Earth: 10years after oil runs out.

[CaseyV9]

I just seen today on Sky news website. The front of the daily Express showing a picture of the shelves of supermarkets empty in Spain. Stating Britain will face the same due to Fuel Protests.

Just made me wonder, If the world ran out of oil, absolutley none left, What would the world be like 10 years afterwards?

[Gerrard]

I am a very pesimistic type of person, so I will say that the crap will hit the the fan before the oil runs out. I reckon things will esculate until someone tries to control the supply of oil for themselves (eg, USA tries to stop oil going to Russia and China). Of course, people aren't going to like this, and rather than change, we will have WWIII.

So, 10 years after the oil runs out? Nuclear Winter.

[badass]

I am a very pesimistic type of person, so I will say that the crap will hit the the fan before the oil runs out. I reckon things will esculate until someone tries to control the supply of oil for themselves (eg, USA tries to stop oil going to Russia and China). Of course, people aren't going to like this, and rather than change, we will have WWIII.

So, 10 years after the oil runs out? Nuclear Winter.

Bet you're a right laugh at a party

[kalniel]

While I agree there is probably going to be some quite serious handbags over remaining fossil resources, I think we'll be able to get oil for nearly all our current uses through alternate means, while there will also be plenty of alternate power sources too.

The problem is in either getting those cheap enough for all of the world to use, or in making all of the world rich enough to buy them.

[TheAnimus]

Bet you're a right laugh at a party

Hey hun, wanna keep warm for the imminent nuclear winter?

[chuckskull]

10 years after oil gets short we will still be waging war over the last few drops.

[iranu]

I am a very pesimistic type of person, so I will say that the crap will hit the the fan before the oil runs out. I reckon things will esculate until someone tries to control the supply of oil for themselves (eg, USA tries to stop oil going to Russia and China). Of course, people aren't going to like this, and rather than change, we will have WWIII.

So, 10 years after the oil runs out? Nuclear Winter.

Russia is the biggest energy producer in the world. Russia is the biggest gas producer by an enormous margin and the second biggest oil producer after Saudi Arabia so you can scratch war with Russia and the US over oil.

There is plenty of oil left. Now that the cost is high we are seeing the British and French stake expanded claims to their territories around the world and the Ruskies are pushing it in the Arctic. They'll be greater pressure in the US for Alaskan exploration so we aren't in trouble anytime soon. Demand for oil exploration services and the required machinery has rocketed to the point where there isn't much further capacity.

However, because the oil price is now so high and predicted to go higher (I think the head of a Russian oil company was talking about $250 ) it's hurting everyone worldwide therefore alternatives are going to become financially and strategically viable. This will require new technology and produce new markets. A high oil price will simply wean us of of addiction to the black gold. We'll just use coal more and more. As for transport then there are alternatives to petrol/diesel and those will become more prevalent eg electric cars.

We'll see changes whilst the oil is running down and we'll adapt in order to continue our standard of living. I've no doubt that they'll be conflict over resources, whether they be land, food, water, oil or tomato ketchup but I don't think the world will see some sort of catastrophe that alot of the doom mongers predict.

[Gerrard]

Bet you're a right laugh at a party

I'll be the first to admit that I would have no chance at getting a job at the Samaritans!

However, as the price of petrol goes up, something will have to give. I just think the worst of everything...

[kalniel]

However, as the price of petrol goes up, something will have to give.

Chelsea tractors! Yay!

[Funkstar]

There is plenty of oil left. Now that the cost is high we are seeing the British and French stake expanded claims to their territories around the world and the Ruskies are pushing it in the Arctic. They'll be greater pressure in the US for Alaskan exploration so we aren't in trouble anytime soon. Demand for oil exploration services and the required machinery has rocketed to the point where there isn't much further capacity.

And taking this firther: There are huge oil deposits/reserves out there that until now have not been finantially viable to exploit, the oil sands in Canada is just one example. There is a fenominal amount of oil there, it just costs in the region of $70/barrel to produce, so it's only now this has become a viable option.

So our reserves are not just based on what is available, but what is available and at what price point.

Something else to factor in is the increase in technology used in the offshore industry. At the start of the North Seas life, operators expected to recover about 30% of the oil in a field. Now with newer technology it is at least 40%, in some cases it is as high as 50 or 60%. This is why the big old fields like Brent and Forties in the UK and Eko Fisk and Statfjord in Norway are still running after 30 years. At the time of being built, 25 years was the estimated maximum. Now they are looking at getting another 10-15 years out of their facilities.

[Stringent]

Can't we have cars powered by nuclear power cells? Imagine not having to ill up for the next 134 years ...

[Platinum]

Gonna be weird without plastics.

[Funkstar]

Gonna be weird without plastics.

Very true, but i would be very, very surprised if our use of plastics doesn't reduce over time. With the cost of oil increasing so will the cost of plastics. Alternative materials will be needed. We've already seen bamboo (which is a very fast growing and sustainable and strong material) used for laptop cases and other PC accessories. We will also see a lot more recyclable plastics on the market, simply because it will become more financially viable to do so. Forget the environment, this is pure economics at work.

Something I'm not very sure about is where plastics come in the petro chemical chain. I don't know if they use the more valuable light hydrocarbon fractions, or the heavier less valuables ones. If it's the latter, then the cost of plastics won't rise at the same rate as fuels. They will still rise though. With the exploitation of oil sands (which are mainly heavy oils) and coal to crude processes, I wonder if these heavy fractions will actually become more abundant in proportion to fuel oils?

There is just so much I don't know about this field, it's annoying

[Platinum]

What gets me with plastics is the refusal to recycle em, the council picks up paper / glass ect for recycling but the one thing thats not renewable that needs recycling they wont take?

[kalniel]

Gonna be weird without plastics.

Grow em.

[Funkstar]

What gets me with plastics is the refusal to recycle em, the council picks up paper / glass ect for recycling but the one thing thats not renewable that needs recycling they wont take?

Some do. You must have a particularly bad council

I think Aberdeen is up to 45% of its waste is being recycled now. There has been a big push up here in Scotland over the last couple of years.

What is annoying is the amount of plastic that can't be recycled because of the formulation. I'm guessing it is slightly cheaper that way. Blister packs (you know those annoying packs that need a chainsaw to open) are hardly ever the right kind of plastic, and if they are, they are never marked as such.