Thread: Oil Shortage and Predictions of the Aftermath

I am hoping they will get off their butts and start changing things to use a new fuel. Everyone knows its comming. There is not a single reason we should have any problems, but everyone just keeps putting it off. Wait to long and we will have huge problems.

Yeah our governement (Netherlands) is actually promoting electric and other alternative cars, (some ministers and stuff use them) and alternate energy sources and stuff.

Long before oil "ran out" it would probably just become an incredibly expensive pain in the ass to get, and we would have to slow down the petro-economy and restrategize. But forget about fuel for a second: half the stuff we interact with on a day-to-day basis is made from petrochemicals.

It's kind of spooky to me. This stuff is, in a sense, the essense of life--it's what's left 200 million years later, and its qualities embody the elasticity, energy, and volatility of life. We're tunneling into the burial chambers of our most ancient dead and turning their distilled essence into disposable shopping bags. If we had more reverence for what petroleum actually is, instead of treating it as "fuel" and "product," maybe we would use it more responsibly.

Anyone heard of zero-point energy or Nikola Tesla?

Nikola Tesla, the man who invented the 21st century.


I have a book entitled that, but I haven't read it yet. I will do that now.

There will be no oil shortage problems because we don't need oil. The oil company's know this, and own several alternative energy patents and keep them locked away. I think the right energy source may just "happen" to show up when we need it.

Lewis, exactly. My grandpa initially got me interested in Tesla's work. He's currently in the process of replicating one of those free-energy devices.

Tesla:

"Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has, as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity."

"What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and pride...
Peace can only come as a natural consequence of universal enlightenment."

Love the guy, absolute genius. I have an interesting show about HAARP (high-energy active auroral research program) which ties in with the man's work. Not to mention the device scares me: http://www.viewzone.com/haarp00.html

Originally posted by gameover
There will be no oil shortage problems because we don't need oil. The oil company's know this, and own several alternative energy patents and keep them locked away. I think the right energy source may just \"happen\" to show up when we need it.

Hah, I don't doubt it for a second. I also don't doubt that the sheep will be saying "oh the oil companies saved us! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" and will once again have faith in them and the government...

I think the anwser is quite simple:

We will run out of oil.

And then what happens? Nothing. No kabooms, no meltdowns, because in the couple of years before the oil runs out, scientists will have got their asses into gear and created an new energy source.

The problem isn't finding new fuels, we have ton of other ways to get energy. Its all a matter of getting it in wide scale use. Which is why you can't wait untill the last minute. If that is true about the oil company it would hurt them too. They would have to rush to get the energy to everyone and it would cost them a TON.

Originally posted by gameover
There will be no oil shortage problems because we don't need oil. The oil company's know this, and own several alternative energy patents and keep them locked away. I think the right energy source may just \"happen\" to show up when we need it.

This is exactly what me and my old 7th grade teacher were talking about one day over coffee. We started talking about Minority Report and how we'd all come to accept the invasion of privacy through social means, and then we branched to the oil and fuel supply. He said that a new source of real power is going to pop up once the shit really hits the fan, and that the only reason they're holding back so long is because of all the greedy scumbags that want to sell their damn SUVs and their gasoline.

Oh yeah, not to mention once this "new" (probably done or almost done in development; they won't tell us anyway they've had it for so long) energy source or motor or whatever comes out, everyone is going to get super-discount-mega-deals like crazy. "TRADE IN YOUR OLD COMBUSTIBLE FUEL AUTOMOBILE FOR A GREAT DISCOUNT ON A NEW NUCLEAR FUSION SX-2000 BY HYUNDAI" will be plastered all over the place. Trade-in this, blah blah blah. Sure it will cost them a few million in short term, but after the whole market shock subsides, everyone will be ready to buy a new one every year, because you know they'll only make the reactors last 5-10 years so you HAVE to buy a new car.

And pollution? That's going to be taken care of very fast. With an end to natural gas emissions, we can only get cleaner. There will probably even be a law banning the old cars, restricting them to museums and car shows and such. Only the rich will be able to drive around these classics, even though gas will be very rare. All the environmental groups will push for cleaner air more than ever, except this time it's no problem; those greedy politicians aren't getting a check from Amaco every few months anymore. They'll probably have advanced methods of cleaning by then anyway.

