1930s 3bed semi

[plugwash]

Iraq, 142 years left

how old were theese stats?
extraction rates in iraq were low until recently due to trade sanctions (and probablly still are due to the war aftermath)

the saudis

i don't think we get much of our leccy from oil anyhow the problem with an oil shortage would be transport fuel

almost all currently used transport fuels are crude oil based

the saudis are extracting their massive reserves very slowly partly to keep oil at a high price and partly so they have reseves when oil becomes really valuable

russia and china on the other hand want all the oil money they can get

the usa reserves were huge but were heavilly tapped and have run very low

i don't think the uk ever really had much oil just a little in the north sea

accessibility also has a lot to do with it, many countries have lots of oil that is accessible only at great cost and is not currently economically viable to drill

 

[Damocles]

Uk was just about self sufficient in oil and gas, but now it is in decline. As a result we have closed all the coalmines,coal power stations and indeed nuclear ones, and have been building gas ones to replace them. This makes plain long term sense. Doesn't it.

There are a few widnfarms. Heard a lovely story about some farmer in wales who built a few, found he could make more money than by farming but was facing some planning problems. So what he did was sell shares in his new ones to the whole village, so anyone could get a stake in the income. Better than getting a loan from the bank and seemed to help. Of course the rich neighbours from 20 miles away were still complaining about the pylons they could see on the hills. Didn't care about farmers going bankrupt, just wanted it to look pretty.


As to Iraq, it's not the polution from the burning oil wells. All that smoke does make people think a bit because they can see it, but the idea is to restrict supply and keep the price up. Blowing up a few distribution pipelines in Arabia would probably also help. Last time there was an oil shortage it really concentrated peoples minds about how to save energy. But it is a long term thing, people have to design for using less energy. There is a long term financial saving, but not while we are geting the oil virtually free.

Unfortunately one either has to believe that all the worlds top intelligence services are utterly incompetent, all the politicians are thick and naive but still capable of turning security reports which say "don't know" into ones saying "Iraq is about to blow up the world", or you have to believe that Iraq was invaded so that sanctions could be lifted and the worlds would be assured of more cheap oil just when the price was starting to rise.

But can you really believe Mr Bush, that well known oil company executive, whose family business is selling oil, would start a war over using more oil, rather than finding alternative energy sources/savings?

 

[eric bristow]

Getting back to the original point of this topic, i am now having the house rewired,

Thanks

You can all carry on ramberling away about useless infomation now

Regards

Eric

 

[AdamW]

how old were theese stats?

January 2004.

I provided the link so people could look at the whole story, Saudi has about twice as much oil as Iraq in reserves, and pumps out more than 3 times as much per day. The US produces 8 million barrels a day and uses 20 million barrells a day (that's a lot of oil!)

I've just found a section for the world as a whole:

Proven oil reserves = 1.025 trillion barrels
Consumption = 75.81 million barrels a day.

1.025 T / 75.81 M = 13,500 days = 37 years

Proven gas reserves = 161.2 trillion cubic metres
Annual gas consumption = 2.555 trillion cubic metres

161.2/2.555 = 63 years until the gas runs out

It doesn't have any stats on coal.

Oh, and the UK has about 7 years of gas left. Seeing as the UK figures were Jan 2002, that means we are nearly 3 years into that. So UK oil and gas may well have run out by 2010.

Now, Mr Bliar, what the heck are you going to do about it? No point in waiting until it runs out and THEN doing something about it. Perhaps the UK can move to the forefront for renewables, seeing as we have a very windy island with strong tides, and plenty of farmland lying fallow (thanks Brussels). Grow a load of oil-producing crops, then we wouldn't even need ITER. Hopefully we could be self-sufficient for energy, water and food.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You can all carry on ramberling away about useless infomation now

Useless?

Totally off-topic, yes, but not useless.

 

[dingbat]

Oh, and the UK has about 7 years of gas left. Seeing as the UK figures were Jan 2002, that means we are nearly 3 years into that. So UK oil and gas may well have run out by 2010.

In the mid 1970's the entire world oil supply was predicted to run out by 1990 and, oh yes, we were about to enter a mini ice age! I'm still waiting for my flying car and holiday apartment on the moon.

 

[breezer]

I'm still waiting for my flying car and holiday apartment on the moon.

ive got mine, 3rd row along 4th one down , but it has no atmosphere

 

[Damocles]

Its quite true that a higher price or a shortage encourages oil companies to go out and find some more oil. And they will find lots more, no doubt. But it will run out one day, likely after we are all dead. Meanwhile all that oil has been converted into free CO2 in the air, lovely to help keep us all warmer after it has been burnt. Just might be some sense in STOP USING IT SO FAST.

Oh, and fit some energy efficient bulbs/fittings when you rewire.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Oh, and fit some energy efficient bulbs/fittings when you rewire.

Drop in the ocean. A far more radical approach is needed. Electricity generation is not the problem - that can be solved in the space of a decade or so.

Burning fossil fuels is the problem, and farting cows.

 

[Damocles]

yep I heard about the cows. How about the people?

 

[securespark]

I have just spent a weekend fitted with a methane meter which I got through my GP. It is essentially a length of hosing fitted with a gas flow meter. Every time you pass wind, the meter registers the amount in cm3, and adds it to the total.

I can now confirm that my average daily gas evacution is in excess of 3500 litres.

 

[Damocles]

Surprising how much difference a few million high efficiency bulbs could make. Or a few thousand million if we get serious about them.

Does this thing allow you to bottle the gas and sell it?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I can now confirm that my average daily gas evacution is in excess of 3500 litres.

You're a mere boy. Give me your address and I'll send you some of my famous (infamous?) sprout curry....