How To Boil A Frog presents Peak Oil pt. 3 - EROI

Part 3 of 4 examines the decline in Energy Return On Investment (EROI) in the world's biggest oil fields, and the consequences that will have for cilivization. Speakers, in order of appearance, are: Charles A. Hall - Professor, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY; Micah Melnyk - Canadian Youth Climate Coalition; and Nathan Gagnon - graduate student, SUNY-College of Environmental
Science and Forestry.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Peak
• oil
• depletion
• Ghawar
• Saudi
• Arabia
• petrol
• petroleum
• gas
• gasoline
• prices
• price
• barrel
• tar
• sands

[sstan1337]

What I don´t like about this film is that It focuses on the economic boogeyman. The real boogeyman is the environment. There are lots of alternative energy sources and people will not go without power. The economies of the world will find a way. The earth however will soon chew us up and spit us out.

[howtoboilafrog]

@sstan1337 You raise good points. There are 4 of these peak oil videos, all different - this one was specifically to explain the concept of EROI, which most people don't know. Didn't really have the material to get into the zillion ways that our addiction to oil and energy in general ends up trashing the natural world (that sustains us). There are alternative energies, but unfortunately the EROI is low for all of them, and more importantly they're not scalable to replace oil.

[sstan1337]

@howtoboilafrog So one cannot say that these things are not scalable, There are options everywhere. there is no need to burn oil for power at all anymore! the technology is now and must be used. These alternatives can also be used in job creation and economic stimulus. And places like Canada (my native land) and theare big enough for huge wind parks that could easily create enough energy for the small population that it has.There is always a way,wwe don´t need oil anywhere near the scale claimed

[howtoboilafrog]

@sstan1337 You're absolutely right that there are alternatives, and they're scalable to some degree. But I think "Can we replace oil?" is the wrong question. We're using 30 billion barrels/year of oil - could we use much less? What are the equity issues between inudstrialized countries &developing countries? We can replace some energy needs with turbines, but we can't replace a billion gas-powered cars. We don't have the resources to build turbines for everyone. So the real answer is: less.

[mollytherealdeal]

Jon,

Thanks for this video. Economics is a very important issue in Peak Oil and Climate Change. Now, solar power is about 0.6%, and so is wind. Both are more expensive than coal. If we want to have our industrial lifestyle from green energy, we need to spend trillions of dollars and decades of time. Too bad, we are in the middle of a world economic crisis. We invest in banks, and fossil fuels, not green power. Also, 10,000 1-gigawatt nuke plants need to be built, not easy after Fukushima.

[sstan1337]

@pahana You have replied 2wice with the same answer. Please pay attention or do not answer.

[sstan1337]

@pahana I am completeley clueless? I didn´t write that alternative energy is enough to sustain us....If you had paid attention, I wrote combined with nuclear power. My emphasis on stopping oil. Why be such a troll? Did you have to insult me? I guess it makes you feel smarter than you actually are....

[pahana]

@sstan1337

You are completely clueless about the amount of energy demanded in the world today. Alternative energy is most certainly not scalable to meet the demand provided by fossil fuels at this time.

[sstan1337]

@howtoboilafrog No, I am sorry. The real answer is no oil. It is also an eventuality even if we use less. Between wind turbines and solar and nuclear energy electric cars could be charged and run on the highways. As for developing countries, in an ideal world they would invest directly in alternative energy with subsidies from the West and never start on oil. Don´t focus on the fact that wind turbines can´t save us all, because we have the technology to combine what we have and stop oil.

[sstan1337]

@howtoboilafrog Well,I am going to have to disagree with you!There ARE alternatives which ARE scalable!I live in Germany, the Germans use alot of wind power generators.Many People also have solar panels on there roofs, and the between the two it is enough to run many households! and not one ounce of oil is burned(except in the manufacturing and delivery of mills\panels)Any power that this does not cover can be made with nuclear power.Cars and airplanes can also be electric and be charged w\wind.