Military? They probably will have adopted the new power source 5 years or more before. Everything they have will run on it, to save for the country (or maybe reverse, if the gas is better to run on...I don't know) and it's people, and then everything will switch.

These are just some things I predict, and probably aren't too off, either.

Won't be nuclear energy, doubt it will be hydrogen, for very long anyway, I'm hoping for this: http://www.zpenergy.com/

A friend of mine sells wind-farm energy over the grid in Colorado. His company is doing really well. Taking better advantage of these existing alternatives would at least be a start.

I don't know about the "new energy source." People have been looking for THE cheap, clean energy since the days of alchemists, and all we've found are new things to set on fire. Oh, except for fission, which is neither cheap nor clean...

Besides, "more power!" might not be the answer. Our present manic consumption does not, IMO, lead to the best quality of life. It requires more human energy with every new development, and what is this vast machine for? Yeah, it keeps everyone busy, but the only goal seems to be turning everything into money: human lives, natural resources, even ideas. When we've liquidated all the assets, what will we buy, what will we sell? What will we eat?

Ever since man first struck oil we've been wondering, "How long can it last? How much oil can there possibly be?"

But here we are in the year 2004, churning out more oil than ever, billions upon billions of barrels yearly. Figuring out exactly how much oil we have left is not an easy process, some organizations say we have 50 years left, some say 5.

Fortunately, a new technology is already hard at work in a new test facility in in Philidelphia and a soon-to-be-fully functional facility in Colorado. It's called Thermal Depolymerization and you'd better get used to hearing that term thrown around.

Basically this is an "Anything Into Oil" technology. Some of you may have got the chance to read the article on it in the May 2003 issue of Discover. The current test facility is located right down the street from a Butterball turkey processing plant in Philidelphia. The "leftovers" from the turkeys are then shipped to the facility where they undergo a few fairly simple chemical reactions. What comes out the other end is diesel fuel that is at a high enough quality to gas up your Jetta GTI (or whichever model has the diesel engine, sorry). And it gets better, it doesn't work solely with dismembered turkeys...but anything carbon based. So you can jam a tree, a chunk of ashphalt, an entire landfill or even some of those pesky dead bodies that you have lying around the house (just kidding). Furthermore, it isn't only diesel fuel that comes out the other end, a variety of high quality, extremely useful petroluem products are also produced.

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/897232/posts/

Or the Official Site:
http://www.changingworldtech.com/

However, even though this technology will pacify our thirst for oil x number of years into the future, it does not tackle the root of the problem. Eventually we will need to drop our addiction to non-renewable energy sources that poison the skies and destroy our lungs.

In reality, I'd estimate that we only have about a 50/50 chance of making it to the end of this century anyways without finding a way to destroy ourselves...so maybe all of our worries will turn out to be a waste of time.

I don't really buy all that stuff. If someone had a cheap, easy way to get energy they would be using it. It could take years between finding one and putting it into use. Your not going to make any money off it if your the last one to do it.

There are other things being used right now though. Its all moving slowly though since people dont seem to worry to much about it, but you can find normal cars which run on other things. You just need to look around a bit and most people don't really care.

I don't really want more oil or oil-like products. I'm not an environmentalist, but really, enough is enough. We've had nuclear power for quite a while and if they use fusion efficiently, *BAM* tremendous amounts of heat and power without much waste products.


However, for an automobile, I'd say Hydrogen Power is adequate, maybe using eletromagnetic forces to levitate the car along set paths, but that would take a total rejuvination of highways and streets, and would require government/car manufacturer cooperation and partnership (which I don't really trust, meaning companies getting too close to the place that makes laws). Ideally, the roads would work like mini-bullet trains (not as fast). The eletromagnetism levitates the car a few inches to a couple of feet off the ground, thus eliminating friction and sending the car forward. Of course things like changing the charge of particles and such would also take a tremendous computer and billions of calculations to keep things safe. Not a very cost efficient program...maybe good for public transportation.

Which brings me to a point. If we force the public to use public transportation, we can effectively eliminate the automobile. Of course you might say "well what about car companies?". I say screw them. The continuation of the world's advancement and just the survival of people in general is more important then a lousy CEO buying his 8th mansion, or 4th jet airliner.

