"The Begining of the End of Oil?" in the NY Times Mag

David · David's Garage

I just read the article. I figured it would be a very left wing article, but it wasn't. I'm liberal, but I tend to be conservative when it comes to financial and some environmental issues.

The farthest left theory in the article was that Saudi oil production has peaked and the fields producing now will have a production decline. I think this is a little far fetched but the rest of the article was enlightening.

They talked to the past head of the Saudi oil company in Saudi. This guy has a PhD from Brown and is one of the most prominent oil men of all time. He is most worried with the increase in demand. The world is currently consuming 84 million barrels a day and increasing by about 2 mil a year! Saudi has the largest known reserves at 263 bil barrels and produces 10.5 mil a day. At that rate it has about 68 years of oil! But they are planning to increase their production so maybe not so many years.

If oil production is increased too quickly out of a field, damage can occur which decreases the amount of possible production. According to the article this happened in Oman.

My take: yes there are untapped reserves in the World but I have a feeling oil is about to get real expensive. I just hope 20, 30, or 40 years from now we aren't all sitting around wondering why we were driving trucks and SUV's and looking like the biggest morons in history. As the cost of oil skyrockets, we'll see some pretty amazing new technologies, but I'll bet it's not hydrogen fuel cells.

dd74 · 09-02-2005, 01:06 PM

No oil? Buy a bicycle.

TyFenn · 09-02-2005, 01:22 PM

Don't forget all of the oil in Russia and the new VERIFIED reserves found in Northen Canada. The Canada part I know was verified (I should say I read that since I wasn't actually there to verify it) but I forget where specifically. There also might be an explosion in mining technology too...

I thought I'd throw that out there...not trying to start an argument.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend...

island911 · 09-02-2005, 01:26 PM

When it's too expensive ot pull out of the ground, bio-fuels will be produced and procesed. (as is starting to happen already)

speedkillz · 09-02-2005, 01:26 PM

The world is not in a vacuum or static...it is dynamic. so the processes of all things are always in a state if change. oil is there, it may not be in the same place in 10 years. or 50 years.

speedkillz · 09-02-2005, 01:32 PM

I read about a company that is doing what Island just mentioned. at a turkey processing plant. they make oil and fuel from turkey processing waste. I'm looking for the web page. I think it's How to make oil out of anything.

928ram · 09-02-2005, 01:36 PM

speedkillz, post a link if you find it.

I read about that co. and their work looked interesting, but I lost the link.

I believe they were out of NJ, and the turkey plant is a Con-Agra plant in MO.

speedkillz · 09-02-2005, 02:24 PM

i think i found it. www.mindfully.org/energy/2003/anything-into-oilmay03.htm

glenncal1 · 09-02-2005, 02:25 PM

There is also about a 30 year supply (for the US) in oil shale in CO WY and UT

Joeaksa · 09-02-2005, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 125shifter
The farthest left theory in the article was that Saudi oil production has peaked and the fields producing now will have a production decline. I think this is a little far fetched but the rest of the article was enlightening.

If oil production is increased too quickly out of a field, damage can occur which decreases the amount of possible production. According to the article this happened in Oman.

One big problem is that the Saudi's have "Saudized" things over there and its now biting them in the rear. They are eliminating all the foreign workers as they are able and the locals just do not have a work ethic. They show up as they feel and work if they want to, which does not help in a crisis.

What you are talking about above is real and will happen but believe that we (the world) need to get used to using less oil and fast. Try telling China and us Americans that with our monster trucks and SUV's. With fuel at $3 it may not take long...

Joe A

Joeaksa · 09-02-2005, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by speedkillz
i think i found it. www.mindfully.org/energy/2003/anything-into-oilmay03.htm

Link did not work for me.

JA

speedkillz · 09-02-2005, 02:31 PM

up date. mindfully.org
go to 2003 at top of page. click on anything into oil turkey parts. at botom is link to story.

speedkillz · 09-02-2005, 02:34 PM

http://mindfully.org/Energy/2003/Anything-Into-Oil1may03.htm

it's there it might not open .

928ram · 09-02-2005, 03:01 PM

Thanks, speedkillz.. opened just fine for me.

singpilot · 09-02-2005, 03:24 PM

Hmmmmm. Would I put turkey parts from Missouri, refined into oil in New Jersey, and distilled into Gasoline in Lousiana into my Pcar in SoCal?

And what would that smell like?

dd74 · 09-02-2005, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by singpilot

And what would that smell like?

Turducken?

singpilot · 09-02-2005, 05:09 PM

dd74.

Now that I see your avatar, I'm sorry if I offended you. I realize now it's your feathered cousins we're talkin bout.

tabs · 09-03-2005, 09:40 AM

I just can't imagine a 911 running on Dead Bird Parts....will it sound the same???? Will it have that Burnt Castrol Smell.???? or will it sound like some kind of pluckt bird, smelling of rancid grease....

Gene-o · 09-05-2005, 05:28 PM

There was a time when nearly everything moved by coal fired steam boilers. The coal/steam age ended a scant 50 years ago. The oil age will come and go and we'll just use something else to get around, lunricate, etc.

Gene-o the eternal optimist!

Flatbutt1 · 09-05-2005, 05:34 PM

Ya know this continuing talk about how there are reserves and untapped sources just seems to indicate to me the level of addiction we have to oil, yours truly included.