Oil

[Scarlett]

What is going to happen, do you think, when we finally run out of oil? Will people stop fighting? Will we use electric cars? Why aren't we all using electric cars now?

[undercovers]

I think as the oil reserves dwindle large-scale war and occupation of the few remaining oil rich areas will occur � probably still the Americans and us tagging along.
Once the fuel has finally gone � or is just so expensive that it is not a viable product anymore we will presumably come up with some exciting new technology that also destroys the environment � maybe radioactive cars or something�

Re the electric cars � well you could I guess BUT they don�t really go very fast, they are very expensive to build (other than milk float style) and there really isn�t any handy fill them up options so you can�t really very far from your specially modified garage� BUT I guess the major point is are they any better for the environment than petrol driven cars, e.g. if the electricity being used to power them comes from fossil fuels you are just swapping one dwindling resource with another so might as well carry on gas guzzling

[beryllium]

Hi Scarlett, there is the hydrogen car that they're working on and this electric car.... may take a sec. to load...

http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/5241/

[buildersmate]

Electricity is generated from oil, gas or nuclear so as the above points out, electric cars don't help. There was an interesting article in the STimes mag about a month ago predicting answers to the same question.

Either some new energy source will be found or ways to tap wave, geothermal and/or solar energy will be found to provide heat and for conversion into electricity. Or travel will be curtailed, industry and commerce will change very radically and man will revert to a much simpler lifestyle not like that experienced by some many in the so-called Third World. No air travel and no personal transportation. Better keep taking those cheap RyanAir flights while you can.

[buildersmate]

'like' should read 'unlike' (sixth line)

[CT]

Nothing will really change. It has been said that the next major wars will be fought over water. I believe this to be completely accurate. Just look at the situation here in a water rich country, with the SE having hosepipe bans. Somalia and other African nations are currently experiencing droughts. The Aral Sea in Russia in now about 25% of it's size before it's two main rivers began to be heavily used in farming. There are more people on the planet than ever before and climate change is also beginning to take an effect.

[nedflanders]

climate change is a result of too many people on the planet! You cant blame the US for that one!

[jake-the-peg]

Er Ned - climate change looks rather like too much pollution in the atmosphere and the US pollutes more than anybody else.

As for electric cars these pollute dreadfully given how inefficient power stations can be in generating and storing and transmitting. Their pollution is just out of sight and out of mind for most city dwellers.

Long term solution in Hydrogen cars and Nuclear Fusion to create it.

The first proper reactor is currently being built in France www.iter.org we should see usable reactors about 2040.

Question is can we get through that timescale without trashing the place?

[buildersmate]

Wasn't exploiting nuclear fusion the purpose behind the experimental reactor at Dounreay? If so, has the UK now given up on it then.

[dyli795]

To run out of oil will not stop wars; We'll always have good old dependable religion.

comments anyone?

[don1]

The biggest part of the oil problem is the irresponsible attitude of the U.S.A, Americans have just hit the roof because gas has reached $3 dollars a gallon (at todays exchange rate thats about �1.65)

The USA has only 5% of the worlds population but uses 35% of the worlds resources. Until they start taxing gas at the same rate that we do they will continue to guzzle the worlds supply of oil.

[dannydingbat]

There are already many suitable alternatives ready to go but the governments cannot make as much money from them in taxes. So they are kept under wraps until there is no alternative.

[dyli795]

10 ClarionSt, that is an intregueing response, can you expand on it a bit?

[CT]

Interesting response from 10cs but, unless he know of another fuel source that the rest of the world doesn't then I think its unlikely. Nuclear fusion fuels will come straight from atmospheric gases or water. Uranium is located mostly in Australia and oil is found in the usual suspect places and Canada in oil shales which is now commercially viable to extract.

[El D]

I'm not convinced oil is running out anytime soon (or that global warming is a valid problem).

By the time fossil fuels run out we should have developed alternatives, whether it be fusion, improved solar/wind/tidal sources, or my personal favourite geothermal. I think that the transitional period will be marked by increased isolationism on the part of countries holding large deposits and possible small scale aggression but no world conflicts because there will be no unifying theme for sides to develop. Plus war uses an inordinate amount of fuel :) haha that would be classic.

[jake-the-peg]

If you don't think oil is running out read this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbert%27s_Peak

Dounraey was not nuclear fusion but a fast breeder reactor.

A fast breeder reactor uses plutonium directly as fuel. The core temperatures at Dounraey were so high that liquid sodium and potassium metal was used as coolant which then was used to heat water.

Hot radioactive Sodium + Potassium and water nice!!!

Frankly it was always a mad idea.

Fusion reseach has been going on at Culham in Oxfordshire for years the JET experiment was there, the ITER is to be built in France which will reach "breakeven" ( as much energy generated as used) followedby DEMO (demonstration reactor) probably in Japan

[buildersmate]

Thanks Jake for the explanation.

[willowman]

Everybody equates running out of oil with running out of fuel. But isn't the plastics industry an offshoot of the petrol industry? So no more oil equals no more plastics. Now just think of all the things in our everyday lives that are made of plastic, and how we would manage without those. That, to me, is very frightening. What will these things be made from in the future?

I suppose we could go back to metal, but production lines for steel etc have to be powered by something. Or we could grow more trees and make wooden objects (wooden computer mouse anyone?) but we will probably be using wood for fuel.

I think (being a depressive) that we will have destroyed most of civilisation before then in huge wars over the remaining oil and water. I won't be alive by then anyway, so why am I worrying? As the famous Alfred E Neuman would say "What, me worry?"

[qapmoc]

Well the world is dividing into two opinions on this matter, the ''pessimists'' who state that peak oil is now and will happen within this decade, these are people such as geologists, oil field engineers, scientists etc... and the ''optimists'' who say that there will be no problem for the forseeable future, these are people such as economists, financial analysts, politicians etc...

In case you don't know what peak oil is it is the time when the worlds oil supply has reached the highest peak of production that it will ever reach before it starts to decline forever, when we run out doesn't matter because once we get past the peak then that means that supply will no longer match demand so the price will continue to increase but it also means that somebody somewhere will not get enough for their needs and obviously the poorest countries will suffer first.
The problem is that if some people believe that there is no problem then they won't try very hard to find alternatives.
Will the fighting stop, don't be silly. What do you think will happen when the only countries left with enough money to buy oil at any price will be America and China and there is not enough oil for both.

Continued....

[qapmoc]

.... continued

If you can find and download a copy of the documentary film ''The end of suburbia'' which gives a very clear insight into the situation facing the most industrialised countries.

These sites will give you some idea of the current thinking on this matter

http://www.peakoil.net/

http://www.gulland.ca/depletion/depletion.htm

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net

http://www.hubbertpeak.com/

http://www.survivingpeakoil.com/

http://www.wolfatthedoor.org.uk/

http://www.drydipstick.com/

http://www.oilcrisis.com/

http://quasar.unibas.ch/~fisker/401/oil/oil.html

http://wolf.readinglitho.co.uk/