That's the problem with Greens, it is always doom and gloom.
You know what will happen as the price of oil rises? Other technologies capable of providing just as much energy that we have available on the shelf today but cost more will become economically viable.
The first and most obvious is Nuclear which contrary to the propaganda is just about the safest technology invented by man. Hell this current oil leak in the Gulf is a far greater economic and environmental catastrophe than Chernobyl and the death count between oil and nuclear makes it a no brainer.
Then is Solar, both ground based and orbital based become more viable as does wind, tidal, and the various forms of geothermal.
Then for the other uses of oil, as I said yesterday given a sufficient supply of energy (i.e. electricity generated by Nuclear/Solar/Wind/Geothermal/etc.) the lubricants and plastics can be manufactured from the base elements.
No, the end of oil (which is guaranteed whether it is 5 years or 50 years or 500 years from now) will not mean a catastrophe or collapse of civilization (or at least it need not), it will however mean some severe economic constraints during the transition and maybe some isolated starvation in the poorer countries who lack the technological base to transform their economies rapidly but there will not be another dark ages caused by it and nor will there be a mass die off of humans.
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Date: 29/5/10 17:00 (UTC)That's the problem with Greens, it is always doom and gloom.
You know what will happen as the price of oil rises? Other technologies capable of providing just as much energy that we have available on the shelf today but cost more will become economically viable.
The first and most obvious is Nuclear which contrary to the propaganda is just about the safest technology invented by man. Hell this current oil leak in the Gulf is a far greater economic and environmental catastrophe than Chernobyl and the death count between oil and nuclear makes it a no brainer.
Then is Solar, both ground based and orbital based become more viable as does wind, tidal, and the various forms of geothermal.
Then for the other uses of oil, as I said yesterday given a sufficient supply of energy (i.e. electricity generated by Nuclear/Solar/Wind/Geothermal/etc.) the lubricants and plastics can be manufactured from the base elements.
No, the end of oil (which is guaranteed whether it is 5 years or 50 years or 500 years from now) will not mean a catastrophe or collapse of civilization (or at least it need not), it will however mean some severe economic constraints during the transition and maybe some isolated starvation in the poorer countries who lack the technological base to transform their economies rapidly but there will not be another dark ages caused by it and nor will there be a mass die off of humans.