oil reserves? | FerrariChat

oil reserves?

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by bostonmini, Feb 7, 2004.

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  1. bostonmini

    bostonmini Formula 3

    Nov 8, 2003
    1,890
    Anybody ever wonder how long we will be able to drive gasoline cars before we are effectively out of oil? I wonder, if you think about even the 349 F50's and the 399 Enzo's being driven once in a while...at 9 MPG!!! hehe. honestly though, how much can there be! quite depressing, hope theres enough until Im dead, I dont want to drive an electric ferrari:(
     
  2. andrewg

    andrewg F1 Rookie
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    Sep 10, 2002
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    Chester, England
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    AndrewG
    Its not the Enzo's and 550's you need to worry about, its the millions of morons world wide who drive gas guzzling SUV's and MPV's who really burn up all the resources. good point though how long is it till all the near sighted people use up the worlds resouces?
     
  3. TimN88

    TimN88 F1 Veteran

    Jun 12, 2001
    5,045
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    Tim
    It wil be a VERY long time. originally it was thought we'd run out in 50 years, but new oil fields are being found very frequently and ways to more efficiently mine and get more oil out the current ones have been developed. You, your children, their children and their children have nothing to worry about. Also, in 10 years we will be driving hydrogen fuel cell cars anyway, so gas use will go way down.
     
  4. Evolved

    Evolved F1 Veteran

    Nov 5, 2003
    8,700
    Not to worry. Eventually everyone will get cranked up enough about driving everywhere and we'll all live in cities again. Classy Suburban area's will become the rotting ****holes of tommarrow. Happens every 50-100 years or so, depending on where you live.
     
  5. BigHead

    BigHead Formula Junior

    Oct 31, 2003
    995
    Outside of Boston
    Full Name:
    Dennis
    I GUARANTEE you that we will not run out of petroleum in our lives. Period. Why? Because the price for a gallon of premium is about $1.85 here. If the world were really running out of gasoline ANYTIME SOON, we'd have prices go up. That's the nature of the free market; supply and demand.

    We could go on into details about the calculation of worldwide reserves (how reserves have actually gone UP over the last two decades), etc. etc. etc. And we can debate this topic ad infinitum.

    But suffice it to say that the price of gas (oil) indicates that there is more than enough for the foreseeable future.

    vty,

    --Dennis
     
  6. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
    7,765
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    Neil
    The oil will run out. Why not plan ahead and do something positive for the environment now?
     
  7. bostonmini

    bostonmini Formula 3

    Nov 8, 2003
    1,890
    the environment is a whole other can of worms, its true were in trouble with that too, and Im not exactly a tree hugger, but you really have to acknowledge the problem...as for the oil, I sure hope we have lots, it brings a tear to my eye when I see all the oil wells on fire from the first gulf war footage, think of all the free trips to redline we lost:(
     
  8. Robin

    Robin F1 Rookie

    Nov 1, 2003
    2,931
    Arlington, VA
    Interesting how everyone jumps on sports cars and SUVs when talking about oil shortages, but no one mentions the airline industry, military usage, factories, etc... I'd be interested to see what percentage of overall oil consumption is taken up by cars. Just off the top of my head I'd guess it's a small portion. Anyone know about this?

    -R
     
  9. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

    Mar 16, 2002
    13,337
    Ex-Urbia
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    Jack
    Last year one of the Chicago newspapers ran a series on that high-mileage project the auto makers were supposed to be collaborating on. They made strides but it ultimately imploded. Big surprise. Anyway, I remember reading one interesting stat showing how much gas would be saved by raising the national MPG average up just 1 mpg. It was outrageous.
     
  10. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
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    Neil
    People waste EVERYTHING! Water {lakes, streams, oceans} land {soil, trees}, fossil fuels, the air we breathe is gettin toxic, the Ozone layer is slipping away {even though it is possible to regain it today}, our food doesn't have 1/2 the nutrients it did 50 years ago. Dogs are dying of cancer, the "bird flu", mad cow, sars, people not being able to touch water because they will break out in hives? WTF is with that? We are slowly killing the planet and very quickly killing everything on the food chain {that we eat for christs sake!}. The world may blow its self to pieces befor I can wrap an F40 around a tree and I can't remember the last time someone held an elevator door for me. We have bigger problems than running out of oil.
     
  11. rcallahan

    rcallahan F1 Rookie
    Owner

    Jul 15, 2002
    3,307
    Santa Barbara
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    Bob Callahan
    I hate to break it to you guys of unlimited oil. Basically all the reserves are known. depending on the world rate of growth, we will run out of oil between 2050 and 2060.

    Bob
     
  12. jonesn

    jonesn Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
    845
    STL-MO
    Full Name:
    Evan "Trouble" Jones
    You're right on, most of it is used for utilities and manufacturing.

    So even if we ALL switch to hybrid cars tommorrow it would only have so much of an effect. If we can change our power sources and our cars, then I guess we could prevent all the trouble that will come from our present habits.
     
  13. jonesn

    jonesn Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
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    Evan "Trouble" Jones
    Ok. Ever read Adbusters? I think you might like it (magazine).
     
