Peak Oil - a different perspective

Not just another doomer PO video

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• peak
• oil
• reserves
• cuba
• russia
• coal
• natural
• gas
• government
• warming
• prepare
• sustainable
• environment
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• commute
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• invest

[IslandMultimedia]

Holy cow this is a boring video though, man--you might as well just type it as an essay. You're not using the fetures of multimedia--there's no soundtrack, visual effects, nothing but a talking head!

[lorax2013]

I know, I know. Sorry but you'll have to tune in to the evening news for cute announcers and effects - wait another 10 years, maybe then they'll even cover peak oil.

[leigh8959]

GW and peak oil are both legitimate problems. However, peak oil is much easier to solve with our ~700 years of coal, bitumen and shale. It's cheaper to convert these to oil than you'd think:

coal (Fischer-Tropsch): $30 per barrel

bitumen (in-situ/ ex-situ): $9/$15 per barrel

shale: ??

My #s are just off the top of my head-> Look to ASPO, Canadian Tar Sands literature and Sasol (South Africa).

In other words, peak oil is easier to solve than GW; it's solution makes GW much much worse.

[lorax2013]

Coal conversion estimates are over $50 per barrel. The problem is that they are rapidly inflating due to materials costs. If there was actually a viable profit margin, industry could lock it in and fund massive construction. That's not being done. As for bitumen - limited supply and I question that much will yield $15 / barrel oil. Shale is currently a fantasy. However, I do think Fischer-Tropsch & GTL will be the main replacements immediately post peak.

[Mettezz11]

I'm not a doomer but i consider myself as a realist.

And in my opinion we all are facing a 2nd great depression that will hit us like a train because of peakoil and this great depression will be a lot worse and not so easy to get out from.

No jobs, No food, No heat, No healthcare and nowhere to escape can you get closer too doomsday then that?

I agree with everything you are saying but Doomers are in my eyes people who believe in the olduvai theory and scenarios like that

[gabbe81]

I really don't mind peakoil. Sure gas prices are insane for sure. But this will force our societies to develop clean green fuels, localy produced... It'a about time that we stop buying oil from the middle east. That oil is tainted with blood. It's time that the west again, becomes a provider of energy, instead of importer. And also it would be nice to be able to breathe fresh air, instead of pollution...

[swardinc]

Besides that what about higher tech will it require more energy? for instance a drill runs say at 5 units of energy well what about a drill that is a laser? Does it require more energy to run? So while coal works if you do the math coal+current tech=energy, so does that mean that future tech would decrease that? leigh8959 pointed out 700 years of coal at current energy requirements? so 250 years less more?

[swardinc]

odd, why are not some of the solutions presented in this video as well? for instance there are people who will mod your transport to be completely electric same for the house. there already plenty of substantial community all over the world so again im not sure why that was not mention. not to mention the fact that coal while true it will work, has one problem if a device uses 5 units of energy on oil how many for say coal?

[miketonon]

Crude oil is abiotic! Meaning it replenishes itself!

If global warming is happening, the biggest culprit by far would be the sun!

[typeclash]

Why would economic problems due to peak oil have the effect of less children being born? I was under the impression that economic wealth might decrease the production of children.

[MrEnergyCzar]

You get it...good job...

[jimbobubbadj]

Also in the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the Arabs cut off the oil supply to the United States because of its support for Isreal in the 1973 Arab-Isreali war. This time the taps have not been closed and yet oil production has peaked.

[jimbobubbadj]

Too much biofuels production causes soil depletion. Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible.

[cptnsmelly]

As true as that is, oil companies do not want to transition, and it's not as easy as just suddenly relying 100% on natural gas, plant oils, etc. The infrastructure to handle the materials has yet to be produced on a large enough scale for us to totally rely on those materials. In my opinion, we should only be using plant oils, etc. for producing plastics and NOT electricity. We should start transitioning to renewable electricity much faster than we are now.

[smolkasinferno]

Two words for you, Permaculture and Biofuels. Many are unaware of the rich suppressing the use of alcohol as a viable alternative. Plant matter is everywhere apposed to having to have expensive equipment affordable to the few. Never mind if peak oil is a hoax or not.

[BGBurch]

What's your take on the Gull Island Oil pool - it's said the Gull Island oil find is even larger than the Prudhoe Bay field - best kept secret?