Will The End of Oil Mean The End of America? (Wishful thinking alert!)

CommonNightmares.org ^ | 3/1/2004 | Robert Freeman

[Joe Brower]

A fellow I debate with sent this along on a politics combat, er, discussion list I'm on, and I wanted to get a take on some of the concepts espoused therein. Sounds like a lot of wishful thinking to me, although there are some points that are worthy of consideration by conservatives, particulary in relation to the PATRIOT act. I could use some ammo.

One thing these lefties don't ever seem to realize is that they are in the same boat as us, and if America has problems, so do they.

Oh well -- we don't call them the 'useful idiots' for nothing!

[Poohbah]

Common Dreams has but one dream--an America subjugated to their whim, with dissent eradicated.

[Eala]

But additions to proven reserves have virtually stopped

Huh? Really? I thought I'd read about new finds, and new ways to extract oil that was not economically feasible to extract before.

[writer33]

You're all forgetting that if there was saltwater on Mars, there's got to be oil. Next trip is for Wildcatters. Next stop, Mars and big oil derrick. :)

[RolandBurnam]

bring on oil depletion. Insane arabs will have no more power, and we will build more nuclear plants and drive the lefties nuts.

[Poohbah]

You're all forgetting that if there was saltwater on Mars, there's got to be oil. Next trip is for Wildcatters. Next stop, Mars and big oil derrick. :)

The Mars Spirit and Opportunity missions were unilateral efforts by Bush to aid and abet Halliburton.

[Eala]

Energy Reconfiguration means using biotechnology to develop crops that require much less fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and machinery to harvest.

That's going to play real well with the "Splice Rope, Not Genes" crowd...

[RightWhale]

When oil is gone

That's not good Peak Oil theory. The oil won't run out, it will simply get more expensive until it cannot be considered a resource.

[writer33]

"The Mars Spirit and Opportunity missions were unilateral efforts by Bush to aid and abet Halliburton."


That's right, darn it. President Bush's legacy, according to libs, blood for oil. And now, Mars for oil. All brought to you by Halliburton.

[Eala]

A national corps of workers set to retrofitting the nation’s homes and businesses for energy efficiency would address employment problems for decades in a way that could not be outsourced to Mexico or India or China.

How very totalitarian.

[writer33]

Denote plenty of sarcasm for those viewing.

[kaktuskid]

Then we will go back to COAL, which ran the industry of this country until the mid 20th century. We used it to make gas for light and heat (that's what gasworks were for!) and we can make synthetic oil from it (which is what the Germans did and what S Africa does now).

[MegaSilver]

One thing these lefties don't ever seem to realize is that they are in the same boat as us, and if America has problems, so do they.

< tongue in cheek>It's a vast left-wing conspiracy. They have the energy source... and they're hiding it until we run out of oil so they can take over America!< /tongue in cheek>

[Eala]

Are there any precedents for such an ambitious vision? In the 1980s China adopted a nationwide energy efficiency program. Within a decade, overall energy intensity fell by 50% while economic growth led the developing world.

It's been a long time since I've seen a city with as much air pollution as Beijing. And look at one of China's solutions -- the Three Gorges Dam. Just think of how many irreplaceable preciouss species are being wiped out by that solution.

[astounded]

Ethanol's not just for breakfast anymore...

[Eala]

LOL!

[Paleo Conservative]

"But additions to proven reserves have virtually stopped"

Huh? Really? I thought I'd read about new finds, and new ways to extract oil that was not economically feasible to extract before.

But even if we were not adding anything to reserves, the author does not understand the economics of natural resouces. If total reserves are fixed and being depleted, oil prices and energy prices in general would go up over time at the rate of interest. As the price of oil gets higher, substitutes get relatively cheaper. This process has occurred many times previously with other natural resources. The reason Britain switched to coal in the 18th century was the depletion of forests for fuel and other uses.

[RightWhale]

Right. The alternatives will come into use as the cost of oil rises. The problem is that the alternatives cost more than oil now, so energy will cost more. Cost increases will spread throughout the economy to the point that the economy will be driven to a lower level. Peak Oil.

[international american]

There is plenty of oil yet!

[Paleo Conservative]

Just think of how many irreplaceable preciouss species are being wiped out by that solution.

On the other hand how many of these species have close relatives in the same genus with which the share over 95% + of their genes? Is genetic diversity really hurt all that much by the loss of species? If simlilar ecological niches opened up to another species in the same genus, it's possible that a similar species to the extinct species would evolve again.