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05/24/2007 03:37:46 AM · #76 |
The US was designed around the automobile. Alternatives like trams, trains, trolleys, and busses were given secondary consideration. There are fewer of them and they go to fewer parts of cities. In Europe, places are closer together and there are more alternatives to cars in place. New Yorkers get along pretty well without cars since there are alternatives. In Los Angeles, you cannot easily get around without a car and since there are so many cars, even that can be difficult but it does not have many realistic alternatives. The city is very spead out requiring people to travel longer distances. New York is more compact. We would have to reengineer much of our entire society to be able to reduce our dependence on the automobile and it will take a major crisis to do that.
The supply of oil is getting smaller. Production of the largest oil reserves, one percent of all known oilfields account for 60% of total production, are declining in the face of growing demand. The US oil production started to fall off in the 1970s and most of the twenty largest known reserves are in similar declines including the five biggest ones. New discoveries are not keeping pace with the output declines.
In fact, there have not been any true major discoveries for the past 20 years. Production is not necessarily not happening because the oil companies chose not to produce, it is that we are nearing the maximum the world is capable of producing. Sure we could make more refineries and stick in a few more pumps into existing fields, but that will only hasten the day when things run dry and make the shock of running out greater since we had the illusion that we still had enough.
Oil is in so many things critical to our daily living. It is used to make fertilizers so that we can produce enough food to eat. It is in plastics- which are part of about everything these days, but the biggest use is still the automobile and internal combustion engine. It transports us and all the things we buy from producer to consumer. It is needed for the machines that produce those goods. Even a nuclear power plant would still require petroleum products.
People do not like to change. It will take a large shock like a huge jump in prices to get them to react on a large scale basis. A study of driving habits reports that despite the recent rises in gasoline prices, people are not driving any less. We are not yet feeling enough pain to be willing to change our behavior. Some are, but not enough to make a difference. At least our scientists and researchers are beginning to explore more alternatives but they take time to develop and create the infrastructure for widespread use.
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05/24/2007 03:54:14 AM · #77 |
Originally posted by LoudDog:
If gas were $350/gallon I bet you would not live 40 miles from work? |
You are absolutely right... I would sit on my A$$ at home (summers only of course) and watch the grass grow and grow because there is no way on earth I would consider using a power mower on it.
Then again, if gas was $350 a gallon, my salary would probably be significant higher and we would probably be bitching about the cost of gas going up to $370.
Ray |
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05/24/2007 03:58:11 AM · #78 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
if gas was $350 a gallon, my salary would probably be significant higher and we would probably be bitching about the cost of gas going up to $370. |
...and a big-mac would cost $50 each with only 1 slice of patty instead of 2. by the way, why do you people like to call it "gas" when it is obviously liquid? we call it petrol or fuel.
Message edited by author 2007-05-24 03:59:05. |
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05/24/2007 04:15:06 AM · #79 |
Originally posted by crayon:
... by the way, why do you people like to call it "gas" when it is obviously liquid? we call it petrol or fuel. |
Probably because most people in this part of the world consider it an abbreviation of the word "Gasoline" which is defined as "a volatile, flammable liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, obtained from petroleum, and used as fuel for internal-combustion engines, as a solvent"... but I could be wrong.
Ray |
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05/24/2007 04:31:43 AM · #80 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
Originally posted by crayon:
... by the way, why do you people like to call it "gas" when it is obviously liquid? we call it petrol or fuel. |
Probably because most people in this part of the world consider it an abbreviation of the word "Gasoline" which is defined as "a volatile, flammable liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, obtained from petroleum, and used as fuel for internal-combustion engines, as a solvent"... but I could be wrong.
Ray |
oh thanks. so it was a short-form from the word gasoline.
"gas" really made me think of the state of the matter ;) |
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05/24/2007 08:49:55 AM · #81 |
Originally posted by crayon:
Originally posted by RayEthier:
Originally posted by crayon:
... by the way, why do you people like to call it "gas" when it is obviously liquid? we call it petrol or fuel. |
Probably because most people in this part of the world consider it an abbreviation of the word "Gasoline" which is defined as "a volatile, flammable liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, obtained from petroleum, and used as fuel for internal-combustion engines, as a solvent"... but I could be wrong.
Ray |
oh thanks. so it was a short-form from the word gasoline.
