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Is there a raw material that can be used to substitute for petrol to make plastics or is there an alternate to plastics for mass production and other uses?
There is a quote from an OPEC meeting decades ago: The stone age didn't end because the world ran out of stones; the oil age will end long before the world runs out of oil. http://www.economist.com/node/2155717
And the implied corollary: Don't you worry your pretty little heads about climate change, fossil fuel pollution, or your societies being dangerously dependent on a volatile part of the world with autocratic leaders with a medieval mindset. Mankind will always invent its way out of whatever problem it finds itself in. In the mean time, fill up your tank, enjoy life and stop worrying!
"The best way to curb the demand for oil and promote innovation in oil alternatives is to tell the world's energy markets that the “externalities” of oil consumption—security considerations and environmental issues alike—really will influence policy from now on. And the way to do that is to impose a gradually rising gasoline tax."
Rather, the article assumes that people will worry their pretty little heads about climate change, fossil fuel pollution, or their societies being dangerously dependent on a volatile part of the world, and that will provide the political incentive to enact taxes that nudge the market to renewables. Or, if the political spark doesn't occur, the rising cost & instability of extracting that oil will provide the market incentive needed to switch over.
We already have invented our way out of this problem - solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, batteries, and electric motors exist already, as do fuel cells & electrolysis at a somewhat higher price point. It's just that those technologies are only recently competitive economically with fossil fuels. Raise the price of oil and suddenly there's no reason to use oil anymore.
One thing people often forget when talking about petroleum is plastics and many other uses that have nothing to do with converting petrol into energy. Is there a raw material that can be used to substitute for petrol to make plastics or is there an alternate to plastics for mass production and other uses?
A lot of things become much more expensive (likely gradually as supplies dwindle). Electricity, until petroleum-burning plants are replaced with nuclear or renewable alternatives. Travel and shipping, while we come up with alternative ways to fuel jets and ocean liners, and replace our car and truck fleets with electric ones. This cost trickles down to any goods not manufactured locally with locally-sourced materials…
Except for home generators and the like, no one uses oil for electricity generation. Coal and natural gas are used, since they are much cheaper.
I’m an exploration engineer at Saudi Armaco. It will be a long long time (hundreds of years) before we run out of oil; and each year we discover new kinds of crude reservoirs.
Is oil from the ocean floor a big thing in the future?
One thing people often forget when talking about petroleum is plastics and many other uses that have nothing to do with converting petrol into energy. Is there a raw material that can be used to substitute for petrol to make plastics or is there an alternate to plastics for mass production and other uses?
When we do start running out of oil, the prices for this should rise quite a bit, making research into the alternative much more likely.
So if we do run out of oil, Musk would probably achieve world domination.
A lot of things become much more expensive (likely gradually as supplies dwindle). Electricity, until petroleum-burning plants are replaced with nuclear or renewable alternatives. Travel and shipping, while we come up with alternative ways to fuel jets and ocean liners, and replace our car and truck fleets with electric ones. This cost trickles down to any goods not manufactured locally with locally-sourced materials…
>Electricity, until petroleum-burning plants are replaced with nuclear or renewable alternatives. Except for home generators and the like, no one uses oil for electricity generation. Coal and natural gas are used, since they are much cheaper.
I’m an exploration engineer at Saudi Armaco. It will be a long long time (hundreds of years) before we run out of oil; and each year we discover new kinds of crude reservoirs.
Most reservoirs are on land under earth, right? Is oil from the ocean floor a big thing in the future?