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Why I am not as worried about Peak Oil...

Discussions related to the physiological and psychological effects of peak oil on our members and future generations.

Unread postby Ardalla » Mon 05 Jul 2004, 22:30:52

Welcome to the boards :) .

From New_User:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'M')ost people here seem to agree that governments aren't going to do anything about the impending peak simply because there is no economic benefit.


I would not speak for others, but I would say that governments aren't going to do anything because they are not convinced there is sufficient cause for alarm. They believe we have plenty of time. This is because world oil supply data is so unreliable that most experts and official government agencies who have an interest in this matter are forced to make educated guesses instead of informed policies. In other words, government leaders have no cover and can't propose remedies to a problem that the USGS, DOA, IEA etc will not admit actually exists.

So we are in a holding pattern at present. When the first of the energy shocks hit home, possibly some minds will change. My guess is it will not be an oil shock, it will natural gas. And it will be soon.
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Unread postby Leanan » Tue 06 Jul 2004, 11:14:59

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') would not speak for others, but I would say that governments aren't going to do anything because they are not convinced there is sufficient cause for alarm. They believe we have plenty of time.


Some may believe that. But I think the current administration does not. As others have pointed out, these are oilmen. They know the score. According to one of their task force reports, they are afraid peak oil and its problems (including "civil unrest") may be upon us by 2006.

I think the real problem is the short term outlook caused by the election cycle. Our leaders only look two or four or six years ahead - to the next election. If they don't, they aren't elected.

Even if we get a soft landing...IME as a transportation engineer, we won't have to worry about what kind of hybrid vehicle is best, because without cheap oil, there won't be a highway system on which to drive said vehicles. Our transportation system requires cheap oil. We pay taxes for roads because we all use them. Even people who don't have cars use the highways, because their food, clothing, and other supplies are shipped via truck.

That won't be happening once the price of oil spikes. People won't be able to afford to buy stuff that's shipped from any distance away. People who can't afford cars will resent paying taxes to upgrade highways for those who do.

And building and maintaining roads will become more expensive. Asphalt is made of petroleum. Concrete and steel are also produced using a lot of fossil fuels. We'll be looking at ever-higher investment that yields ever-diminishing returns. I suspect that relatively quickly, we'll give up even trying to maintain the highway system. With no highways, cars will be fairly useless.
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Unread postby smiley » Tue 06 Jul 2004, 12:50:38

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')would not speak for others, but I would say that governments aren't going to do anything because they are not convinced there is sufficient cause for alarm. They believe we have plenty of time.


I would say the governments are doing lots of things but they aren't really helpful:

Like the USA harassing various countries. China and Japan battling for oil rights in Russia, Iran and SA. Russia trying to gain state control over the oil industry. Nigeria and Iran trying to do the same.

So far these countries have only managed to seriously harm the oil production and to hamper exploration and development.
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Unread postby Ardalla » Tue 06 Jul 2004, 13:27:17

I think Simmons certainly believes in peak oil before 2010. I don't see any direct statement in the Cheney task force report where he speaks of peak oil by 2006. I think the Bush administration believes the oil that we need is out there, we just need to be able to access it. Of course they are planning for a possible interruption in supply, civil unrest etc. But seriously planning for peak oil? No.

There is a problem with credibility. So far we have gadflies like Simmons and Campbell trying to get the horse's attention. Lots of tail-swishing going on, but the horse is continuing to munch. We need a large hornet like AAPG or USGS to go after the horse's nose. Failing that, it will take a true energy shock to get a reaction. Even then there is no guarantee that peak oil will be acknowledged. It may be written off as just a temporary supply problem.
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Unread postby Leanan » Tue 06 Jul 2004, 14:35:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') think Simmons certainly believes in peak oil before 2010. I don't see any direct statement in the Cheney task force report where he speaks of peak oil by 2006. I think the Bush administration believes the oil that we need is out there, we just need to be able to access it.


I disagree. I wasn't referring to either Simmons or the infamous Cheney task force. I was referring to the Baker report, Strategic Energy Policy Challenges for the 21st Century.

