YAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I love this stuff haven't had a good discussion in a while. The oil crisis is probably my area of expertise!! So let's get down to business.............
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]E85 Ethanol is just a band-aid to the real problem.
This is true, and by the way, it is Brazil who lead the world in Ethanol use. In Brazil this system works well. However, it would be imposssible to integrate any signifcant level of ethanol use into North american culture namely because we don't have the same acreage of land devoted to crops as Brazil does. Plus we consume wayyyyy more oil than Brazillians per capita so it is definately only a band-aid solution.
Hydrogen....also a band-aid solution...
Hydrogen Fuel is and always will be an energy sink. It will always take more energy to make hydrogen than you will get out of the fuel. Hydrogen also requires energy from another source to be created, which is much different than oil. Oil can be used to extract more oil. Hydrogen can
NOT be used to make more Hydrogen. Therefore if we begin using it as a major source of fuel for transportation we are really just going to be using electricity, used to make hydrogen, as an alternative. This will just put more strain on our already unstable energy situation.
Another Oil related problem.....
Oil unfortunately is a very unique substance and it is much more important to our civilization than we think. We all know a shortage would impact our transportation as can be seen by rising gasoline prices. Just take a moment and look around wherever you are and check to see if there is any plastic nearby. The cheapest form of plastic is manufactured from oil. One of the main use of these cheap plastics is in the foodstuffs industry. Many foods are stored in these cheap plastics and would become inedible quickly if they were unavailable. No matter what if we lose oil we can't generate a cheap alternative to plastic.
The history of the oil crisis (from memory it's 1:00am so forgive me if I make a few date errors)
In the mid 1950's a scientist by the name of Marrion Hubbert went to work on what is now called the Hubbert Peak Theory. This mathematical theory estimated the times that the US and the world would peak in oil production. He predicted that the US would peak in the late 60's. It did peak in 1971. He then predicted that the world oil would peak in the late 90's, but due to the oil issues of the late 70's this date was pushed back. The peak may have occured already or may be fast in coming but the fact remains oil will be declining in the next 1/2 decade whether Americans and the rest of the world choose to accept it or not.
What can we do.....
We are about to enter the most critical stage in all of human history. Understanding the gravity of this situation is key to getting the ball rolling on this issues. **** Cheney recently said that, "the american way of life is non-nogotiable". A man named Jim Koester reponded to this in a speech by saying, "If Americans decide not to take action and remain stubborn, they will recieve a new more unforgiving negotiating partner...reality". We all waste energy, we all know it, I do it, Clint does it, the whole darn country does it. Alot of people change to more efficient light bulbs, they purchase more efficient electronics, they walk a little more, but this is the problem. The saying, "every little bit helps" is just a product of our society to satisfy that little voice in our heads that tells us to conserve. Unfortunately what is required is by no stretch of the imagination "a little bit". This, above anything else, is the biggest problem with democracy. We trust that the people will make the right decision, but nothing short of a cataclysmic energy shortage will open their eyes. By that time I'm not sure whether the changes will be reversible. We must prepare for the end of the automobile era. Human history goes back approximately 3 million years. But ever since the agricultural revolution of 10 000 years ago everything has been going downhilll. We treat nature as if we own it but guess what?! Nature has a very easy way of overthrowing human regimes. It's called an Ice age, and it suffers very little because of it but we on the otherhand......
Will rant more later must sleep,
Zac
p.s. I have not checked for typos so please forgive me