Why do people think running out of fossil fuels is a problem?

We'll never "run out" of fossil fuel - just like we never "ran out" of whale blubber - - at some point as was the case with whale blubber, scarcity will drive prices higher and it will become cost effective to switch to another fuel or another means of accomplishing the same functions.

And no, that's NOT what's happening now - the prices of all commodities quoted in dollars are up because the value of the dollar is going down - because Bush spends dollars that don't exist and the Fed keeps printing them.

As the world's population increases and quality of life demands go up, the world energy production will need to grow by at least 20 terawatts (probably more) by the year 2050. Any idea where that might come from? Well, consider this, let's say we use a mix of biomass, nuclear and wind power to generate the increased energy we need. If we converted all agricultural production in the world to biomass (I know, there's a slight problem with that) we could get about 10 terawatts. Then, if we built a new nuclear power plant EVERY 2 DAYS until 2050, we could get another 8 terawatts. To get the remaining 2 terawatts, we put windmills on every piece of wind class 3 category land on Earth. See, no problem at all with fossil fuels running out!

Global demand for energy will be our biggest problem over the century. It's not quite so easy to replace the fossil fuel economy with alternatives. Perhaps the free market will take care of the problem, but there may be a transition period in which things are a bit grim.

In a sense, you're right. Bluntly speaking, a fossil fuel is a naturally occurring fuel formed by the Earth. It takes the Earth millions of years to form fossil fuel, so the Earth is always generating more fossil fuel. So we're not really running out of fossil fuels.

But on the other side, you are wrong. The world's consumption of fuel is growing exponentially, and the world is taking out more fossil fuels than the Earth can make (we consume fossil fuels at a higher rate than the Earth can make it). And with all the byproducts that are created when we use fuel (excessive amounts of Carbon Dioxide released into the atmosphere), we are not helping the Earth create more fossil fuels (increased temperature leads to lower yields of fossil fuels).

I think that society doesn't realize the need for alternative fuels because they don't feel the "crunch" that the Earth is giving them. People in today's society are going to keep using fossil fuels, because it does not affect them -- they will not be there to see the Earth warm to higher temperatures, so why should they care? I don't mean to come off like a total hippie, but people take the environment they live in for granted, and do not see the beauty around them.

I feel that part of solving the problem is education. People need to know the energy situation happening in the Earth. Either that, or people need a large company and/or government to hand it to them on a silver platter.

The difference is the size at which the reactions happen, and the amount of energy released. Fossil fuel gets its energy form chemical reactions. For that to happen, you need multiple atoms which form molecules, reacting with each other. The small changes in the magnetic and molecular force configuration, causes a small bit of energy to be released. Nuclear energy is subatomic, the core (nucleus) of an atom itself will split or melt together. Thus, producing more energy per unit of mass as the scale of this reaction is many times smaller then chemical reactions. This change in configuration when splitting or melting causes a loss of mass, and the energy produced (e=mc^2) is enormous proportional to that loss.

Nobody seems to realize we have the technology and ability to provide all the electricity the world needs today and far into the future with no pollution at all. And we have had this ability since the 70s, but the democrats in government have fought tooth and nail against it because it would eliminate their easy come profits from their oil company bosses. Well it looks now that because the democrats are keeping the US from building space power stations we will in the next 20 years buying our power from Europe and China because both of them are going ahead full bore with it while our democratic controlled congress is more interested in funding coal, gas and oil plants to enhance their owners profits at the expense of the economy and working people everywhere.

http://www.nss.org/settlement/ColoniesInSpace/inde...

When you have Democrats trying to reduce our domestic production of oil at every opportunity, suggesting idiotically stupid things like it would take 10 years before any is available, is it any wonder our domestic production has dropped? There is no country on earth that foregoes its available energy except America but some on the left seem to think they are wise and thoughtful by pushing that agenda on us. We have paid for that reasoning. It is time to unleash the oil companies to get more fuel and stop letting the left throw obstacles in the way. The left has has no interest in providing energy or fuel, as you demonstrated with your question. You call it obsolete technology. What is obsolete is the idea that we are running out. They have been claiming that since at least the 1880s. Why those alarmist never bother to inform themselves is beyond me.

It is those who are funding the entire AGW pogrom to enhance their fossil fuel profits that are panicking at the concept of nuclear or space based solar power crippling their 100+ years of easy profits. I say get the space program going again and build enough solar power to handle 200% of the worlds power needs and then build enough nuclear plants to backup half of that capacity and let the oil billionaires stave or eat cake.

We ARE running out of fossil fuels. There is only so much petroleum on earth. Once it's burned and spewed into the atmosphere, it is gone.

The United States produced the most oil in 1970. Since then, we have been producing less and less. That is why we import the majority from other countries.

Many other countries are producing less and less also. That is why we are considering drilling below the ocean's surface. If you think about drilling a hole in the ocean floor, that is EXTREMELY cumbersome, expensive and labor-intensive. If oil was abundant, we would not have to go this route.

Look up "peak oil". The facts are alarming.

I find it interesting that whenever something is brought to us that is less than desirable, people automatically assume it's a scam or hoax. That somehow the government is playing a big joke on its citizens. Or that someone is making money off of said jokes. WHATEVER!

The underlying hatred of some people for the energy industry is perplexing, but understand that doomsayers started out saying that we would run out of fuel. This led to people working hard to find more, and looking at how to extract more from each source, etc. As it became apparent that fuel supplies are basically limitless, then the tactic switched to claiming we can't burn those fuels, because it will make the whole earth warmer.

Both claims are just different ways to assault the energy industry, presumably because inexpensive energy gives people the ability to live happy, fulfilling lives.

I agree wholeheartedly with you that we need to find cleaner alternatives, but sadly some people couldn't care less about the environment or even their own health. Those people need to wake up and recognize that we can't go on using fossil fuels forever because eventually the supplies will run low. When that happens, if we don't have viable alternatives, it could easily spark another world war.

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You people saying "we'll never run out" should stop proclaiming your ignorance and read a book. Fossil fuels came from fossils (duh) buried under the ground after mass extinctions. It took millions of years under tons of rock for the organic material from these ancient plants and animals to be converted to oil. If this ever happens again, we won't be able to benefit from it because it will be millions of years in the future and we just might be part of the mass extinction. That means there IS a finite supply. Your concept of "unlimited supply" is based solely on having enough to satisfy your own needs, but we need to think farther ahead than that. We shouldn't usher in the 22nd century still using 19th century technology just because the oil companies are greedy and the luddites don't want to change anything.