Has anybody read the USA Today Article....

6420 Views 18 Replies 12 Participants Last post by moocatdog, Oct 30, 2004

BIF

Discussion Starter · Oct 26, 2004

today (Monday, 10/25)?

It's the one that cites the book "The End of Oil," and does a bit of kitchen-table math that basically indicates that we're on track to deplete the world's known oil supplies within 8 years or so.

Other figures didn't quite match up, though. I'm pretty sure that their statement that 45% of US oil usage is from cars and trucks is incorrect.

But even so, I found it interesting that Ganett would actually print the book title of "The End of Oil." Let's see how far that goes, huh?

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

AgentElrond

· #2 · Oct 26, 2004

Didn't see that; thanks for the info.

Was watching cable last night, and caught a segment where someone had strapped three jet engines to a LARGE truck (i.e. tractor/trailer variety); got it up to 300 mph at a cost (according to the driver/owner) of 400 gallons PER MILE. What a waste. :roll:

timmyd

· #3 · Oct 26, 2004

BIF,

Did you get a PM from timmyd? Just looking for some info. Thanks.

timmyd

BIF

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 26, 2004

Yeah, Timmy! I thought I had responded. You didn't get it?

EDIT - I typed up a quick response and re-sent it. Check your PM inbox.

RSnyder

· #5 · Oct 26, 2004

Guess we better hurry up and get that pipeline to Titan running

DaveinOlyWA

· #6 · Oct 27, 2004

i heard automobile usage was 55%

JRjr

· #7 · Oct 27, 2004

National Geographic had a bit more of a detailed article back in June of this year. See below for an excerpt:

http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm ... index.html

Their basic take on it was that cheap oil (with pricing + or - a dollar or two from its current price) will be gone sometime between 5 - 30 years.

JD

· #8 · Oct 27, 2004

USA Article

I truely believe we are on the downward slope of the Bell curve and are poised for a major worldwide oil shortage. There is another article today in the San Francisco Chronicle about OPEC asking the US to dip into its oil reserves to help decrease the skyrocketing cost of oil worldwide. There has been allot of speculation the Arabs have overstated their oil reserves for years. By OPEC asking the US to dip into its oil reserves, this may just add evidence of the increasing shortage of oil worldwide.

DaveinOlyWA

· #9 · Oct 28, 2004

i heard a newscast on the radio today that told about the response of OPEC to the US demands to increase oil production. the Saudi's basically said they will not increase their oil production because they cannot. if the US wants a bigger supply of oil, they should increase THEIR production of oil. (this was refering to the oil reserve in the US which is 4 times greater than the TOTAL WORLD RESERVE)

the retiring saudi arabian chief oil scientist says the US has completely wrong notion of oil deposits in the middle east. the US predicts that saudi arabia will double their oil production in the next 15 years when saudis say that they have reached their peak and are on the decline.

the US also predicts worldwide production of oil to be 120 million barrels by 2015. many scientists, including several in the US thinks its crazy to expect that much production and continued unabated demand for something that just wont be there.

BIF

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 28, 2004

Agreed, JD and Dave.

I've already said in other posts here that OPEC is at "max" right now, or within a million or two million barels of that limit. I also noted that OPEC has not used the words "will not" when asked to produce more. They have used the words "can not".

Oh the difference a word makes.

We will either have to increase our own production or reduce our own consumption. A combination of both is probably the most sensible path. I have also said before that pollution caused by humans is a minor issue when you take into account that our polluting will stop or at least be greatly curbed when we have no more fuel to burn.

No, I'm not planning to disengage my Prius' emission control features. It's just an observation....

In any case....tick-tock.....time's a'wastin'!

Think there's any credence to my prior assertion that maybe we are using other countries' oil before our own for a reason? Just another observation...

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john1701a

· #11 · Oct 28, 2004

It should be noted that the US has low quality oil deposits. More refining is needed to clean it up (lots of sulfur, etc) than with the more pure stuff over seas. That obviously increases the cost of gas, not good.

And if you couldn't guess, Iraq has some of the best oil in the world.

BIF

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 29, 2004

john1701a said:
...And if you couldn't guess, Iraq has some of the best oil in the world.

