Pretty frighting - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

kip Foss · #1 07-01-2008, 10:46 PM

The article is a bit long but it is a very interesting prospective on our dwindling oil resources. I think there is a video connected with it but couldn't get to load.

http://globalpublicmedia.com/transcripts/645

Mistel · #2 07-01-2008, 11:12 PM

I saw the video sometime ago. It really is a very good read. I encourage everyone to read it.

It's articles like this that have encouraged me to put a solar water heater on my house. I am planning on put photo voltaic panels on my house to.

I have a car up on blocks in my driveway that I am converting to electric.

kip Foss · #3 07-02-2008, 01:42 PM

The part about the bottle being half full only one minute before it is full is pretty eye opening.

aklim · #4 07-02-2008, 04:55 PM

When he KNOWS how much oil there is in the world, we can calculate what it takes to get to half point. If he doesn't KNOW, how is that more than speculation?

kip Foss · #5 07-02-2008, 05:30 PM

I think he is saying that based on how much oil has been used in the past, what our current usage is, and how much oil has been discovered lately the odds of any(or many) more Saudi type discoveries are pretty slim. Based on these figures he making an estimate of how much oil is remaining.

Granted there has just been a reportedly 'Saudi' size discovery off the Amazon it will probably 10 years before the infra-structure will be in place to allow pumping the amounts of oil that the Middle East can deliver. All the while the Middle East oil is running out so that when the Amazon comes in its full capacity will only make up the Middle East loss. While we are waiting the world's oil consuming populace (China, India, Brazil, etc.) is growing like mad.

In all this gnashing of teeth about oil prices the one thing that you don't hear much about is conservation. Smaller cars, less trips, carpooling, driving slower, etc. are rarely mentioned. All this hoopla about ethanol has lead to an increase in both fuel and food prices. To see how shaky the ethanol production chain is take a look at what the flooding in the corn belt did to the price and availability of corn.

Very soon the oil and natural gas prices are going to make nuclear energy look very appealing.

aklim · #6 07-02-2008, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kip Foss

I think he is saying that based on how much oil has been used in the past, what our current usage is, and how much oil has been discovered lately the odds of any(or many) more Saudi type discoveries are pretty slim. Based on these figures he making an estimate of how much oil is remaining.

That was what I was saying. It is only a Guesstimate. SWAG. Without knowing what is out there, all he can do is guess.

kip Foss · #7 07-02-2008, 09:17 PM

I think that with all the past and present information on oil usage a man of his credentials ought to be able to make a pretty accurate estimate of how much we have left. Certainly he can't, and no one would expect him to, estimate down to the last barrel, but, barring some unexpected mega-find, I would expect him to come within a decade or so.

Mistel · #8 07-02-2008, 09:49 PM

Simply put, all the easy oil is gone.

Ok, there is some left in Iraq, that is why there is a war there.

It used to be that you could drill a hole in the ground and oil would gush out. The first well in Pennsylvania was 63 feet deep! Drill a hole, stick a pipe in and the oil just gushed. The cost to do it was very low. It's not like that anymore. Now they are looking in water 10,000 feet deep! There is oil out there that will never be recovered because it would take more energy to extract it than the energy you would get from the oil. Doesn't matter how much oil costs, if it is a negative return on energy, it is not worth drilling. Thats what a lot of the remaining oil looks like.

I'm going to buy $5k worth of solar panels tomorrow. Maybe I will see if I can scrap $10k together to get more.