"gas" really made me think of the state of the matter ;) |
BTW when gasoline gets injected into an engine its vaporized. It sorta is a gas at that point. |
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05/24/2007 10:48:18 PM · #82 |
a curious question.
what do you think would happen if, suddenly, petroleum supply stops entirely? what do you think would happen next, and what is likely to IMMEDIATELY replace it as the next energy source? the year is 2007. |
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05/24/2007 10:56:03 PM · #83 |
Originally posted by crayon:
a curious question.
what do you think would happen if, suddenly, petroleum supply stops entirely? what do you think would happen next, and what is likely to IMMEDIATELY replace it as the next energy source? the year is 2007. |
Chaos, anarchy, and rioting in the streets of every major country would happen "next". And as for energy, I surmise we'd have to crank ethenol into high gear, and electric too.
The only real problem with electric is batteries - once we find good, long lasting, lower weight batteries to store power in, electric cars are good to go.
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05/24/2007 11:32:42 PM · #84 |
Originally posted by RainMotorsports:
BTW when gasoline gets injected into an engine its vaporized. It sorta is a gas at that point. |
Is it truly vaporized, or broken into tiny (microscopic) droplets? |
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05/25/2007 12:24:05 AM · #85 |
Originally posted by crayon:
a curious question.
what do you think would happen if, suddenly, petroleum supply stops entirely? what do you think would happen next, and what is likely to IMMEDIATELY replace it as the next energy source? the year is 2007. |
This company would get even busier. //www.teslamotors.com/index.php I am going to get one of these as soon as they are much less expensive. lol |
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05/25/2007 12:44:53 AM · #86 |
Originally posted by crayon:
a curious question.
what do you think would happen if, suddenly, petroleum supply stops entirely? what do you think would happen next, and what is likely to IMMEDIATELY replace it as the next energy source? the year is 2007. |
Try to look up a SciFi short story called The Waveries -- it deals with a very similar situation ... I can't remember the author or original publication source, but it was anthologized in a book called Invaders of Earth edited by Groff Conklin. A good library may have it ... |
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05/25/2007 01:07:02 AM · #87 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by RainMotorsports:
BTW when gasoline gets injected into an engine its vaporized. It sorta is a gas at that point. |
Is it truly vaporized, or broken into tiny (microscopic) droplets? |
No, it's a fine mist until combustion happens.
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05/25/2007 01:09:36 AM · #88 |
Originally posted by crayon:
think of the world BEFORE the petrol engine.
horses and carriages? sailing ships?
slower, but not so dependent on fuel |
A horse has got to eat. that's fuel. :-)
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05/25/2007 01:20:14 AM · #89 |
Originally posted by crayon:
a curious question.
what do you think would happen if, suddenly, petroleum supply stops entirely? what do you think would happen next, and what is likely to IMMEDIATELY replace it as the next energy source? the year is 2007. |
Home : )
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05/25/2007 05:35:04 PM · #90 |
The production of ethanol presently requires oil- for fertilizers, machines to plant and harvest it and to produce the ethanol. Presntly, producing ethanol from corn consumes about as much energy as it produces. Even the soles of the shoes we walk on are made from petroleum based plastics instead of rubber these days. There is a transition time for alternatives- some longer, some shorter so we need to be working on them now. Nuclear has the best long term potential to produce electricity (you need that to charge your electric batteries!) although there is still the problem of what to do with the nuclear waste for thousands of years. Coal and natural gas are still around but supplies are getting smaller on them too. If the price of gas doubles, then people will start to use it less and consider more alternatives.
As the price for oil rises, then other marginal sources for oil become more economically viable like oil sands in Canada and smaller oil reserves- helping to delay reconing day.
Message edited by author 2007-05-25 17:37:44.
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05/25/2007 06:19:13 PM · #91 |
Originally posted by boomtap:
Originally posted by crayon:
a curious question.
what do you think would happen if, suddenly, petroleum supply stops entirely? what do you think would happen next, and what is likely to IMMEDIATELY replace it as the next energy source? the year is 2007. |
This company would get even busier. //www.teslamotors.com/index.php I am going to get one of these as soon as they are much less expensive. lol |
A lot of oil goes into making cars, electric or otherwise. If the supply stopped entirely today you couldn't make that same car tomorrow.
If the oil supply stopped today coal would immediately replace it. Nuclear would then become much more attractive and new plants brought online so that the last of the coal reserves could be used to produce oil and the myriad of products we depend on instead of burning it for electricity. |
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05/27/2007 12:39:13 AM · #92 |
| Unfortunatly firing off letters to politicians won't help. Most are on the take from the oil companies anyway, and bottome line is they don't give a rip about you and me. And the proof is in the pudding of how serious we are taking this, as SUV and pickup sales continue to rise. Don't you think Saudi Arabia and the oil companies see this and continue to grin? |
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05/27/2007 12:49:25 AM · #93 |
Originally posted by doug61853:
Don't you think Saudi Arabia and the oil companies see this and continue to grin? |
It would be more cause for concern rather than cause for grinning. |
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