What will happen when the oil runs out?
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I think we're dangerously closer to running out of oil than we think. We've already surpassed "peak oil," and setting up the infrastructure for alternative energy sources is a very long and drawn out process. There's going to be one hell of a huge power shift when the oil starts to run out, and people start to stockpile. Expect a few wars, at least. Side: nothing special
As oil becomes more expensive there will be proportionally greater economic incentives to getting alternative energy working. Billions of dollars will be sitting around waiting for someone to grab it. The inventiveness of the human race will focus on the problem like a super powered laser. The mountains shall be made low, the valleys lifted up, the rough roads made smooth. The problem will be solved. Glancing through the Wikipedia article on peak oil, it does seem like there will indeed be economic problems, but it's unclear how bad they will be. War seems like much too drastic an estimation to me, especially if Obama is elected in November. Or are you expecting the Chinese to invade Saudi Arabia or something like that? Side: nothing special
What are you talking about? There's TONS of oil out there. Just look at the Bakken reserve, oil shale, and the canadian oil sands. Trillions upon trillions of barrels in those three areas alone. i agree, we hit peak oil (by that i mean we havent produced more oil since 2005, atleast not yet!) but the process of running out of oil will be a long one. We should have alternative energy sources ready by then. But, i'm not discounting a few wars. Hell, some consider our latest venture into Iraq nothing more than a war for oil. Side: nothing special
Hopefully a healthy cultural evolution. If you think about it, all of these people who are so dependent on fuel, who live far enough out of the city that they need a car, and live fairly far from work... will have to do something that requires them to change. They will have to move closer to the city, they will have to bring jobs closer, they will have to commute a different way... I think it will be good for these people. I think there's something wrong with America, and I always have. We are not practical, we don't live the way we should be. We are fed like pigs, we sleep too well at night, too many people are silent when they should speak. Too many people with money have too much control of the government, and yet have so little experience with the real problems. Something has to change, I mean, sometime... I hope that time is near. No more H3's, no more giant houses, no more willful seclusion. Once all of the wealthier people get dragged back into the city and they wake up to what it's really like out there, they will want to fix it. They will be there to see how everything functions on a micro-level, they will be unhappy, and they will likely fix the problem as it stands and via a much more practical way than if they were to just write up some insignificant laws from the marco perspective. I don't know, there's a lot that goes through my head when I think about it, and these things are just little parts of what I see... or maybe of what I want. I think the separation of the wealthy from the poor or middle class is unhealthy for society as a whole. The poor, the middle class, and the wealthy all have separate problems, but the poorer you are, the more realistic the problems are. The wealthier you are, the more you get sucked into problems that you create yourself. It would be nice to see everyone level out by having everyone deal directly with the same problems. I think it would be good for local issues and for America as a whole. I believe the absence of oil is all we need to change the unhealthy "American dream" back into what it was meant to be. (By the way, I don't think that wealthy people should become any less wealthy. It's not so much about leveling the class devision, but leveling out the division in what people care about. I think it would bring the economically separated classes together, if everyone was forced to deal with the same problems.) Side: Healthier Cultural Evolution
It was kind of like 9/11 - a big unifying cause that everyone rallied around. Except this time it would be peak oil. Hell, I already think we're getting here. Everyone and their mother is complaining and in pain. As far as the more poor you are the more realistic the problems are, I don't really buy it. I've been around one too many poor people to see that the problems they have are ridiculous, not realistic. They are dealing with issues that most people never have to encounter. And it's because they never had money most of their life (Sometimes for generations) so thy become accustomed to living a certain way. Not only that, but they then encounter the 'shit' in life (more sexual abuse, drug abuse, etc...). And rich people, for the most part, have no concept as to how much things cost. Side: Healthier Cultural Evolution
Plastic, basically is the only thing we'll be really missing, that is produced by oil, but we will have enough to go around. We have even found a way to turn something into fossil fuel, but it takes time and everything. I think by the time oil reaches a price that people just don't want to pay, and people start using alternative fuels, there will be enough for what we need until we find different ways to use difference renewable resources. I know what you mean though, about the scale of our dependance on oil. It is absolutely insane to think about, almost everything that you can see has oil behind it, and a lot of it. Even something as true as farming, has tons of fuel behind just watering the damn soil... I hope by the time we have absolutely no oil left, we have all of those issues worked out. If not, we'll probably end up going back to the stone age and beating rocks over each other's heads. :P Side: Healthier Cultural Evolution
Chaos, unless alternatives are found. Our entire society rests on the use of oil. Sans oil, we lose plastics, fertilizers, and the best vector for energy society ever had. P.S: A great site that discusses peak oil is the Oil Drum, which I have linked to. Side: poor arabs
I read that site's mission statement and once again, there's lots of talk about energy but none on oil for manufacturing! It's as if people don't realise that everything is MADE from oil products. It's not a question of world transport grinding to a halt it's not being able to fabricate anything in quantity. As for alternatives - how would they be manufactured? It would either have to be using oil and creating a net energy gain or some other process outside of the oil-based supply chain. Side: poor arabs
The mission statement is really vague, I'll give you that. However, if you subscribe to the sites RSS feed (or just read it periodically), you'll see a massive wealth of information on all aspects peak oil, from the causes, to the alternatives, to even coping with the price increases caused by peak oil.
Supporting Evidence:
Peak Oil, Carrying Capacity and Overshoot: Population, the Elephant in the Room
(canada.theoildrum.com)
Side: poor arabs
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Everything we take for granted is due to the easy energy and manufacturing application of oil fractionation. The current, massive population of humans on the planet is due to the earth's dowry of millions of years of organic savings in the form of oil. We will have burned it all in a couple of centuries. Given that we are utterly dependent on black gold and given the greed/quick return nature of capitalism (perpetuated by faux-democracy), I think we're in for a 'blood in the streets' reality check when the wells dry up. Furthermore, had George W. Bush et al come clean and simply stated the facts of our situation, the greater part of the world's electorate would have endorsed the invasion of oil-rich countries. Side: poor arabs
"You seriously think the world's electorate would support invading a country for its resources" Yes. If the government laid out in no uncertain terms the precipice we're all tottering on, I believe the majority of the electorate in any country would vote to secure resources. Ultimately, it's them or us - maintaining our way of life or facing a cold, bleak reality. Side: War
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