For this last article of the season, I will try to describe the global situation of oil and fossil energies, its implications and what can happen to us if we don't change our ways.
As a matter of fact, when we read articles about automobiles, we don't have the impression that the situation is so serious. We present new models to us that look better, perform better, and are more desirable from one to another. Being a car lover myself since always, it took me years before resolving to the new realities attached to this way of transportation. But we're now in the 21st century and we have to realize the implications associated with this way of life.
Oil in our everyday life
Look around you.
At work: we're surrounded by products derived from oil. The computer that you're working and reading this article on; the water bottle that you might have on your desk; the keyboard you're typing on; the cellular phone you own; all the office products on your table: separators, stapler, clock, etc.
At home: your television, microwave oven, fridge, dishwasher, some of your furniture, your kids' toys, the dishes, various product containers, your glasses or lenses, some of your clothes, your shoes, etc.
Now, look at what's made with stuff other than oil. Your food, your wooden furniture, your house, your bicycle, your car, and ask yourself how they were made. Since all fabrications and transports (the average distance traveled by the food you find at the supermarket is 2,500 km) require energy and the vast majority of that energy used for this comes from a fossil resource (oil, natural gas, coal or nuclear energy), it's easy to understand that we rely completely on these resources.
Hubbert's chart
For over 100 years, the economy's growth was based on one main energy source: oil. As everyone knows, the fabrication of all fossil energies has taken millions of years. Whether we're talking about oil, natural gas, coal or uranium, once these resources are depleted, they will not be replaced. In a century and a half, we have used up more than half of these resources that took millions of years to create.
However, most individuals, governments and companies continue to consume it like if there's was an unlimited supply. This attitude will lead us directly to disaster, both economically and ecologically. This, besides the fact that in the 1950 years, a scientist named King Hubbert created the oil production curve that is named after him today. That curve, following his research, showed that the peak oil production in the United States would be achieved in the '70s. After being laughed at in his time, his prediction turned out to be false... for more or less 12 months. As for discoveries of new oil wells, the peak was hit in 1964 and hasn't stopped declining since.
As a matter of fact, when we read articles about automobiles, we don't have the impression that the situation is so serious. We present new models to us that look better, perform better, and are more desirable from one to another. Being a car lover myself since always, it took me years before resolving to the new realities attached to this way of transportation. But we're now in the 21st century and we have to realize the implications associated with this way of life.
Oil in our everyday life
Look around you.
At work: we're surrounded by products derived from oil. The computer that you're working and reading this article on; the water bottle that you might have on your desk; the keyboard you're typing on; the cellular phone you own; all the office products on your table: separators, stapler, clock, etc.
At home: your television, microwave oven, fridge, dishwasher, some of your furniture, your kids' toys, the dishes, various product containers, your glasses or lenses, some of your clothes, your shoes, etc.
Now, look at what's made with stuff other than oil. Your food, your wooden furniture, your house, your bicycle, your car, and ask yourself how they were made. Since all fabrications and transports (the average distance traveled by the food you find at the supermarket is 2,500 km) require energy and the vast majority of that energy used for this comes from a fossil resource (oil, natural gas, coal or nuclear energy), it's easy to understand that we rely completely on these resources.
Hubbert's chart
For over 100 years, the economy's growth was based on one main energy source: oil. As everyone knows, the fabrication of all fossil energies has taken millions of years. Whether we're talking about oil, natural gas, coal or uranium, once these resources are depleted, they will not be replaced. In a century and a half, we have used up more than half of these resources that took millions of years to create.
However, most individuals, governments and companies continue to consume it like if there's was an unlimited supply. This attitude will lead us directly to disaster, both economically and ecologically. This, besides the fact that in the 1950 years, a scientist named King Hubbert created the oil production curve that is named after him today. That curve, following his research, showed that the peak oil production in the United States would be achieved in the '70s. After being laughed at in his time, his prediction turned out to be false... for more or less 12 months. As for discoveries of new oil wells, the peak was hit in 1964 and hasn't stopped declining since.