What happens when there is no more oil?

[warriorwitch]

This is a bit scary but worth a look

Civilization as we know it is coming to an end soon. This is not the wacky proclamation of a doomsday cult, apocalypse bible prophecy sect, or conspiracy theory society. Rather, it is the scientific conclusion of the best paid, most widely-respected geologists, physicists, and investment bankers in the world. These are rational, professional, conservative individuals who are absolutely terrified by a phenomenon known as global "Peak Oil."
"Are We 'Running Out'? I Thought
There Was 40 Years of the Stuff Left"
Oil will not just "run out" because all oil production follows a bell curve. This is true whether we're talking about an individual field, a country, or on the planet as a whole.
Oil is increasingly plentiful on the upslope of the bell curve, increasingly scarce and expensive on the down slope. The peak of the curve coincides with the point at which the endowment of oil has been 50 percent depleted. Once the peak is passed, oil production begins to go down while cost begins to go up.
In practical and considerably oversimplified terms, this means that if 2000 was the year of global Peak Oil, worldwide oil production in the year 2020 will be the same as it was in 1980. However, the world’s population in 2020 will be both much larger (approximately twice) and much more industrialized (oil-dependent) than it was in 1980. Consequently, worldwide demand for oil will outpace worldwide production of oil by a significant margin. As a result, the price will skyrocket, oil-dependant economies will crumble, and resource was will explode.

For those of you who want to read more follow this link.

www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/

[fenrir]

We go back a hundred years?

Nuclear power and alternative energy could soften the blow, but planes, ships and cars will be screwed fro a while.

Being self sufficient is what will have to happen.

Fenrir

[warriorwitch]

Sailing ships used to sail around the world and still could the clippers like the Cuttey Sark could make some inc readable speed. cars and trucks are another matter but we still have a canal system that could Be used, it would slow down the pace of life a bit. Is that a bad thing? A pulley system could be powered by wind turbines to move the boats as a last resort there is always the good old horse.

[Ebony]

it would slow down the pace of life a bit. Is that a bad thing?

Sometimes I think that civilization should step back and regroup.

We are way too dependent on our need for oil to maintain our lifestyle. I know I would be 'lost' without my car, but I really like that suggestion of going back to the horse. ;D

[warriorwitch]

I need my car for my job but if there were no cars we would find another way, I love the idea of sailing ships.

[david]

This is a bit scary like you say I love fast cars, I find them harder to give up than smoking, I don't think we could live like our ancestors did what would we hunt? the planet is over populated with people without energy we could never farm enough to feed a fraction of them. Most of the old skills are lost, I am to young to be a stone age man.

[willa]

Also the oil extracted in the past peak period will be an increasingly lower grade crude, not the high grade sweet crude that's currently in production, which will require a much more involved refining process. Because of this & the increasing difficulty of getting to the remaining oil, at some point, the energy expended in the production is going to surpass the energy produced. This will probably happen long before we actually run out of oil. Most of the alternative fuels, solar, hydrogen, bio-fuels, etc., are highly dependent on petro chemicals in the manufactoring process, not to mention the shortcomings inherent in each, which means they're not going to be of much use to us in maintaining our current lifestyles.
The world as we know it will change drastically. The reason that we have enjoyed the relative comfort of the last 150 years has been due to oil. It has also allowed the advances in medicine & the population of the planet to expand beyond what it could otherwise support. While I don't think that we're going to revert back to the stone age, we're definitely going to revert to a pre-industrial era lifestyle.
For a really well researched discussion of all the issues check out The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler. It's geared more toward American culture but most of it applies to all regions of the planet. He also has an interesting website - www.kunstler.com