A world without oil

[cal04]

Scientists challenge major review of global reserves and warn that supplies will start to run out in four years' time

Scientists have criticised a major review of the world's remaining oil reserves, warning that the end of oil is coming sooner than governments and oil companies are prepared to admit.

BP's Statistical Review of World Energy, published yesterday, appears to show that the world still has enough "proven" reserves to provide 40 years of consumption at current rates. The assessment, based on officially reported figures, has once again pushed back the estimate of when the world will run dry.

However, scientists led by the London-based Oil Depletion Analysis Centre, say that global production of oil is set to peak in the next four years before entering a steepening decline which will have massive consequences for the world economy and the way that we live our lives.

According to "peak oil" theory our consumption of oil will catch, then outstrip our discovery of new reserves and we will begin to deplete known reserves.

http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2656034.ece

[Uncle Joe]

1. Thanks for the thread cal.

Kicked and recommended

[wildhorses]

2. thanks for the link

k&r

[JohnyCanuck]

3. For a selection of free streaming videos on peak oil

(or topics related to peak oil) see www.peakaware.com

[Pharaoh]

4. The question is.............

why are you still driving a hummer or suburban or____________________fill in the blank.

[fedsron2us]

5. Time to learn how to ride a horse.

[RC]

6. There them weasel words again... "...at current rates."

The worlds usage rates is almost straight up now and getting worse.

[elocs]

7. A world without oil will have far, far less than its current 6.6 billion people.

Forget about everybody living the quaint Amish lifestyle. A world without oil will not only be inconvenient, it will have life and death consequences.

[terisan]

8. A world without sun is a disaster; a world without oil will do just fine nt

[reprobate]

9. The world will do fine. Humanity faces really horrible choices.

[terisan]

10. Seriously, what are the horrible choices you see?

[reprobate]

13. Several come to mind.

With wet climates getting wetter and dry getting dryer where will we find the land to feed us all?

We are quickly running out of potable water. Where will we find enough to drink, irrigate, wash our clothes, etc. Desalination comes to mind, but that takes large plants with large capital investment, so it will belong to the corporations and we'll have to pay for it. But how much will we be able to afford.

Other things come to mind, like the fact that most fertilizers are made from petroleum produsts. With petroleum disappearing, what will we use to help grow our food?

I'm sure you can fill in other shortfalls we will face. Only your imagination limimits you.

[Sapere aude]

11. Do the oil producers look forward to peak oil for increased profits from the diminishing supply?

Why is there no push for alternative energy replacing oil if not because the profits will go up with the decrease in supply?

I think we need to over step the market and begin a crash government program to produce a dependable vehicle that runs on alternative energy. A vehicle that can be produced at a reasonable cost so that it is affordable to most people. A safe vehicle and one that people will want to own and drive.

Then turn the technology over to private businesses owned by the people working at the factories producing the vehicle.

We can bring back manufacturing jobs and develop alternative energy vehicles. The market will not do this because the profit motive does not work in this case.

[Prophet 451]

14. Nailed it

The price of a limited resource in demand is only going to go up as the supply becomes tighter. That's why some of us (including me) think the invasion of Iraq was specifically intended to produce the current chaos; in order to keep Iraq's oil off the market and push the price even higher.

[Blue_Tires]

12. ttt n/t