  14. FLATOUTRACING

    FLATOUTRACING F1 Rookie

    Aug 20, 2001
    2,684
    East Coast
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    Jon K.
    That's simply untrue. We have no idea what the level of reserves are. We only know what the level of reserves are given the current state of technolgy to find such oil.

    Anyone here remember the infamous Club of Rome who in 1973 calculated that the world would run out of oil by 1989. Two famous economists shortly thereafter had a bet about the price of oil in the mid 90's. One was the late Julian Simon and the other was that environmental idiot Paul Erhlich. Simon won the bet. In the mid 90's oil was at $15 a barrel despite Erhlich's predition we would be at $100 a barrell and out of oil.

    Even if we run out of oil at some point (not likely) as the price of oil climbs it will entice the world to develop and invent other alternative power options that are too costly at pesent.

    Don't forget that at one point oil was a gooey sludge that was considered waste and thrown out.

    We are only constrained by our ideas. If we run out of ideas then we will run out of resources.

    Regards,

    Jon P. Kofod
    www.flatoutracing.net
     
  15. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
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    Neil
    I haven't heard of the magazine you speak of, but what I listed is fact, so if it is a "what-if" or "the world is doomed" book you can keep the link.
     
  16. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    25,035
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
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    Steve Magnusson
    Personally, I think the problem is "too many people" and not "not enough oil".

    Anyone who thinks hydrogen-powered cars do anything for the problem of finite fossil fuel resources doesn't understand (or are in denial) about thermodynamics.
     
  17. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
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    Neil
    Scary. Developing countries don't want to conserve energy or even want to think about "alternative sources" for themselves. They want to have "it all" like we {Western} did. I can't really blame them but if they want to consume as much energy as the rest of us do, it will be the breaking of the camels back you hear, through the darkness of day and the colness of night. And to make things so much worse, I'm not sure what to do about it. The government can't do too much because people are afraid of their own shadows and will boot the government out of office if they go to far in changing the ways people function. Sad days are ahead of us yet.
     
  18. jonesn

    jonesn Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
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    Evan "Trouble" Jones
    http://www.adbusters.org/

    They're passionate about their research and all, but more often than not they put liberal spin on the facts. Still interesting stuff........
     
  19. 62 250 GTO

    62 250 GTO F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
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    Neil
    I'll check them out Sunday.
     
  20. rcallahan

    rcallahan F1 Rookie
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    Jul 15, 2002
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    Sorry, but we DO know what are the reserves. I happen to make my living knowing what is out there. And I know there have been many calculations by many people. But all the forecasts in the last 20 years say the same thing 2050 to 2060 then there will still be some oil but certainly not enough to drive cars or planes.

    Bob
     
  21. Tyler

    Tyler F1 Rookie

    Dec 19, 2001
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    dusty old farm town
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    Tyler

    WOW, well that's news to me. You're right about many people throwing around different numbers, but it's strong language to suggest that ALL forecasts in the last 20 years say the same thing. That's incorrect.

    By the way, watcha smokin? It must be better than my Serie D Robusto. ;)
     
  22. FLATOUTRACING

    FLATOUTRACING F1 Rookie

    Aug 20, 2001
    2,684
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    Jon K.
    Again your calculations are based on the current computer models available to us now. Unless you have drilled through every part of this planet from the top to the core of the earth it's impossible to know how much oil resides in the earth.

    Also your claim that there won't be enough oil to drive cars or planes in 2050 is also based on current engine technology. There is no way to predict what cars will be like in terms of fuel efficiency or even type of power used.

    the computer models and satelite imagery and all the other neat technology used to make these forcasts are still limited by the current technology and incomplete information.

    It's the same problem all these environmental wackos use to preach junk science and claim that we will all be burned by radiation in X number of years if the ozone keeps getting depleted.

    Show me one oil forecast from the past that was even remotely accurate. The Club of Rome was so far off it's laughable.

    Please don't take my response as an insult. Although my wife is from Oklahoma and her family is connected to the oil industry I know little about it.

    However, economics tells us that even if we do start to run out of oil we will still survive and prosper.

    Regards,

    Jon
     
  23. WCH

    WCH F1 Veteran
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    Mar 16, 2003
    5,180
  24. rcallahan

    rcallahan F1 Rookie
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    Jul 15, 2002
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    Jon,

    I respect you. But nevertheless, there is only a finite amount of oil in the ground. Texas is dry. Oklahoma is dry. Saudia Arabia is drying up. Alaska has only very limited amounts left. The Caspian Sea has maybe 20 years. Please show me ANY forecast that predicts oil production longer than 40 years.

    Bob
     
  25. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    25,035
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
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    Steve Magnusson
    Bob -- The problem I have with your estimate is -- "so what?" The Socialists running my town would certainly like me to greatly decrease my energy consumption so that others can continue to over-populate themselves -- and then we still run out anyway in say ~60 years. I could break the gas meter off of my house and let it leak from now 'til my death and not use up my 1/6 billionth share of the fossil fuel on this planet (rant off ;)).
     

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