If the world's supply of oil suddenly ran out what would you do?

Most of our jobs would become redundant.

A depressing thought but an interesting one.

Needing to feed yourself or your family how do you think you might adapt?


What skills do you have that you could use in a world without petrol?



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I can grow my own food but would need animals and water, land and sun. I can build shelter and make fire. I can hunt and cook.

I can't wait for it to run out. World wars would be by solar or sail, keeping the imperialists at bay. Literally.

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

Interesting thought. I am sure I would survive. Making it thru the anarcy, that will surely happen, would be the first challenge. Getting used to the severe rashening of electricity would be initially hard, since what ever energy is available would need to be used to keep the water flowing.
To do list if possible
Buy seeds, especially a varity of grain and veggies
Two guns and alot of bullets
Canning jars
Parafin and candles
a bike
some type of cart, got four dogs, they can mush
go to the grocery store and see what is left I can afford.
Then hunker down, be hard when it comes to bartering and get used to the new "normal".

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I can grow my own food but would need animals and water, land and sun. I can build shelter and make fire. I can hunt and cook.

I can't wait for it to run out. World wars would be by solar or sail, keeping the imperialists at bay. Literally.

How would the solar cells be made with no oil? No plastic remember. :)

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Reality Internet Personality

Would "whaling" make a comeback?

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I wouldnt be able to cunch any more, waaaaaaaaaa
But i would survive, a farmers kid i am

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I was kind of guessing there are some already made which the powers that be would or have been stock piling. Our national reserve is huge so they could roll on for who knows how long. No rations for us I would imagine.

Bust out the MRE's until the crops start growing!

:D

I can grow my own food but would need animals and water, land and sun. I can build shelter and make fire. I can hunt and cook.

I can't wait for it to run out. World wars would be by solar or sail, keeping the imperialists at bay. Literally.

How would the solar cells be made with no oil? No plastic remember. :)

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"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

I can grow my own food but would need animals and water, land and sun. I can build shelter and make fire. I can hunt and cook.

I can't wait for it to run out. World wars would be by solar or sail, keeping the imperialists at bay. Literally.

How would the solar cells be made with no oil? No plastic remember. :)

syntetic.

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

There is now two effects working on oil reserves, known and unknown. These are the price and the newer better oil extraction processes.

Secondary and tertiary oil recovery from oilfields is increasing the proven reserve estimates quite significantly.

Although oil production has peaked a couple of years ago, in the Uk's North Sea. The improved recovery techniques have shoved up extractable reserve estimates significantly. These are now expected to run out in 44 years time, and not the >20 years currently expected.

The price of oil is making exploration more feasible for small marginal fields (already known) and to look at the large areas of known, or unknown, oil bearing strata yet to be explored.

Oil extraction is highly unlikely to be any less than now at least the next 50 years.

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The US will be running out well before the Middle East.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves#Estimated_reserves_in_order

Not sure what you're getting at with that stat. Maybe the USs reserves will run out before those in the Middle East, but, just like its miniscule diamond production doesn't hinder a person buying a ring at Tiffany's, this won't, of itself, mean that oil products will cease to be available in the US.

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I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that ...

That is probably true, Chris. But the Canadian tar sand reserves may well turn out to be as large as the Saudi one i the long term. There will be some Northern Hemisphere comfort there, but that will not stop OPEC acting as you suggest.

However, as I suggested earlier, the secondary, tertiary and quaternary oil recovery technologies and oil price to bring on new reserves will change the reserve map considerably in the next 5-10 years.

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It's good to be back amongst friends and colleagues

That is probably true, Chris. But the Canadian tar sand reserves may well turn out to be as large as the Saudi one i the long term. There will be some Northern Hemisphere comfort there, but that will not stop OPEC acting as you suggest.

However, as I suggested earlier, the secondary, tertiary and quaternary oil recovery technologies and oil price to bring on new reserves will change the reserve map considerably in the next 5-10 years.

The goalposts are moving that is for sure John.

Given 10-15 years, who knows, as you so rightly say.

But they have discovered what experts believe is a huge oil field in North Dakota that I don't think was included in the report you posted.

