Originally posted by sigma:
Just consider the fact that no one, not even the government or oil companies, will argue the fact that we've used at least half of the oil that the Earth ever had.

We've been using oil for 150 years, so that gives us another 150 years to fix things, right?

Bzzzzt.

The population is several times what it was 150 years ago, so we're using it several times faster.

So if it took 150 years for an average population of 2.5 billion people to consume half the oil, it will only take 35 years to consume the same amount of oil at our current population growth.

But there's more....

Every item we use everyday uses oil, whereas even 50 years ago almost nothing was made from oil but gasoline.

We're using oil at a rate several times faster than even our grandparents did, and exponentially faster than our great-grandparents did.

There's no doubt amongst any reputable experts that the current reserves will last more than 30 years at current consumption rates.

Even if one were to say that we still had 75% of the oil reserves left after 150 years, we still wouldn't last more than 70 years provided oil consumption didn't increase at all over that time -- which it of course would. In 70 years the population will be double what it is now.

But, there's even more on top of the fact that it's running out.

The half of the oil that is left will cost exponentially more to retrieve than the oil we have been getting, whether it's because of it's depth or its' location on the surface of the Earth. It's far cheaper to drill in the surface of Kuwait than off the Antarctic Coast.

Like it or not, within 3-5 years we WILL be paying $5/gallon for gas in the United States. Irregardless of whatever OPEC does, it still is going to cost Exxon-Mobil considerably more in the near future to retrieve oil thanit does now.

It's not the impact on how much you pay that you should be worried about. It's the impact on our economy when all of us are paying $500+ per month just to drive our cars.

Gas prices are going to far exceed automakers ability to push out fuel-saving cars, and definently far exceed our nation's total inability to implement mass transit solutions.

Whether it's 3, 5, 10, or even 15 years at a stretch, the plain and simply truth of the matter is that something very very bad is going to happen to our country and the World in our lifetimes. There's simply not enough time to adequately solve the problem anymore.







Had to be qouted in full because its the TRUTH. If you think we have enough oil forever your out of your mind, i would say about 15-30 years at most. The world will be paraylized and civilation will decline rapidly, if we dont change our ways. Everyone needs to educate yourselves further. Check some stuff out and you will find the truth, its a sobering truth. Dont listen to what we are being feed. Watch for the stock market to crash in 5-10, baby boomers will withdraw a lot of money for retirement.

The scariest part about expensive oil.......Anything ever made has in some way needed oil to produce it.

I feel sorry for our kids They will suffer the most.

Matt

'97 Pumice Zetec Sport- 'At least its not a geo!'