Interesting idea for fighting high gas prices

[String]

Biodiesel and other variants are illegal here at least purely because the government cant make £££££££ out of tax on it.

There were cases last year of people buying vegetable oil from a supermarket in huge proportions, the supermarket got suspicious and it transpired that people were running their cars on it.
Again it was quickly stamped out as the government doesnt make a profit out ofit.

Doing some rough conversions, out of our rough $6usd per us gallon price of fuel, $5.22 is tax.

Its like the smoking problem, huge health issues and such but the government cant afford to ban it due to the huge treasurey gain from the tax.

 

[glbirch]

Step 1) Google search...PEAK OIL

Step 2

Answer this question...What is the total amount of crude left on the planet? Hint (by the grace of God)... 800 billion barrels

Answer this question...How many barrels of cude does just the USA use per day! Hint (17 million barrrels)

Answer this question...What percentage of a barrel of crude is used in driving? Hint 45%

Do the math. Forget the myths.

Make serious plans.

So barely enough to keep the US economy going for the next 129 years?

Here's some numbers that might be a little more accurate, from the US Energy Information Administration. Then again, they might not be. Estimates vary a lot depending on who you ask.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/oil_tables.html

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Just the US economy. Which aint gonna happen. There are other industrial economies. Keep crunching. The data base provided is the generally most accepted. Other suggestions are the World Resources Handbook and the U.S.G.S. Data base.

 

[glbirch]

Just the US economy. Which aint gonna happen. There are other industrial economies. Keep crunching. The data base provided is the generally most accepted. Other suggestions are the World Resources Handbook and the U.S.G.S. Data base.

Heh, I did your math. If you want a different bottem line, post different numbers. You haven't supplied any database, you just typed some numbers. An admittedly quick glance shows most of the USGS on-line data seems five to ten years old. So what's your source? Are you saying that your own government's figures are that innaccurate?

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Actually the current U.S.G.S. figures are on line in Adobe format..see http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iea2002/table81.xls. Thats pretty recent in geological terms.

Think about this. The current consumption of crude globally is about 178 million barrels per day. The current global supply is roughly 800 billion barrels. As far as updated figures...Somebody at Shell is going to jail. And their next revision doesnt look all that great.

If you really get into the numbers note that the USA can only provide half of its daily consumption domestically. Now remember that we can only sustain the water we use, and the food that we grow with petroleum.

And you wondered why the reserves arent being tapped? :06:

 

[armyscuba]

STOP USING GAS...That will fix the problem

 

[BIGSAGE136]

STOP USING GAS...That will fix the problem

That is definetly a plan. Remember though...only 45% of a barrel of crude is used to provide travel related products. The largest portion goes into things like pesticides, fertilizer, and
industrial energy.

Think about this. Last year approximately 15,000 people died in Europe from heat. Now think about a New York, or Chicago
summer with no AC.

We have only reached this point in the ascent of man thanks to one thing. Petroleum.

Remove yourself from the grid. Start thinking about how you can provide your own sustainable energy source from a variety that now exist. There is a bottleneck in our not so distant future. Mankind has shown itself to be a crafty critter, so please don't read doomsday into this. With patience, compassion, logic, and resolve we will get through this. Those four however have been beaten like punks in a jailhouse riot as of late, so maybe a little concern is in order.

Point is...like it or not there is drastic change in our future. Chain letters aint gonna cut it. Mentioning PEAK OIL in a letter to your congressman will get you some attention.

Do you think they know something?

Now there is a myth!

 

[archman]

I was in New York last summer during the blackout. Talk about civilization collapse!

 

[glbirch]

Actually the current U.S.G.S. figures are on line in Adobe format..see http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iea2002/table81.xls. Thats pretty recent in geological terms.

If you look at your own reference it's from the EIA, which is the source that I referenced earlier. Interesting to note that 1) the bottom lines on the two charts don't agree (though they aren't too far off) even though they are from the same site and 2) the numbers you are throwing around don't match either one.

If you want to argue that oil supplies are limited and we should be concentrating more on developing alternative go ahead. I couldn't agree more. But if you're going to try to use numbers to make a point or try to scare people then at least provide a source for that data.

 

[glbirch]

STOP USING GAS...That will fix the problem

And if everyone would just please stop breathing we can get to work on CO2 buildup in the atmosphere. Geez.

Our industry is pretty much petroleum based. Just stopping is not a realistic option because too much is dependent on it. More sensibly, there are many ways we can reduce usage and conserve our resources, while at the same time we can work on development of renewable forms of energy to sustain us in the future.

This of course is just a theory, because in practice I can't see everyone giving up their SUV's, or making any sacrifices to reduce their personal comfort. (Said only slightly tongue-in-cheek.)