Benjamin+Gu+-+World+without+Oil.+Is+there+such+a+thing?


 * A World Without Oil, Is There Such A Thing?

I conducted an online survey and got some very interesting feedback.

Question:**

A world without oil? What do you think, will we find some alternate source of energy? Or is the notion not feasible to begin with?

I'd like to hear your opinions.


 * Anonymous:**

solar, wind, steam, gas, coal, burning other things, etc etc. there's tons of things to choose from. i hate hippies; i want the next main energy source to be coal


 * Me:**

Sure but most the things that we use also are partially made from oil, such as our computers for example.


 * Anonymous:**

well necessity is the mother of invention. there's bound to be some suitable replacement out there


 * WiseOne:**

Don't listen to the peak oil alarmists, oil isn't in any danger of disappearing anytime soon. Cheap oil, on the other hand, is.

Shale oil, extra heavy oil, tar sands, among other methods, are all possible ways to get usable petroleum with non-conventional methods. We even have the technology to turn COAL into OIL (We've had it for nearly a century, actually. The Nazis, Japanese Empire, and apartheid South Africa all used it when they were under trade embargoes.) The problem is that all of these alternatives are expensive, whereas it currently costs around 5 cents to pump a barrel of crude in most OPEC countries. The price is marked up significantly afterwards, yet it's still cheaper.


 * Me:**

So is cheap accessible oil being lost a problem to begin with?


 * GodHand:**

there are enough alternatives... actually, there is only 1 source of energy for us, the sun, all others, except maybe tidal energy are derivatives of solar power.

i say we should switch to hydrogen or methanol fuel(using electrolysis / fisher-tropsch) and power our cities with direct solar plants (excess energy during the day could be used to pump up water, harboring the energy for use during nighttime)

diversity in energy sources and storage mechanisms should be stimulated, depending mainly on 1 source is too unstable (look at oil / oil prices / oil monopoly)


 * TheDebatinatr:**

Just because they derive their energy from the sun doesn't mean they're inferior sources of energy. The atmosphere makes a darn good battery. And why let all that excess chemical energy dead organics had accrued go to waste? __

These opinions changed my overall view of what I thought would be a massive problem in the future. Sure, we may lose easy, accessible oil, but there are still ways to obtain oil. Advancements in technology will probably make those processes cheaper. Plus, there are many alternative sources of energy we can rely on. After all, necessity IS the mother of invention, just like anonymous stated. That's how we began to create things using oil to begin with!