NationStates Jolt Archive


The end of modern civilization?

The Canadian Tundra
10-10-2004, 11:37
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net

Read it and post your thoughts
Chodolo
10-10-2004, 11:46
Well, I always figured that using something at a rate faster than at which it is being discovered is not good in the long run.

*drives off in SUV...*
Ancient and Holy Terra
10-10-2004, 12:07
No, this is popping up all over the web. The fact is, it's full of biased, altered, or inaccurate facts and reports, and does not provide a true view of what's actually happening. It isn't really oil that we're running out of; it's light crude. We can get more of this by 'cracking' oil, but it's getting more expensive, and that's one of the primary reasons that the price of oil is going up. Others are that OPEC is running close to full capacity, that the War in Iraq has cut production in that country, and that the recent bouts of Hurricanes near Florida have distrupted production in the Gulf of Mexico.

Most companies are now predicting that the price of a barrel of oil will be back down to 30-40$ within a year. This kind of thing has happened before. The demand curve of Oil always takes a while to change, because it's hard for people to do things to curtail their oil usage in a short time. In the long-term, however, people will take more lasting measures in order to avoid the price of oil, thus lowering demand and consequently lowering the price. The Chinese Government (where I live, incidentally) is also attempting to curtail the use of oil in the country, which is proving difficult because several thousand new cars hit the road every week.

It's still good to note, however, that we will eventually run out of oil...but it's not going to happen anywhere near when that article says it will, or in the same way. By the time we run out of oil, there will almost certainly be a number of alternatives in place.
Tactical Grace
10-10-2004, 12:10
It's not a case of oil running out, more of a case of deliverable production capacity and demand diverging. Yes, it is a terminal problem, but it's more of a next decade sort of thing. At the moment, it's keeping up.
King Jazz
10-10-2004, 12:11
the same thing poped up in the 60'3 the 70's the 80's and now the 00's

these people have no clue what they are talking about, according to the crap that came out in previous decades we should already be out of oil.

total Chicken Little BS
Tactical Grace
10-10-2004, 12:14
The drivers are actually totally different now, then it was politically-imposed constraints being portrayed as resource constraints by environmentalist types. These days it's the oil industry itself, referring to resource contraints. There is a real problem, just on a slightly longer timescale than the alarmists believe. Denying it is every bit as stupid.
Superpower07
10-10-2004, 12:53
My prediction is that oil will last us another century or two . . . hopefully enough time for somebody to deveolp an alternative evergy source.

And by the time this new energy source takes root, I'll be laughing at that corrupt Saudi royal family for how they aren't pulling at our strings now
King Jazz
10-10-2004, 12:58
the US has enough Oil to supply it own needs, the problem is because of regulation we are not allowed

off the west coast, California, Alaska, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, the entire gulf coast, ect, ect, ect

If we ever hit an oil crunch, we have plenty of oil sitting there waiting to be used
Eutrusca
10-10-2004, 13:33
I truly hate to say this, but the higher the price of oil and the more impact it has on the individual, the sooner we will have alternative energy sources. God, talk about disruption! :headbang:
Totaland
10-10-2004, 14:19
Things look real bad. Even if we can find an alternative for fuel (which we can't really), what will we use to make plastics and pesticides? :( :( :(
Superpower07
10-10-2004, 14:21
Things look real bad. Even if we can find an alternative for fuel (which we can't really), what will we use to make plastics and pesticides? :( :( :(
I think there's a new type of organic plastic being deveolped . . .
New Astrolia
10-10-2004, 14:35
Isnt It surpirising that tactical grace was only the fifth person to jump onto this thread. Do you have A script watching this thread or something? :D

You guys should all go back and read our archived Energy resource Thread. Tact. started it.
Anarchist Communities
10-10-2004, 18:16
I truly hate to say this, but the higher the price of oil and the more impact it has on the individual, the sooner we will have alternative energy sources. God, talk about disruption! :headbang:

There are soooooooo many alternative methods of power generation out there already that WERE developed, ARE developed, or are developing. Why don't you see them now? 1) They are in the premanufacturing stage where the cheapest/most efficient types or combinations of materials are being worked out and/or 2) Who stands to gain and lose by energy that does not rely on either a fuel or on a centralized power network? The fossil fuel and power utility industries and/or 3) The inventors are sometimes somewhat eccentric and often not from within the science establishment - they are ahead of their time and the establishment ridicules them as being frauds or crackpots.
Anarchist Communities
10-10-2004, 18:17
You guys should all go back and read our archived Energy resource Thread. Tact. started it.

I remember a thread from the old boards, but I can't remember if it was archived or not - regardless, there's only one archived thread, atm ("Ruling on Swasitkas in Flags" or somesuch).