When the world runs out of gas/petrol/oil...

[ssgtGrimreaper]

Well, what do you think will happen? Will the world descend into chaos? Will scientists work 24/7 for a new effecient permanent power source? Post your predictions. And if this is hopelessly stupid, tell me.

[Justin]

It'll never happen. There are ways to source petrochemicals from plant matter, re-extract it from the air and water, all kinds of things that can be done.

The reason they aren't done now is that they are REALLY expensive. But, as the price of oil climbs ever higher, they will be.

[crusty]

I'm thinking that by the time that happens, we'll all have floo powder.

Duuh.

[Invoke]

Something like that may happen, but not in our generation, I think. And once it does happen, I think that a better, more efficient power source will be available or created by then.

I believe that in time, once again, not in our life time, the world will lead itself to near destruction. Many people think that the USA alone will fall, but they are quite mistaken. It's easy to see, our world is traveling down a very slow spiral. I'm a Christian, and quite a religious one as well, I believe that we will be saved by the second coming, before we damn ourselves.

Anyway, that part was slightly off topic, but meh. :p

[angry_paul]

Oil will not run out, the reason it climbs so high is because oil companies want more money, and they're prepared to raise the prices foe something so insignificant as a worker helping install a new pipeline breakes a finger.

Besides, some north american, european and japanese gas stations have hydrogen pumps and speacial plugs for electric cars. Electrics are becoming quite popular, and they sometimes even perform better than gasoline power. Specifically, the Fettish, and italian sports car. It's somewhere around 80,000 bucks american.

There will also probably not be a second coming of jesus. supposedly tried to kill this supposed savior the first time, why would he come back?

[Queen Lioness]

I was just thinking about that

If we cut out dependance on oil, we won't have to deal with countries like Iraq that are "dangerous"

and I have a lot of people to back me up here.......

http://www.nwf.org/action/arcticPromise.cfm

[Justin]

pfft. What a bunch of hippies.

[Coheed]

Nothings wrong with horses and waggons.

[Queen Lioness]

Not hippis. Conservation advocates.

[Coheed]

Conservation advocates are hippies then.

[Bodadem]

I take offense to that, chejrw.

[The Prodigal]

When the world runs out of gas/petrol/oil...

We will all be dead.
:)

[Queen Lioness]

We will all be dead.
:)

Do you even care about you're childrens future? I leanred in school our earths oil supply will only last us about 20 more years, and that was last year.

[The Prodigal]

Do you even care about you're childrens future? I leanred in school our earths oil supply will only last us about 20 more years, and that was last year.

Nope!

I'm kidding. But what the hell're we supposed to do honestly?

Like...yeah, solar power, wind power, what chejrw said.

Hell, in craploads of time, we'll be taking it from other planets! Right? No?

[Queen Lioness]

Try to develop and alternative power source. Whatever that may be.

[Bodadem]

They keep saying it's going to run out -- Then they realize there's loads they havn't found.. We have no real idea how much oil is actually stored down there, so there's no real way to guess how long it'll last us.

[The Prodigal]

I've alreayd seen prototype solar cars, they look pretty whack.

[Bodadem]

Solar panels are too expensive, and inefficient as of current for a consumer solar car to be feasible.. Have you seen the cars in those big solar races? They have to make them -really- flat, because the cars need to be -really- light for the solar power to be able to carry them at a reasonable speed.. Oh, and also, THE SUN IS GOING TO XPLODE TOMORROW OMG OMG OMG

[The Prodigal]

THE SUN IS GOING TO XPLODE

in five billion years.

So I've heard.

[ssgtGrimreaper]

Do you even care about you're childrens future? I leanred in school our earths oil supply will only last us about 20 more years, and that was last year.

I thought it was 40 years, but whatever...
I personally think scientists will find something. I don't know what they'll use for international/domestic transport, but in the near future I think scientists will find the secret to harnessing the power of nuclear fusion.

[Bodadem]

No. Tomorrow. Trust me.

[Invoke]

There will also probably not be a second coming of jesus. supposedly tried to kill this supposed savior the first time, why would he come back?

I'm not going to comment. Religious debates don't go anyway, essentially they're pointless.

And even if oil runs out or not, we've already developed other power sources and are continueing the process. We really have no need to worry.

[Gustave5436]

well, for our civilisation to harness the same amount power of the sun(type II civ I beleive) (which the best we have gotten is like less than 1% for an instant when the USSR tested the largest nuclear weapon) we will probably need to use solar power, and currently cheaper solar panels are being developed.

[Arca]

what about wind? or hydro?
and... did you know they have already made plans for a car that runs on hydrogen, but....it costs 100,000 to make one!.. plus who would give them the money? the oil companies? no way!

[Vagrant]

I was just thinking about that

If we cut out dependance on oil, we won't have to deal with countries like Iraq that are "dangerous"

That's not necessarily true. If we do get hydrogen powered cars, then we have to make hydrogen. And making hydrogen isn't exactly easy, even though it is the most abundant element. The easiest way to extract hydrogen would be from oil -- Which is obtained from "dangerous" countries. The second most commonly thought of method would be to obtain hydrogen by hydrolysis. Problem is, hydrolysis takes a relative lot of energy. Where does that energy come from? New powerplants. Some would be coal based, not helping ecology at all, some would be nuclear based.


Anyways, I'm done with the technological side.

It's about time we stop burning fossil fuels, personally. Best way would be nuclear powerplants for electric cars, personally.

well, for our civilisation to harness the same amount power of the sun(type II civ I beleive) (which the best we have gotten is like less than 1% for an instant when the USSR tested the largest nuclear weapon) we will probably need to use solar power, and currently cheaper solar panels are being developed.

