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The reality of the situation is that crude oil is a fossil fuel, something that cannot be recreated or regenerated, and the world is rapidly running out of this so-called precious resource. Even the Middle East (Saudi Arabia), stockpiling some of the largest crude oil reserves in the world, will eventually run out. Because of its deep integration in our society, businesses and individuals depend on oil. Carmakers, airplane manufacturers and various manufacturing and processing facilities thrive on the profits generated by oil-based equipment. What these companies are failing to realize is that there’s not much left. United States oil production peaked in the early 1970’s, and we are now completely out of crude oil, depending on other nations for our oil imports. Because of its limited availability, crude oil is bound to run out everywhere sooner or later. And that time is closer than we think.
Crude Oil Raises Economies up, Then Drops Them for Good
The oil boom raised the economies and lifestyles of nations ranging from Venezuela to Saudi Arabia. Sadly, the lifestyles, being solely dependent on a non-renewable resource, leave just as quickly as the resource arrived. The end result, however, is even worse – namely that the countries are left worse off than they were before the oil boom brought them a new infrastructure, better education and higher paying jobs. Once people adjust to this enhanced lifestyle it’s difficult to go back. Not only that, but society breaks down as a whole when the resource it has learned to depend on is now no longer available.
What Will the World Be like Without Oil?
What will happen when we suddenly are made aware of the truth – that oil is running out much faster than we’ve been made to believe? The fact is that if the industry does not make adjustments in time, in the form of an alternative energy source, to compensate for the lack of oil in the near future – our lifestyles will change dramatically. Picture barely being able to afford a tank of gas – public transit gets a huge boost as only the super wealthy can afford to drive in their cars. And don’t even think about flying anywhere. Sound like a nightmare? Sound too far-fetched to be true? Think about it – it’s in the oil-producing nations’ interest to make their people believe that the oil situation is not as dire as it seems. Economies, industry and capital markets depend on it. We’ve got a lot more to say on this topic and will be bringing you more articles in the coming days.
Transitioning to a World Without Oil
Ever wonder if we could go without oil? This Ted Talk by Rob Hopkins discusses a unique solution to life without oil.
Public Transit Infographic: An Alternative Way to Get Around
If you want to be less reliant upon oil, then you can do your part now to help save the planet and conserve oil at the same time. Taking the bus or riding the metro might not be an option everywhere or all the time but if it is you should familiarize yourself with the routes and schedules and come to find the benefits of getting around the mass transit way.
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Do We Really Need Oil?
But do we need to depend on oil? In 2013, the world went through an average of 90,354.27 gallons of oil per day. As ingrained as this natural resource is in our industry, there are plenty of renewable energy technologies based on wind power, solar energy, plants and more, that are ready to be used and advanced to the next level. Renewable energies are no longer thoughts of the future or mere speculation. They are here now and, if you know where to look, readily available. What’s more is that energy itself can be saved by adhering to a little common sense. Browse around the site, or explore our tips category, for advice on how to save energy.
What are your thoughts on the world running out of oil?
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23 Comments on "The World is Running out of Crude Oil"
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Other areas may actually show an increase in the amount of accessible crude oil. This includes the USA. Yes, even the USA! In fact, the USA is likely to become a net oil exporting nation within the next ten to twenty years. This is due in large measure to the availability of fracking and other new oil exploration and extracting techniques. These new technologies will make previously inaccessible oil reserves available. Actually, there is a huge amount of oil trapped beneath the surface of the USA. By some estimates there is more oil here than there is in the fields of Saudi Arabia! That should give everyone something to think about.
I suppose the author can be forgiven for their stance. Maybe they simply got hold of incorrect data. en benefit, too, and the switch away from oil may prove this point.
Now, I totally understand where the author is coming from. I believe that the point to be made here is the fact that with diminishing oil, the world simply must turn to renewable energy ideas and methods. The main point is therefore not about oil at all, but about how we need to start developing some new energy sources before we run out of time.
