Friday, January 21, 2011

So much for "Peak Oil"

The idea of "Peak Oil" - that we've maxed out our petroleum production, and are headed for a ZOMG energy crisis!!1! - is all the rage at The Right Dinner Parties.

Oops:
PARIS, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Supplies of natural gas could last more than 250 years if Asian and European economies follow the U.S. unconventional reserves, the IEA said.

The abundance of shale gas and other forms of so-called unconventional gas discovered in the United States prompted a global rush to explore for the new resource.

The International Energy Agency said Australia is taking the lead in the push toward unconventional gas, though China, India and Indonesia are close behind. European companies are taking preliminary steps to unlock unconventional gas as are other regions.

"Production of 'unconventional' gas in the U.S. has rocketed in the past few years, going beyond even the most optimistic forecasts," said Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a gas analyst at the IEA.

You've all seen the city buses that have been modified to run on Natural Gas, right?  1950s technology, and all that.

[snark] Weird how the Left sees itself as the Defender Of Science, except when Science gets in the way of their progressive policy preferences. [/snark]

In other breaking news from the Environmentalists, we'll all be dead from famine by 1990, except for those who subsist by eating babies.

Hat Tip: The Global Warming Policy Foundation, via Watts Up With That.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've heard the best way to prepare a baby is to snip its spinal cord with scissors.

I'm sorry, that's terrible.

Borepatch said...

GeekWarrior, that sort of violent, eliminationist rhetoric (*cough* Jonathan Swift *cough*) means that you likely aren't suitable to possess firearms. The Arlington Police are on their way to collect them.

Me, I blame Sarah Palin and her "crosshairs" map.

Cousin Jack said...

Apparently hydrogen from cracked natural gas is a feedstock for one of the processes for making liquid fuels out of coal.

I'm a little worried though, that the "shale gas" has some of the warning signs of a way to scam investors.

Mark Twain's definition of a mine:

"a hole in the ground, owned by a crook"

as opposed to the definition of a genuinely viable mine:

"a hole in the ground with a Camborne graduate at the bottom"

Anonymous said...

Water will be our primary fuel in 50 years.

SiGraybeard said...

I've been an advocate of hydrogen for almost 30 years. Not fusion (although that would be cool), burning it. Nukes for electrical generation, H2 where you need portable fuel.

My reaction to peak oil has always been, "peak oil, schmeak oil". If we have a normal, functioning market, it's not a big deal, it will be replaced by another fuel. Oh, wait. Free market? Haven't had one of those in a long, long time.

NotClauswitz said...

Isn't oil constantly being created at the interaction of the tectonic plates? Every earthquake in California generates a little more.
Drill baby drill.

Phillip said...

Anon said "Water will be our primary fuel in 50 years."

I think it will be just as likely that clean, drinkable water will be a byproduct of fuel use.

Hey, I could be wrong. I just know that my grandfather worked on the Texas pipeline back when a lot of folks still used horses for primary transportation, so I know that it's hard to guess what we'll really have by the time my grandchildren are adults.

Kansas Scout said...

I do think we are in a peak oil plateau now but I also think the new discoveries in Natural Gas is God's gift to us as a bridge to the future without guaranteed collapse.
I just hope we use it well as we develop increased efficiencies and new sources of energy. Coal is our big fall back and will save us from a new Dark Ages should oil really fail. I am more hopeful about all this than I used to be but the demand pressures are huge with China and India coming on strong and frankly I think it's gonna be a bumpy ride for a long time