Oil oil everywhere and not a drop to drink... oh wait...

That still doesn't answer the question though. Yes, we can lower usage of oil, but by the time everyone is sitting there shitting themselves because we realize that there isn't enough gas to fill up their Hummers it will be a little too late. I know that this point is a long time away, but we really don't know when it is. No business owner would just use up a resource without discretion knowing that one day it will run out and not knowing when it is.

As I have said multiple times this isn't to say that we are going to be fucked next week, next year or even a decade from now, but we don't know when it will be and we don't have a real plan for when that comes. I believe that when the demand comes for it and more money is focused towards finding new energy sources we will find them, but it will be harder than people think and will have nothing to do with reducing oil usage.

 

Who knows , maybe one day in the not too distant future we end up in a Mad Max 2 ( Road Warrior ) scenario where gasoline shortages cause it to become a precious enough commodity to have gangs of soccer moms in SUV's to roaming the highways, maurauding and killing others for fuel.

 

I'm starting to see more and more reports that the flow of oil has been stopped.

Obviously, we won't know for certain until a few days from now, but can anyone tell me how seriously I should take these reports?

 

I just heard this morning that this incident is currently 4 times as bad as the Exxon Valdez accident, which is really saying a lot.

 

"But even the highest estimate would not make the spill the biggest ever in the Gulf. In 1979, a drilling rig in Mexican waters — the Ixtoc I — blew up, releasing 140 million gallons of oil."

From the article highlighted above...

 

There is actually naturally occurring bacteria that eat hydrocarbons (natural gas, crude oil, etc). Nature usually takes care of organic stuff (even radioactive stuff). What you should worry about more is plastics, Styrofoam, and other xenobiotics which do not degrade.

 

Current estimates put the leak at 19,000 barrels leaked a day.

We're gonna need a shitload of bacteria.

 

Honestly, the only real alternative we have out there right now that is proven, reliable, cheap, and produces a constant, predictable amount of power is nuclear energy. Our best alternative with currently available technology would be to transition to electric vehicles, supplied by nuclear power plants. Unfortunately, 90% of the US population is either completely ignorant of how nuclear plants work and the huge differences between US reactor designs and Chernobyl, listen and give more credibility to every source out there except real scientists and engineers, or have been convinced by the media that living by a nuclear plant will give them cancer and deformed babies. Most of the country is against nuclear power, but they don't even really know why.

We'll never be able to completely stop consuming oil, just like we haven't stopped using coal. Oil is used for so much more than just gasoline, it's used to make just about everything that you own. Plastics, rubbers, finishes, coatings, chemicals, even some of your foods use petroleum byproducts.

 

I like my SUV. Cars are not for me. If they were both free, I would take a Lincoln Navigator over a Porsche (let's pretend there's no resale value). I like turning the air conditioning down to freezing. I'm always hearing conserve energy, conserve, conserve (I'm not saying that's what you specifically are doing). But you know what? No. Just no. That's it. I'll conserve and recycle only if it's just as convenient for me to do so than not. My garbage company actually charges people to BUY a recycle bin. I would say they're fucking crazy, but a lot of people actually do buy them. Not me. I don't care if that makes me an asshole. I'm just not bending over my back to go "green". I'm still waiting for evidence that the increasingly hot climate isn't due to natural causes btw.

I'm willing to pay for the gas in my SUV, even though 80% of the time I'm the only one in it. I like jet skis. I like freezing cold air. So I say I deserve it. You don't like, buy a prius. Or better yet, buy a hybrid smart car so you can fly into a tree every time the wind picks up to over 30mph.

/end rant

 

really not trying to be a dick but do you really read that and not think that you sound like an asshole?

I get that some people don't buy into the whole greening the world thing, but that's not what this is even talking about. There is a difference between going "green" to reduce the damage to the environment and doing it because there is only so much oil and fossil fuels in the world for us to use. You're arguing against going green but if every person buys an SUV and uses energy with reckless abandon it will run out. As I said, not today or tomorrow or probably in any of our lifetimes (hopefully) but it will run out.