Massive Oil Deposit Could Increase US reserves by 10x

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I can grow my own food but would need animals and water, land and sun. I can build shelter and make fire. I can hunt and cook.

I can't wait for it to run out. World wars would be by solar or sail, keeping the imperialists at bay. Literally.

How would the solar cells be made with no oil? No plastic remember. :)

syntetic.

Actually you can make solar panels without using plastic, or without needing energy to produce chips... (heating up water running through copper pipes underneath a black matte surface, then use the extremely hot water to drive a turbine or to heat your house...) Of course, this is way less effective than the solar cells, but it also works.

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It is extremely difficult to forecast with any accuracy, what the next 10-50 years might bring.

I have a pretty good idea... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

In a world without oil, we would learn to adapt. I believe our lives would become much more 'localised' in the long term. People would have to find jobs closer to home or move within striking distance of jobs. We might have to buy our groceries from local sources as well as grow some of our own food, and maybe holidays would once more be taken closer to home.
Communities might become more self-reliant but also, unfortunately, more 'insular.' In that respect it might be like a return to the past.
Cars might only be used for long journeys or public transport might have to replace them because of the high price of keeping a car, if they could run at all.
Lots of things would change, but not necessarily for the worse. I prefer to be optimistic and say that we would eventually find other energy sources to replace the oil anyway.

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'No one can make you inferior without your consent.'
Eleanor Roosevelt.

In a world without oil, we would learn to adapt. I believe our lives would become much more 'localised' in the long term. People would have to find jobs closer to home or move within striking distance of jobs. We might have to buy our groceries from local sources as well as grow some of our own food, and maybe holidays would once more be taken closer to home.
Communities might become more self-reliant but also, unfortunately, more 'insular.' In that respect it might be like a return to the past.
Cars might only be used for long journeys or public transport might have to replace them because of the high price of keeping a car, if they could run at all.
Lots of things would change, but not necessarily for the worse. I prefer to be optimistic and say that we would eventually find other energy sources to replace the oil anyway.

Would any of these listed things be bad? I doubt it. If that is the future I'm even eagerly looking forward to it.

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I believe our lives would become much more 'localised' in the long term.

That would definitely make it much easier for big brother to keep tabs on us... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

I believe our lives would become much more 'localised' in the long term.

That would definitely make it much easier for big brother to keep tabs on us... ;)

I have to disagree with you there Jeffrey. The close-knit community has in the past, acted as a kind of 'buffer' against an over mighty State. It can afford the individual some protection I believe. This is why the State tends to dislike the family unit, because it can to some extent be self-regulating, like many small communities of the past. Of course, the family can also cause harm to individuals, I admit.
However, there is no guarantee that such self-policing communities will be effective against Big Brother in the future. Not in this age of mass communication and DNA databases anyway. The State has been very good at regulating individuals' lives since - and during - the Second World War.

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'No one can make you inferior without your consent.'
Eleanor Roosevelt.

The State has been very good at regulating individuals' lives since - and during - the Second World War.

Say it isn't so... ;)

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It may not be 1984 but George Orwell sure did see the future . . .

I believe our lives would become much more 'localised' in the long term.

That would definitely make it much easier for big brother to keep tabs on us... ;)

During the so called "Dark Ages" in the UK and Europe the Roman Empire (The State = Ergo "Big Brother") receeded back towards Italy because Rome's resources were failing.

However in the "Dark Ages" the lives and well being of the populations of the countries the Romans left improved imeasurably. (The communities retained Roman skills but lost the governmental political structures, influences and organisation.)

(The term "Dark Ages" simply refers to the lack of "written records" (lack of 'light') and not to "dark" as in "bad"..)


If the populous has no petrol or oil then the government or powerful bodies (EG: Big Bother :o) would also suffer the same to a degree... and would have less power to control us in that feared totalitarian way.


The Nazi system in WW2 was only able to control it's people because sadly the "self-controlling, willing, needy, frightened, impoverished or self-righteous" populous in general opted in or allowed it.)

Hopefully by now we have been more able to educate and create greater aspirations amongst our people.. Hopefully!?


I suspect if oil and petrol production failed we would quickly revert to a 1920's style industry although like in the "Dark Ages" we would retain to some degree our current technological skills and knowledge.


It would be a volatile time.