<smacking my lips> Yes, you're right. I just had some earlier today. A fantastic Italian meal made with sundried tomatoes, fetuccini, fish, olives, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember.

Where's the tasty Iraqi oil, you ask? No, I didn't drink it directly. That wouldn't have been very good for my cellular structure!

But bear with me, my friends. My ENTIRE MEAL was grown, caught, harvested, processed, cooked, and served with the assistance of oil. Oil for making fertilizer for the soil, for tilling the earth, planting the wheat and tomato seeds, caring for the plants, and harvesting. The fish was either farmed or caught from the wild. Either way, we had to use oil to make the ships go, and to transport the fish once it was caught.

Oil was used to make the kitchen tools, and maybe even to cook the fish. I believe it was baked, so the electricity came from an oil-fired power plant here in Orlando. The china my food was served on was manufactured with heat. Oh yes, and the table I sat at. And the building I was sitting in.

No doubt somewhere, along the line, in this decade or a prior one, oil from all over the world was used to build the infrastructure or grow, catch and cook my meal, and no doubt, some of that oil probably came from Iraq or another middle eastern country.

And as I remarked earlier, it was a very very tasty meal, primarily because it wouldn't have been possible without OIL.

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JD

· #13 · Oct 29, 2004

johns tasty meal

Gee John, actually you could have had your meal without oil.

Just think how many American soldiers are either now dead, maimed, or scared to death being under fire in Iraq just so you can smack your lips and enjoy your meal, all in the name of oil.

DaveinOlyWA

· #14 · Oct 29, 2004

although i know that oil played a part in it, i think we are overemphasizing the role of oil in the war.

moocatdog

· #15 · Oct 29, 2004

If, in each transportation, manufacturing and energy production step of the process that BIF so effectively illustrated, we substitute biodiesel for diesel or gas, we will have solved many of the problems associated with the current reliance on petroleum.

The more I read, the more I want a diesel-powered Prius.

Moo

Bob Allen

· #16 · Oct 29, 2004

moocatdog said:
If, in each transportation, manufacturing and energy production step of the process that BIF so effectively illustrated, we substitute biodiesel for diesel or gas, we will have solved many of the problems associated with the current reliance on petroleum.

The more I read, the more I want a diesel-powered Prius.

Moo

Me too!! My partner is running his Jetta TDI on bio diesel he makes in the garage. I've heard, though, that the weight and high compression of diesel engines make their use in hybrids somewhat more problematic. Eventually, I think the engineers will overcome this drawback and we will have a great intermediate dream car: diesel hyrids that get 100 mpg.
Bob

zinzindorff9

· #17 · Oct 29, 2004

Bio-deisal for thirty million cars! Come on now. Only happen when the last gallon of oil is gone. I doubt we could stand the rattling noise from that many vehicles. These new deisals are certainly energy efficient but they still all "stink" Hydrogen, some day, but not soon. I think we should concentrate getting everything hybrid.

richard schumacher

· #18 · Oct 29, 2004

moocatdog said:
The more I read, the more I want a diesel-powered Prius.

T-minus twenty-one months and counting.

moocatdog

· #19 · Oct 30, 2004

zinzindorff9 said:
Bio-deisal for thirty million cars! Come on now. Only happen when the last gallon of oil is gone.

Sadly.

I doubt we could stand the rattling noise from that many vehicles. These new deisals are certainly energy efficient but they still all "stink"

Yeah, but they don't stink as much as the thought of our children living in a hedgerow, fighting their former neighbors over a scrap of rancid dog meat.

Hydrogen, some day, but not soon. I think we should concentrate getting everything hybrid.

Agreed and the more that are running bio-diesel the longer that last gallon of oil will last.

I wrote:

The more I read, the more I want a diesel-powered Prius.

And richard schumacher replied:

T-minus twenty-one months and counting.

You always say the right thing! Do you have a link to info about this? I wanna be first in line.

bob allen said:
My partner is running his Jetta TDI on bio diesel he makes in the garage.

I wonder if I could do that legally in my municipality. Do you know his cost per gallon?

Drive happy,
Moo

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