3 ms·
Another nail in the coffin for peak-oil alarmism/cheering. Oil production and all the ways we consume it is a remarkable achievement for humankind. It's just to
by webXL 10y ago
Another nail in the coffin for peak-oil alarmism/cheering. Oil production and all the ways we consume it is a remarkable achievement for humankind. It's just too good, dammit! I seriously hope we can manage any severe impacts from the increased emissions.
- yosito 10y ago> I seriously hope we can manage any severe impacts from the increased emissions. Hope all you want. The impacts started decades ago and will get ugly very soon.
- jhayward 10y agoHold your horses there, Tex. You're counting chickens that haven't even been laid, much less hatched. The USGS report is for "undiscovered, technically recoverable" resources. "Undiscovered" means they have a theory that there should be petroleum there, but it is very uncertain as to correctness and quantity. You can get excited when it becomes "proven" reserve. "Technically recoverable" means that if the oil they think is there exists, and is situated the way they think, there exist technology to go get it. What it is not is "economically recoverable". It may be technically recoverable but need a $500/bbl price point to make money. There are many, many technically recoverable resources that will never be economical. At some point it becomes cheaper to make oil synthetically rather than extract it from the ground. In fact, this is the observation that peak oil makes. So don't get too far ahead of the facts in declaring the cornucopia days ahead.