Personally, I have heard this argument many times. Fine, if you want to argue that we should be developing alternative methods of energy production. But it would be much more honest if this was done in an honest and reasonable fashion. It is too bad that the author simply did not take the time to get the correct facts. Possibly they used a source which was incorrect?
Finding other sources of energy is fine. In fact, we probably should be looking for new sources. On the other hand, I am also of the strong opinion that the USA should begin doing more offshore drilling and exploration. There is certainly a great deal of oil out there and all we need to do is go out and find it. The world is certainly not running out of crude oil at all. I think the author just wanted to believe something which would prove their opinion that the world needs to begin converting over to non oil sources of energy.
Here’s what really happened. The electric car was developed years ago. It worked. People loved it. They were ready to make it the newest car on the market. It would have put a huge dent in the amount of oil we consume. The oil companies killed the idea. Why? Because they hadn’t made enough money yet. Listen, the more we talk about the oil shortage, the higher the prices will go …round and round.
It also occurs to me that as people start to achieve more and more success, their priorities begin to change. No longer is the goal just mere survival. Now the goal is to thrive and to begin to live better. This means that we are about to see a huge tidal wave like increase in the number of consumers who will start to demand better clothes, homes, cars and more. This is also going to lead to a vast increase in the demand for energy, including (maybe especially) oil.
Yet, if the author’s contention is true, we must search for alternative means to satisfy this huge and growing demand. Whatever side you fall on this topic, it is clear that something needs to be done now in order to solve this.
Although I was not aware of this information beforehand, I was able to locate a source which states that sometime between 2010 and 2020 the world supply of oil and gas will fall below the level required to meet international demand. This is certainly interesting information. I wonder how the specifics of all this shake out? I mean, will this be more due to an increased demand with a relatively constant supply, or will the supply actually begin dropping. I am also not sure if any of that would really matter. Essentially, if we are running out of oil, does it really matter exactly how it all shakes out?
Still I am very curious. I have also heard that there are certain areas which are increasing their oil supply. Perhaps production is another story altogether, but I was under the impression that areas like the Bakken in the USA are going to lead to big increases in the supply of usable oil. Perhaps it will take a long time to bring them online. Or maybe I just heard incorrectly? And we need to do it fast!
The implications of running out of oil are actually pretty severe. There are some who already have suggested that the recent wars waged in Iraq and (to a much lesser extent) Afghanistan were simply about securing a future supply of oil for our country to access. If this is true, then may we expect even more of this? That is certainly a frightening implication, and not one that I am happy to face. Yet, I think face it we must. We need to start working together to find solutions to this.
Unless you were born yesterday, we all know that oil is a non renewable resource. It also only seems reasonable to believe that the world supply is running out. According to the author, this is true everywhere, even in the middle east.
While I can personally see the logic in this article, I disagree with the author strongly. After doing a lot of research into this subject, I can confidently say that while certain areas are experiencing declines in production, this is very rarely the same thing as reserves, or as running out of oil.
Actually, production data shows that the supply of oil is likely to remain relatively consistent and steady through about the year 2030. So, the supply of oil at least is not going to decline. This does not certainly seem to indicate that the world is running out of oil.
Additionally, one of the most exciting developments in the oil industry actually is happening in one of the least likely places, the United States. Many people would be very surprised to hear that the reserves of the USA are actually rapidly increasing. In fact, due to some recent technologies, the USA is now positioned to potentially become the largest holder of oil reserves in the world. They may even outpace Saudi Arabia and the rest of the OPEC countries.
This is due primarily to an area called the Bakken. The Bakken is a huge oil field located in the Dakotas, Montana and extending into Canada. While the Bakken is actually a series of old oil fields, having been discovered in the early part of the 20th century, new technology has given this area a huge boost.
The reserves within the Bakken were always well established. It was just thought that it would be too difficult to get to them and actually take the oil from under the ground. New methods have changed all this. It is now very affordable to access all of this oil. Some areas of the Bakken are currently producing oil and there is a very real shortage of workers. This could spell opportunity for a number of people who are interested in entering the oil industry (or just finding work).