You can read the entire thing here:

http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/lin ... rgytf.html

But it's kind of dry. Here's a newspaper article that hits the high points:

http://smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/06/1 ... click=true

The report sounds an urgent alarm, saying,

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', ' ')...there is no alternative. And there is no time to waste. The problems facing the energy sector will take at least three to five years to solve.


"We have no time to waste" combined with "problems will take at least 3-5 years to solve" suggests to me that they expected the crisis to hit within 3-5 years, certainly not much longer. And the report was written in 2001.

Then there's the Cheney speech, linked to on the ASPO front page:

http://www.peakoil.net//Publications/Ch ... il_FCD.pdf

He seems clearly aware of an imminent peak there.

I think the evidence suggests that Bush, Cheney, etc., are well aware of oil depletion. But they can't say so. No one wants to hear it. Just ask Jimmy Carter.
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Unread postby new_user » Tue 06 Jul 2004, 18:59:13

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') would not speak for others, but I would say that governments aren't going to do anything because they are not convinced there is sufficient cause for alarm. They believe we have plenty of time.


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')o we are in a holding pattern at present. When the first of the energy shocks hit home, possibly some minds will change. My guess is it will not be an oil shock, it will natural gas.



It seems to me like the sooner we start to address the issue, the better off we'll be when the crash hits. Some speculate we won't start to really address the issue until the crash hits- or rather, until the economic symptoms of the crash appear.


So wouldn't causing symptoms to appear before the actual crash be beneficial to us in the long run? The sooner we start our detox from oil, the more peope will live through the crash.

Our refineries and tankers are at their maximum capacity right now- once again, correct me if I'm wrong, but each refinery that's bombed or tanker that's sunk would be a (temporary, and in the timeframe before the crash, likely permanent) permanent loss to all of the oil-reliant sectors of our economy, which seems to be almost all of them.


Makes me think I should be giving money to Al-Qaeda instead of the Red Cross.

If they could only hit those tankers when they were empty- I'm not so down with loss of life and oil spills.
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Unread postby MattSavinar » Tue 06 Jul 2004, 20:10:01

The Bush Admin most certainly knows about Peak Oil. In addition to the evidence and links provided above, consider:

1. The CIA know about Peak Oil in the 1970's (See "Smoking Gun" on Museletter.com)

2. George Bush Senior was director of the CIA in the 1970's, VP in the 1980's, and the big P in the late 80's and early 90's.

Remeber, the job of the CIA is to protect Wall Street - America's financial engine. Oil is key for the engine to run. So the CIA knows about the scope of the crisis in great detail.

They may even persuse this forum to find out the degree to which the peasents have awoken.

Saudi Aramco, Haliburton, Lockhead Martin, Shell, Occidental Petroleum, GM, Ford, Defense Information Agency, visit my site on a regular basis.

I'm sure they do to this one also.

Again, not to find out information as they are already aware of all this stuff, but to figure out to what degree they need to perform crowd control.

Anybody see the program on Fox with Newt Gringrich about how "Yeah, there are oil problems, but we got it under control . . . "

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Unread postby small_steps » Tue 06 Jul 2004, 20:28:06

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattSavinar', '
')Anybody see the program on Fox with Newt Gringrich about how "Yeah, there are oil problems, but we got it under control . . . "


a political guy, flapping his lips, saying "all is well" - shit, who would have guessed?

would be 'enlightening' to see if there was ANY substance to the rhetoric.
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Unread postby Ardalla » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 14:02:49

I have no doubt that the Bush Admin knows full well about peak oil. Indeed, if someone can produce any quotes from the admin that they think peak oil will happen before 2010, and they have a plan to deal with it, then I will be glad to change my opinion. There is big difference in Bush being AWARE of peak oil and actually believing it is imminent.

Can anyone quote the admin as believing the Saudis might not have the huge reserves they say they have? I haven't seen such a quote. I would love to see it. Even that would be some evidence that they are considering peak oil within the next few years.
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Unread postby Aaron » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 14:07:29

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '')By some estimates, there will be an average of two percent annual growth in global oil demand over the years ahead, along with, conservatively, a three-percent natural decline in production from existing reserves.” “That means by 2010 we will need on the order of an additional 50 million barrels a day.”


