What Happens Once the Oil Runs Out?

NY Times ^ | March 25, 2005 | KENNETH S. DEFFEYES

[mission9]

The world has over 12 trillion barrels of oil in oil shale.
Half of that is in the US. It is capital intensive, and oil prices must stay above $30 a barrel. Sadly, the environmental loonies must be hooted down. This is more than enough to power US for 200 years.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Two words - baby seals.

But they struggle so when you put them in the tank.

[Little Pig]

I thought abiogenesis had been debunked?

[jongaltsr]

This is pure, unadulterated pooh!
Pooh would work. It is biomass and converts quite easily

[John Will]

There is one variable that isn't considered, where to get the petrochemicals that oil provides.

[Gumption]

First you beat them to death with spotted owls.

[The Duke]

Here's an easy solution - bring back the neighborhood school and end the insanity of bussing kids all over the country every day.

Another solution - incentivize companies to make more use of telecommuting.

These are good solutions, however these only help with fuel shortage. There's one ultimate perfect solution to virtually all the world's ills, which for some reason has never been suggested it seems.

[FreedomCalls]

The ANWR drilling area in winter:

And in summer:

There's not a lot there.

[LRS]

I thought we would all be plugged into the Matrix and we all become batteries.

Hmmmm! How many libs would it take to power a flashlight...

[chilepepper]

gas and oil from US coal until fusion comes along...

[Sgt_Schultze]

You know, I remember reading recently that as a fuel, a barrel of oil at $35 returns a value of about $150. As a source of petrochemicals, that same barrel returns over $1,000. You're right, considering agriculture's reliance in oil-derived fertilizers, it's amazing that food production is not one of the concerns of the doomsayers who violently warn about oil shortages.

[Straight Vermonter]

There is not enough fissionable material in the earth's crust to make up for oil for more than a few years.

The comment was about FUSION not fission. There is plenty of hydrogen lying around for fusion.

[Straight Vermonter]

Oops, I see he also mentioned fission too.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I knew there had to be some use for spotted owls besides barbecue.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Yeah, and there was also the Black Death, BUT OTOH, remember that murderers, rapists and conspirers against the Crown were put in stocks in the courtyard of the village, prior to being hung or drawn and quartered by horses? Bring your own popcorn....

Each era had its pros and cons....

/s

[Virginia Gentleman]

This is a big deal. We all remember the eons of darkness the fell upon the earth when we ran out of whale oil. There was just no substitute for whale oil as a lighting source. There's a tale that has been passed down, I'm sure its apocryphal, that a few alchemists tried to create something called kerosene from rock oil (sometimes referred to as petroleum). But, alas, their efforts were just as the fruitless as the medieval search for the philosopher's stone. Thus, today, with the extinction of the last of the whales, we limited to the use of candles for illumination.

I'm sure I read something to that effect when I was in school.

[Windsong]

"Two words - baby seals"

Preferably white cuddly-looking ones (is there any other kind?)

Baby seal. Its whats for dinner.

[tacticalogic]

Pooh would work. It is biomass and converts quite easily

My tagline takes exception to that.

[RichInOC]

What happens once the oil runs out?

That's easy. We render down Michael Moore.