Hate to burst your bubble, but the hydrogen bomb is more powerful than nuclear bombs. ;) And only the US possesses hydrogen bombs. Also, solar power is not nearly as useful as nuclear power.

[DarkReality]

Easy. Put all nuclear weapons in a room and make 'em splode and you've got lots of nuclear power!

>_>

[Gustave5436]

Hate to burst your bubble, but the hydrogen bomb is more powerful than nuclear bombs. And only the US possesses hydrogen bombs. Also, solar power is not nearly as useful as nuclear power.

hate to burst your bubble, but I really don't understand the hydrogen bomb thing if it is more powerful than a normal fission bomb then it must still use power gained from nuclear origins

[Justin]

Do you even care about you're childrens future? I leanred in school our earths oil supply will only last us about 20 more years, and that was last year.

They said 10 years in 1975. That was ... uhhh... well more than 10 years ago, anyway.

Now the estimate is at 50 years, and that increases every day because the rate of new discoveries exceeds the rate of increase in consumption.

So while it's inevitible that the oil will run out someday, it won't be for at least a few hundred more years. Plus by then we should be able to import methane from Charon or something.

30 years. I'm not a moron

[Shadow Crest]

or there could be nuclear fusion
if we don't blow the Earth up in the process XD

[Vagrant]

hate to burst your bubble, but I really don't understand the hydrogen bomb thing if it is more powerful than a normal fission bomb then it must still use power gained from nuclear origins

Hydrogen bombs are fusion. Fusion > Fission

[Shadow Crest]

or we could just start using copies of E.T. the Extraterrestrial as power sources....

[Gustave5436]

Hydrogen bombs are fusion. Fusion > Fission

yes, but I said nuclear originally, and both fission and fusion fall under that category. also, that bomb test was with half the yield a real bomb would have, and comparatively clean fusion compared to the real fission IIRC

[Sperry]

We don't "know" when oil will run out. Those numbers are gathered by estimated rate of use compared to current known supply. Considering the levels of supply keep increasing due to finding more, etc, that number is completely useless.

@ coheed:

Only if they come with buckets.

[Riot]

When it happens, everyone will be so shocked they will not know what to do. The adverage public will not see it coming. They will panic and chaos will happen. Riots will be normal. Everyone trying to search for the last bit of gas/petrol/oil for their car. Willing to kill for it. When it all runs out for good, everyone will not know at all what to do and just walk or go by bike. Ether that or get a eletric car which will lead to more fossil fuels being burned to hell like forests. Which will end up running out one day and guess what? Dead. Because there will be no more plants. But all this will not happen in our life time. It will happen in a short guess of 2455, well past any of us here's time.

Humans (I hate using this term because to me it makes it sounds like I think I am not human, which I know I am) are so stupid and selfish as much as they wish not to be. It's like a cow saying quack. He can try and try. He may get close and be able to do it but his other friends may have no chance. They may like or are unable no matter what to say quack. The cow may want everyone to say quack but so many cows can't it'll never pass. People may try as hard as they can to not be selfish, and sometimes succeed, but there are too many people not doing it to make a difference.There are too many people who like being selfish to make a difference. So, because of selfishness, the world will die. That is one view of the end of the world.

[TOP HAT McBABS]

We all die.
What if the moon fell on us?
We all die.
What if the sun exploded?
We all die.
What if the earth has a heart attack?
We all die.
What if a huge screw-off asteroid decides to get in a car accident with earth?
We all die.

I don't believe we'll be running out of gas/petrol/oil, and by the time we do, we'll probably have some other means for transportation. I'd like to see people "think" themselves to Mars and just live there for awhile.

If not that,
and gas just suddenly runs out,
I think riot it somewhere around there.

[Vagrant]

yes, but I said nuclear originally, and both fission and fusion fall under that category. also, that bomb test was with half the yield a real bomb would have, and comparatively clean fusion compared to the real fission IIRC

You said the USSR tested the bomb. The USSR has never had hydrogen bomb, therefore one assumes it was just a really large fission bomb. ;)

When it happens, everyone will be so shocked they will not know what to do. The adverage public will not see it coming. They will panic and chaos will happen. Riots will be normal. Everyone trying to search for the last bit of gas/petrol/oil for their car. Willing to kill for it. When it all runs out for good, everyone will not know at all what to do and just walk or go by bike.

Governments are not as stupid as people make them out to be. They will make sure the people are aware. It's never beneficial for a country to have panic. They will do what they can to prepare.

Ether that or get a eletric car which will lead to more fossil fuels being burned to hell like forests. Which will end up running out one day and guess what? Dead. Because there will be no more plants. But all this will not happen in our life time. It will happen in a short guess of 2455, well past any of us here's time.

You really that blind? Forests are a bad idea. Inefficient, ecologists would go nuts, and there's better sources of electricity available, in the form of coal or nuclear power. (And trust me, we ain't running out of either of those for a long time)

Humans (I hate using this term because to me it makes it sounds like I think I am not human, which I know I am) are so stupid and selfish as much as they wish not to be.

Your example makes no sense to me...

And Riot: It's generally not good to generalize human nature. You have no idea of its diversity. The only thing you hear about is greed and stupidity. There are tons of people who are good-natured and altruistic, and many more who are intellectual. There are still others who are neutral, and still more somewhere else on the line.

What your thinking of is this: "In individuals, insanity is rare. In mobs, it is the rule." - Friedrich Nietzche. (Yes, I butchered that quote slightly)