Yet another Tread on Peak Oil

[GT98]

Pretty good article on could or wont see peak oil

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,157961,00.html

[cjolley]

I like this quote. It reminds me of most of the arguments I hear dismissing Global Warming theory.

"The economists all think that if you show up at the cashier's cage with enough currency, God will put more oil in ground," Deffeyes said.

Though I suspect they are wrong about how much and how quickly conservation can mitigate this.

[schmosef]

Good quote chuck.

I don't know what to think about this "peak oil" business. I know what I want to believe, but I don't know enough "facts" to wade through the heavily biased info and opinion coming from both sides to be able to form an intelligent opinion.

For reasons that are obvious to anyone who knows my Politics, I just hope our society is able to wean itself off oil sooner than later.

[Brian Ellis]

For a media report, your quote is remarkably good.

As many of you know, I've been intimately into environmental matters (professionally, for the UN, before I retired). As part of this, climate change has been the most important task I've studied, having worked with atmospheric scientists and climatologists, along with ozone depletion. Obviously, PO will have an influence on CC, most likely negative (see below*). I've therefore followed the subject for a couple of years, now.

About a year ago, I started to write a series of essays for laymen on environmental and energy matters as related to Cyprus. One of these is on this subject at http://www.cypenv.org/Files/peakoil.htm
and you will see that it is pretty much in tune with the article you link.

*Now you may be wondering why a reduction of a major fossil fuel supply would be negative for climate change. The answer is twofold:
1. motor fuel will be made principally from the liquefaction of coal and this will cause roughly 50% more CO2 emissions per car-km than current diesel or petrol (gasoline) during the production stage, those from the car itself remaining constant.
2. natural gas is holistically the worst possible fuel for climate change (see http://www.cypenv.org/world/Files/methane.htm ) and it is expected that consumption of it will increase drastically after PO

Answer: conservation and replace all Hummers and SUVs by cars with a max consumption of 4 l/100 km. See this link

[GT98]

Answer: conservation and replace all Hummers and SUVs by cars with a max consumption of 4 l/100 km. See this link

Only way that will happen is if Gas stays above $3 a gallon in the states. You can't force people (and automotive companies who like the fat profits off them) to give up their bigger vechicles, unless it becomes painful for them. Then the automotive companies will just come out with a diesel engine for large SUVS

[spadnos]

Only way that will happen is if Gas stays above $3 a gallon in the states. You can't force people (and automotive companies who like the fat profits off them) to give up their bigger vechicles, unless it becomes painful for them. Then the automotive companies will just come out with a diesel engine for large SUVS

Well - actually you can. It's illegal to sell heroin - so there's a precedent for government regulation of what may or may not be sold.

And that isn't as far fetched a corollary as it seems at first. You aren't allowed to sell heroin because it's harmful. Destroying the environment is also harmful, but you get the added advantage of harming everyone else as well (and their descendants).

- Steve