now. It is vital we find another energy source, absolutely vital.

[write4u]

On 4/21/2023 at 12:28 PM, atomsmasher said:

Some may think 47 years is a long way off so why worry now-?

47 years marks the timeline that we will consume it all; at the current consumption rate.

key word, "current" consumption rate, which may well increase along with population growth.

The 41-47 years estimate to end of oil is an exponential function of steady growth.

Professor emeritus Albert Bartlett had a wonderful lecture on this subject.

 

 

Edited June 10, 2023 by write4u