If you have never heard of the word fracking, then is something you need to become more familiar with. This is the new technology that is making the oil in areas like the Bakken more accessible now. It is a method of simply getting into hard to reach places and drawing out the oil. It does require some expensive equipment (but so does drilling) and there are significant water requirements if I remember correctly.
Global warming!! For real? Now the fools are blaming the hard winter on global warming. Two years ago they were saying the mild winters were the proof. Make up your minds.
I think the global warming is due to all the bullshit lies coming out your ass! I mean your fingers that typed this on your computer that was made from oil. I bet you don’t drive a car. I bet you don’t wipe your ass with paper cut from a tree with a gas engine saw. I bet you don’t eat food that was trucked to a store with a gas engine. I bet you don’t have a tv in your house made from oil. I bet you don’t brush your lying teeth with a tooth brush made from oil.
And your argument is ridiculous – just because we live in an oil-based society with goods created from oil-based processes doesn’t mean we have to stay that way. On the contrary – it shows us how much work we have left to do to change – how our infrastructure is mired in old, environmentally damaging ways.
As an analogy – during the Nazi regime, as a German, would you have supported the Nazis simply because everything around you was created by and for the Nazis? I know this is an extreme example, but it’s partially to illustrate how ridiculous your argument is.
Finally – global warming, more accurately named climate change – doesn’t have to do with everything getting hotter – it has to do with changes in climate as a result of the impact we’ve made on our planet? The result? Massive displacement of people – ie. climate refugees.
You want some facts?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the twelve warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850). Warming is most pronounced in higher northern latitudes, and land areas have warmed faster than oceans.
And I hope you don’t have kids, or are planning to (not just because you’re a self-proclaimed @ss face, but because here’s what they may face in the coming decades):
* Towards 2050, around 150 million people around the world may be forced to leave home as a result of climate change. Some 75 million of these climate refugees will come from the Asia Pacific region, and this number could rise to 150 million by 2100.
* Some 26 million people have been forced to leave their homes as a direct result of climate change and a million more are added to this figure every year due to climate-related circumstances. Insular communities such as Vanatu, Tuvalu and the Gulf of Bengal have been forced to flee from the rising sea level.
* It is calculated that the number of people affected by climate-related humanitarian crisis will rise by 54% to 375 million by 2015. This would threaten to overwhelm the global capacity for response.
* Disasters have a disproportionate impact on poor communities in developing countries. For example, while only 11% of those exposed to hazards live in developing countries, 53% of disaster mortality occurs in those countries.
* Climate change could reduce the GDP of vulnerable countries by one fifth by 2030 if we do not take urgent measures.
* Climate change has caused an average of 150,000 deaths per year, due to different illnesses, since the 1970s, with half of all cases occurring in Asia.
* The rise in temperatures will make it impossible to work at the same rate on hot summer days without severe consequences to health, causing serious damage to laborers paid by the hour and to the economy in general. Tropical cities such as Delhi could suffer a 30% decline in labor productivity.
* Developing countries are expected to bear between 75-80% of the costs of harmful climate change though they are least responsible for causing the crisis.
* Climate impacts already cost countries an estimated 1-12% of GDP each year and this could rise to 19% by 2030.
Source of facts: Corresponsables.com Climate Facts and Figures
The increasing demand for oil is going up year by year. With the factor of overpopulation played into that, oil is going to run out soon. Especially at the rate we’re using up the oil. So get real. Oil is going to run out.
I feel that people should begin learning to live without oil right now. That way it will be easier to cope when oil is really gonna be gone. I mean oil is a fossil fuel and it will run out sooner or later. So we should face this truth and conserve our oil and learn to live without it on more eco-friendly ways.
Peace out everyone =)
Cheers,
Ben
Yes, thanks for your support. We’re doing our best to write articles in our spare time. The environment is a huge priority, and we’re going to spend much of 2009 dedicating more resources to Earth’s Friends.
Stay tuned! 🙂