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That graph of oil output is terrifying. Instead, it is greeted with optimism. Yikes! What is, oil, anyways? In essence, it is solar energy generated (via plan
by boplicity 4y ago
That graph of oil output is terrifying. Instead, it is greeted with optimism. Yikes!
What is, oil, anyways?
In essence, it is solar energy generated (via plant life) over millions and millions of years. Of course cashing in on that stored energy can cause massive "economic output." It's not just human "ingenuity," though. It really is the incredible amount of sunlight converted, over mind-boggling numbers of years, that made it possible. And we're burning right through it, consequences be damned. We'll figure it out, right, because we figured out how to burn oil! Right!? #@$#@$)(
- dredmorbius 4y agoSee Jeffrey S. Dukes, "Burning Buried Sunshine", which quantifies this. Humans burn through petroleum at 5 million times the rate at which it accumulated. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28214230 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28214230 https://plus.maths.org/content/burning-buried-sunshine https://plus.maths.org/content/burning-buried-sunshine https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27827505 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27827505 PDF: https://www-legacy.dge.carnegiescience.edu/DGE/Dukes/Dukes_ClimChange1.pdf https://www-legacy.dge.carnegiescience.edu/DGE/Dukes/Dukes_C...