Dick Cheney
The problem is, of course, that not only is economics bankrupt, but it has always been nothing more than politics in disguise... economics is a form of brain damage.

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Unread postby Ardalla » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 14:55:27

Yes I've read that quote many times. I would say Cheney believes we will get the oil we need.

The reason I am saying this is because I prefer to believe that the USGS, DOA, Bush administration, major oil companies and virtually every government on the planet are NOT engaged in a conspiracy to suppress the truth of peak oil before 2010 and imminent collapse of the world economy. I think they are delusional Polyannas hoping for the best.

The basic problem is the lack of reliable data on world oil supply. The entities I mention above will likely assume the best until they are forced by the data to accept the truth. My best hope right now is that some reliable organization such as the AAPG will at least QUESTION the data. Someone needs to say in effect we cannot project a reliable oil supply for the future given the unreliabilty of our current database. Campbell and others ARE saying it. It's not enough. They are just being labelled as crazies. I don't expect AAPG or USGS to admit peak oil is imminent. If they would just say "We are no longer certain ... " that would be a step in the right direction.
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Unread postby Leanan » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 15:47:29

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') would say Cheney believes we will get the oil we need.


That's not how I read it. Especially given the markedly different tune he sings now.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he reason I am saying this is because I prefer to believe that the USGS, DOA, Bush administration, major oil companies and virtually every government on the planet are NOT engaged in a conspiracy to suppress the truth of peak oil before 2010 and imminent collapse of the world economy. I think they are delusional Polyannas hoping for the best.


They may be Pollyannas, but I don't think they are delusional. At least, not all of them. Rather, they don't know what to do about it. Why panic people needlessly, when there's nothing they can do? I suspect a lot of people are like the band, playing on the deck of the Titanic as it sinks. I mean, why not? What else is there to do?

The USGS would have to be idiots not to notice that reality and their prediction are diverging sharply. As Deffeyes points out, we are one Kuwait behind USGS predictions for U.S. oil discovery, and one entire Middle East behind their prediction for world oil discovery. And falling further behind all the time. Yet they don't adjust their estimate. Why not?
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Unread postby notacornucopian » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 16:13:03

Ardalla, I have to disagree with you on the administration's knowledge of Peak Oil. There are plenty of oilmen in the administration and to think that all that has transpired over the last few years is due simply to incompetence/lack of vision is very difficult to believe.
On a related note, I have been trying to get through that James Baker Institute paper written back in April of 2001. So far, the most interesting thing I have discovered is how the administration has essentially ignored most of their recommendations. If you are well versed with the lack of an easily incorporated energy substitute for oil, and you read between the lines, it becomes apparent that the administration may have believed there was no choice but to go out and secure control of ME oilfileds. More on this later.....
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Unread postby PhilBiker » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 16:19:00

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hey may be Pollyannas, but I don't think they are delusional. At least, not all of them. Rather, they don't know what to do about it. Why panic people needlessly, when there's nothing they can do? I suspect a lot of people are like the band, playing on the deck of the Titanic as it sinks. I mean, why not? What else is there to do?
I agree.

Just talk to people about peak oil. Talk to anybody. Very few people are willing to give the concept second thought. Very few are open to a future with less oil and what that means. My wife thinks I'm a fucking kook.

We simply do not know how to stop! Stop what? Everyday life as we've gotten acostomed to. Growth, building houses, shopping at home depot and wal*mart. The suburban dream life, modern economics, the stock market, etc, etc, etc. We can't stop, the whole society has become a big out of control machine that no-one can control.

We are going to be in for a big surprise when the Big Depression starts. We have to learn to do things in new ways, but look around, this big wonderful dream world will not end unless it's forced to. We all, the people, the economists, politicians, everybody completely take energy for granted and that's not going to stop until there's a major crisis.

I've given up on trying to be prepared, there's nothing we can do really as citizens. The whole of civilization is heading for this path of doom and there's no stopping it. I just hope that I don't die after starving for weeks months or years. Let it be quick, I've had a great life.

