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How long will coal, gas and oil last?

Worztron

Hi mods, please move this thread if it is in the wrong place. Thanks.

Hello. How long will coal, gas and oil last?

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Usersname

You can forget about tarsands and all those other 'reserves' of oil on the planet. Oil will not run out, as was said before, it will only become inefficient to extract. Extracting oil from tarsands is extremely energy intensive and uses vast quantities of fresh water. It is not exactly sustainable or efficient.

The worlds oil consumption increases at a rate of 7% a year. This means it doubles every 10 years. In other words, if oil ran out tomorrow, we would have to discover the same amount of oil we have consumed since the industrial revolution in order to last 10 more years of consumption.

So you can see how even if there are 'huge' amounts of oil left in Canada or Mexico or whatever it will still not be enough to get us beyond the 10 or 20 year mark.

Yes people have been saying this for 30 years and it might not happen for another 50 or more. But it is going to happen. And it will not be pretty. If we are unprepared it may lead to the collapse of western civilization as we know it.

As for how much oil and gas is left, nobody on this planet has any idea. There's just a whole bunch of guesstimations floating about.

TotallyEpic

stovelid wrote: »

I would have thought that recycling the oleaginous remains of Gerry Ryan would have sorted out our oil needs for a decade or two?

Too soon...too soon :P

karma_

RichieC wrote: »

Conspiracy theories.. I've no doubt there's a grain of truth in it, they do rather make drugs that you'll be dependent on for life rather than a cure, but I refuse to believe they are monstrous enough to hold out on a cure for childhood Leukemia.

I'm not so sure, what about the time Bayer knowingly let thousands become infected with HIV, all because they didn;t want to lose money on an infected batch of plasma.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contaminated_haemophilia_blood_products

stovelid

I would have thought that recycling the oleaginous remains of Gerry Ryan would have sorted out our oil needs for a decade or two?

The Shtig

I'm reading Paul Roberts - The End of Oil and is a great book looking at how much reserves are left, politics with oil and the other options availible. Definately recommend it.

The range varies a lot between different oil optimists and pessimists but we may have reached our peak and we have the last of the 'easy oil'. Now they will have to drill for oil in more difficult and dangerous places like the Atlantic or the Artic but there will be a lot of opposition. I'm no way any expert in this just reciting what I read so might not be correct.

There's a interesting section stating that goverments are hesitant to switch to other sources of energy and will most likely wait until there is no other solution due to the tax they make from oil and the cost of other options.

Captain_Generic

The George probably has decent oil reserves

Knasher

flanzer wrote: »

That's a similar theme to a cousin of mine who does research in leukemia in kids and says it's speculated in that industry that there is a cure for cancer out there, but the big pharmaceutical companies keep it hush as there is more money to be made in the treatment of it, than cure it

I doubt there is an actual cure out there, but I would imagine that when companies are doing research they concentrate on areas which will yield a treatment over areas that will yield a cure. Not that I know much about cancer research to say that they are distinct and identifiable areas.

RichieC

flanzer wrote: »

That's a similar theme to a cousin of mine who does research in leukemia in kids and says it's speculated in that industry that there is a cure for cancer out there, but the big pharmaceutical companies keep it hush as there is more money to be made in the treatment of it, than cure it

Conspiracy theories.. I've no doubt there's a grain of truth in it, they do rather make drugs that you'll be dependent on for life rather than a cure, but I refuse to believe they are monstrous enough to hold out on a cure for childhood Leukemia.

flanzer

Delta Kilo wrote: »

I know a guy working in the oil industry in Canada. He is an engineer that analyses gas pipelines and leaks. He told me there is a huge amount of oil left, it is just all kept hush hush so they can make more money on it.

That's a similar theme to a cousin of mine who does research in leukemia in kids and says it's speculated in that industry that there is a cure for cancer out there, but the big pharmaceutical companies keep it hush as there is more money to be made in the treatment of it, than cure it

YFlyer

Captain_Generic wrote: »

As far as I know Canada has huge untapped reserves of oil, but its not crude oil, and it's expensive to utilize.

Oilsands, or some call it tarsands.

There is also huge reserves of oilshale in North America and heavy oils in Mexico and Venezuela.

RichieC

Delta Kilo wrote: »

I know a guy working in the oil industry in Canada. He is an engineer that analyses gas pipelines and leaks. He told me there is a huge amount of oil left, it is just all kept hush hush so they can make more money on it.

sounds like BS... there is no doubt plenty of oil left in the earths crust, the problem is that it is hard to get at and starts to consume more energy extracting it than you will get from the extracted oil.

the other problem is the quality of the Crude Oil... not all Crude is easily or cheaply refined.

Overheal

Delta Kilo wrote: »

I know a guy working in the oil industry in Canada. He is an engineer that analyses gas pipelines and leaks. He told me there is a huge amount of oil left, it is just all kept hush hush so they can make more money on it.

Not surprised.

The pragmatist in me sees it as necessary. Anything we know we have an abundance of we consume nonchalantly. At least in the current culture we are more conscious of future conservation.

Delta Kilo

I know a guy working in the oil industry in Canada. He is an engineer that analyses gas pipelines and leaks. He told me there is a huge amount of oil left, it is just all kept hush hush so they can make more money on it.

Overheal

Pauleta wrote: »

There's about 30-40 years of oil left but i would say in about 20 years it will become too expensive for the general public.

I agree (about the cost not the years - I don't have figures and don't honestly find it relevant today). But that will also make alternative energies inherently cheaper.

Captain_Generic

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

They've been saying that for 30 years

It's like the whole diamond fiasco, control the supply, justify the price.

As far as I know Canada has huge untapped reserves of oil, but its not crude oil, and it's expensive to utilize.

Guy:Incognito

Pauleta wrote: »

There's about 30-40 years of oil left but i would say in about 20 years it will become too expensive for the general public.

They've been saying that for 30 years

RichieC

It's never going to get cheaper, I've read some people saying we have already reached peak production and now begins a long drawn out decline filled with wars and conflict over the remaining supplies...

Cookie_Monster

it'll last a lot longer than is quoted I think. there plenty of deeper un tapped resources that are too expenive now, but as it gets scarer it'll become worthwhile to dig it out and the technology will improve making access easier too.

Daegerty

Pauleta wrote: »

There's about 30-40 years of oil left but i would say in about 20 years it will become too expensive for the general public.

Just as well I have a Horse outside

Poly

I get about 2 months out of a fill of oil

Pauleta

There's about 30-40 years of oil left but i would say in about 20 years it will become too expensive for the general public.

petes

Depends, how much did you get?

Daegerty

40 years. probably 30 now for oil and gas

We will never run out of either, it just won't yield any energy to extract it from the ground at some point.

100s of years of coal left.

biko

Google says 40 Years of Oil and 65 Years of Gas Left
http://www.bionomicfuel.com/fossil-fuels-reserves-will-not-last-long/

History of Oil
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5267640865741878159#

MidlandsM

Till it runs out.

Chaotic_Forces

Untill we figure out a new "cheaper" energy that we'll be charged the same for so the government can make more money.