 

First, I fully understand a lot of people will think I'm coming off like an asshole. I know and understand that completely.

Second, all I ever hear is how fossil fuels are always going to run out. All that ever happens is we keep finding more and more. Your assumption that they actually will is just a guess and ignores that fact that more fossil fuels are being discovered year after year. When my grandpa was a kid people use to say that there would be no coal left in the world by sometime in the late 40s to late 50s. That argument is constantly being made, and is constantly proved wrong after the benchmarks are passed. If you want something to be concerned about, be concerned about the increasing danger of a fresh water shortage. That one actually has some merit to it.

Third, asshole or not, I like my SUV. That's all there is to it. I hate regular cars. It's either SUVs or trucks for me. I'm sure as hell not going to feel guilty for driving one. If you want to make a difference, drive a vehicle that gets less mpgs. To each his own.

edit: fixed the quote

 

But let's say they do run out. Of course they eventually will. Eventually.

Then I'll drive a hybrid SUV. But only if I have to. I'm going to enjoy the fossil fuels to the fullest while they're around. I'm willing to pay for the gas. So...... I'm going to drive a big car that gets shitty MPG. I'm going to do it for no other reason than I want to. The last thing I'm going to do is let a guilt trip affect my purchasing trends. Especially a big one like that.

 

Like you said, no change until we need to. Why would we? The other alternatives are already there, but they're not as good. So everyone uses oil. If there comes a time that a change NEEDS to be made, that's another story. But at the end of the day, it's up to the consumers. Of course politicians and oil barons aren't going to advertise or propose a change. But people could buy hybrids if they want. But they don't because most see it as a waste and unnecessary. Until is is, I know I won't either.

It's like they say, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

 

Along those lines, behold the Northern Gyre in the Pacific Ocean.

Also:

 

I wonder if it really is 'greener' to switch from an SUV to a different, more gass friendly car. After all, there must be significant carbon emission required to make that new car in the first place.

In my opinion, putting the onus on the consumer is pointless. I'm always going to go for the most economic option, those who don't are probably the minority. The government should be the ones enforcing carbon saving measures.

 

I don't want the government to do a goddamn thing. That sad collection of fuckheads in Washington D.C. do a whole lot of nothing, until they fuck something up.
This all comes down to money. If a company makes a product worth buying, people will buy it. Think about what Mp3 players did to the cassette tape and in turn stereo equipment.
Do they even make a stereo with cassette?
If a company made a form of transportation that ran on something other than fossil fuel, something completely new, people would buy it.
There is nothing that would make people happier than telling the oil companies to go fuck themselves.
Having the government enforce something else? How about they start with enforcing some kind of control over what oil companies do when it comes to huge disasters, like the one we're having right now? Or, should we trust them to do the right thing?
Think about this, every dime that gets spent on this "clean-up" is going to be written off. Then, they're going to jack the price of gas way up.
I'd be willing to bet that they'll make money off this, one way or another.

 

Hey look! They're doing... something.

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I don't believe in buying "green" shit or believing in radical hippies screaming about the environment. I do, however, believe in sealing up my house to make sure the A/C runs efficiently. I will hop on my bicycle and pedal wherever I can. I support local farmers (by drinking milk and eating meat and using soy/corn products).

One of my roommates recently set up a small garden in the backyard. She's using organic soil and organic bone meal. I wish I would have recorded her expenses and trips to whatever stores (greenhouses, etc.) and compared the cost of the food she grew and amount of gas she used up driving to get the garden supplies vs. simply buying the same stuff in a store. I think she'd end up rather disappointed when all is said and done.

 

This is something I have argued for a long time, I guess because I'm a mechanic. Do we really NEED to keep making so many new cars? Why not just fix the old ones?
When the government bailed out the car companies, I was spittin' mad. Why not just let them fail or declare bankruptcy if they were too incompetent to run their businesses properly?
I drive a 20 year old car and I love it; I would never want to buy a new car. I've seen what's available, and it doesn't impress me.