Before I learned about peak oil I knew there was something up, and I was enjoying it! I appreciated all the great wonders of society: cars, grocery stores, etc, more than most, but not as much as I do now. I can hop on my bicycle and get groceries from a store two miles up the street, that is so fantastic!!!
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Unread postby MattSavinar » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 21:09:09

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('new_user', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') would not speak for others, but I would say that governments aren't going to do anything because they are not convinced there is sufficient cause for alarm. They believe we have plenty of time.


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')o we are in a holding pattern at present. When the first of the energy shocks hit home, possibly some minds will change. My guess is it will not be an oil shock, it will natural gas.



It seems to me like the sooner we start to address the issue, the better off we'll be when the crash hits. Some speculate we won't start to really address the issue until the crash hits- or rather, until the economic symptoms of the crash appear.


So wouldn't causing symptoms to appear before the actual crash be beneficial to us in the long run? The sooner we start our detox from oil, the more peope will live through the crash.

Our refineries and tankers are at their maximum capacity right now- once again, correct me if I'm wrong, but each refinery that's bombed or tanker that's sunk would be a (temporary, and in the timeframe before the crash, likely permanent) permanent loss to all of the oil-reliant sectors of our economy, which seems to be almost all of them.


Makes me think I should be giving money to Al-Qaeda instead of the Red Cross.

If they could only hit those tankers when they were empty- I'm not so down with loss of life and oil spills.


Congratulations, you just violated several provision of the Patriot Act.
If this board wasn't being monitored before, it is now.

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Unread postby Pops » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 22:11:53

Matt, any board you post to is already well in the sights.

:lol:
The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.
-- Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on Government (July 1, 1854)
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Unread postby MattSavinar » Wed 07 Jul 2004, 22:35:07

Tell me about it.

Not to brag, but all the "biggies" come to my site regularly: Saudi Aramco, Lockhead Martin, Haliburton, Shell etc. . .

Something called the "Defense Information Agency" checks in daily also, but I don't who they are.

And then there are the visits from "Arpanet."

I suspect their thinking, "Oh f--k the peasents have awoken." I've been meaning to ask Aaron who visits PeakOil.com

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Unread postby ExampleGiven » Thu 08 Jul 2004, 00:21:57

There won't be 2 percent growth at $100 a barrel. As prices go up demand goes down. Demand for oil is probably inelastic at some point, but it seems oil prices could double or triple before that. Europe and Japan use half the per capita amount of oil as we do and they pay twice as much at the pump.

And as far as "fleet based solutions" not being feasible:
The US produced 12 million new cars last year. Seems we could make a dent.

I believe we as citizens have an obligation to work toward softening the blow of peak oil. I for one will not throw up my hands and say nothing can be done. Lobby, Vote, use less energy, change your lifestyle. Even if you are pessimist and believe we can not change the course of events: What have you got to lose ?

It aint over til it's over. How do you hire a Lobbyist anyway ?
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Unread postby Leanan » Thu 08 Jul 2004, 09:52:55

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')omething called the "Defense Information Agency" checks in daily also, but I don't who they are.


The DIA is the Pentagon's version of the CIA.
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Our soldiers are being trained for urban warfare.

Unread postby sheilach » Fri 09 Jul 2004, 04:53:23

A while back I remember seeing a news bite on how our soldiers were being trained for urban warfare and I thought at the time the 'enemy' would be us.

Now that I have become aware of 'peak oil', it seems the government HAS been preparing for the decline in natural gas and oil and the civil unrest that will follow.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')ot to brag, but all the "biggies" come to my site regularly: Saudi Aramco, Lockhead Martin, Haliburton, Shell etc. . .


Cute, 'Lockhead' instead of Lockheed, I use to work there so it's one of the few words I can still spell, :wink:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') would not speak for others, but I would say that governments aren't going to do anything because they are not convinced there is sufficient cause for alarm. They believe we have plenty of time.


I think the government DOES KNOW that TSATHTF and have been preparing for it by training and arming our soldiers for urban warfare against US.
They have been filling the stratigic oil reserve so they will have the fuel to fight their oil wars and control the people.

The so called 'Patriots act' gave them the right to imprison us without charge, indefinately, to tap our phones, read our mail,find out what we read, even enter and search our dwellings without a warrent. :twisted:

The American government intends to keep power even as oil and our civilization declines.

When oil finally does run out, then it's payback time for the survivors! :twisted:
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