By forcing the public to use public transportation, we effectively eliminate the need for individual use of natural gas, and can focus resources on things like cleaning up the mess in the air and on the ground, improving the quality of life instead of shameless cheaping it with novelties and other "pleasantries" like SUVs and trucks like the Hummer Seriously, they sell cars that get like, 6 miles to the gallon? Who the fuck designs these things?

Company Board Meeting:

Pig #1: Okay, okay, I have this idea. You see, we make a car--no a truck, that can...um look big. You see it's the "Man's Automobile"...no...the "AMERICAN Man's Automobile". And what better way to represent America than a car that suits its personality?
Pig #2: We give it about 5-6.5 miles to the gallon?
Pig #1: Exactly.
Pig #3: I like it. Now we just pack in a bunch of shit no one needs and price it at 60k!
Yes Men: Of course Sirs, yes Sirs. Very good idea.
Pig #1: It needs a name however...
Pig #3: How about the Runner?
Pig #2: Too European.
Pig #1: I've got it! The HUMMER!
Yes Men: Of course Sir, yes Sir. Very good idea.
Pig #2: Once again we save the American Economy!
Pig #3: Yes, they'll be making statues of us in 2050...

_______________________

Seriously, I think forcing people to use the subway will work just fine...except for, you know, everything be crowed and unusuable in 2 weeks. 8)

Love the Company Board Meeting...

Do you ever watch South Park? There's an episode where the Japanese are trying to take down the American gov't by selling things that look like pokemon to kids, with the hidden message of turning against the American gov't...When the Americans start questioning the Japs, the Japs say "We are also very concerned about this, but we want to assure you that you Americans have very large penis! We are simple people with very small penis, but you Americans, WOW! Such mastadonian, gargantuan penis!!!"

Absolutely hilarious.

Thanks, lol Yeah, I remember that episode...what was it Chin Pokemon or something haha And one of the levels in the game had to do with bombing Pearl Harbor! I was just cracking up!

Chinpokomon

Matt and Trey are geniuses

Fusion and hydrogen power are funny things...for the last 50 years they've always been just "20 years away".

Here are the problems with them:

Hydrogen - there are 2 economically viable ways to get the pure hydrogen that we would need for this to work.

i. From non-renewable resources such as crude oil - obviously this does not solve our consumption problem.
ii. A process called Electrolysis that breaks water down into its atomic components; oxygen and hydrogen - this requires enormous amounts of electricity and more energy is consumed than created in the process. It is essentially the same as paying $10 for a $5 bill. Also, that electricity would most likely come from, surprise surprise, non-renewable resources although not necessarily (wind, hydro-electric, etc.).

Fusion - so far it's impossible. No technology in existence today can successfully harness and control a self-sustaining fusion reaction. Keep dreaming.

The large-scale Thermal Depolymerization plant in Colorado is nearing completion and will soon begin pumping out barrels upon barrels of diesel fuel and other petroleum products (plastics, industrial petro-chemicals) daily.

I thought there have been attempts , but so far it's like you said, paying 10 dollars for a 5 dollar bill. The amount of electricity used is more than the output.

[quote]I don't really buy all that stuff. If someone had a cheap, easy way to get energy they would be using it. It could take years between finding one and putting it into use. quote]

I disagree, many alternate energy sources have been found...it's just that the oil companies just buy the rights to the ideas and they're never seen again......mysterious

I doubt there that stupid.

That's not stupid. It's actually very, very, smart. Think about it. They buy the rights, and just when their company's product focus is about to run out, they move their product to another energy resource. They'll change with the times.

I dunno, Sunny's Oil becomes...eh, Sunny's Plutonium? Just trying to...make an example...ummm. *eh hem*

If you change with the times at best you will be is second best. If you took the ideas and put them into use you will lead the way. You will not only be the first to come out with it you will be the ONLY one out with it. Why compete with all the other companies selling oil when you could dominate the market being the sole provider of cheap efficient fuel? Waiting untill the last minute and then having to compete with a million other companies paying 10 times as much to rush production in no way seems "smart" to me.