The below infographic takes an unbiased look at the current situation with peak oil, oil consumption and declining fossil fuel reserves.
Source: CarSort
This graphic presents a conventional viewpoint of peak oil, but without most of the doomerism. If one looks over the numbers presented here with the knowledge that CO2 hysteria is scientifically unfounded, and that most of the problems listed are already on the way to being circumvented, the overall picture looks quite good -- for the near to intermediate term.
We should always remember that our long term goal is to replace combustion technologies with more advanced technologies which are sustainable on the time scale of millions of years at least. At this point, of all the large scale power technologies, only advanced nuclear technologies qualify as sustainable on those scales.
That is not to say that better solar and geothermal technologies will not be developed. No one can make such predictions with certainty. But the universe itself is powered largely by nuclear reactions -- and other more esoteric forces and energies yet to be discovered. That is the direction we need to be looking.
In the meantime, the available fossil fuel resources, bioenergy resources, and nuclear fission resources available, should see us through.
By Al Fin
Al Fin runs a number of very successful blogs that cover, energy, technology, news and politics. More
Comments
I can agree with a little less doomerism. But this goes much too far in my opinion.
First, there is undeniable proof that we have been having very dire effects on our planet. We have lost thousands of species of animals in the past 100 years due to our destructive appetite for more of everything we can make and sell. By telling people to not worry, we'll get through this, and that the sky won't fall would be ironic if it wasn't so wrong. The o-zone layer is deteriorating, and this will directly cause more skin cancer worldwide. Rain has steadily became more acidic as we pollute our air more than ever before. The real question is, how close are we to the point where somebody gets drunk and shoots off a couple of nukes into the sky?