Thursday, July 14, 2005

Doom and Gloom about Fossil Fuels

Thinking about it for a long time, I've come to a pessimistic conclusion about fossil fuels. I don't think it matters that their use causes global warming. I don't think it matters that global warming will wreak havoc with weather patterns, with sea levels, with food production, etc. The fact is, humans are going to continue to use fossil fuels until every bit of it is turned into carbon dioxide. Every last eyedropper full of petroleum, every last chunk of coal, every last milliliter of natural gas. Our demand for energy pretty much guarantees that it'll all be gone someday---and I'm guessing that it will be not too far-off, within my lifetime.

So what then? I'm optimistic enough to think that the human race will survive, and will find some fuel source (solar, nuclear, geothermal, who knows) that will allow some of us to continue technological society. However, it seems to me almost inevitable that there will be disruption to civilization to dwarf World War II. There will not be a single nation, a single industry, a single family anywhere in the world that is left unaffected.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't think it matters that their use causes global warming. I don't think it matters that global warming will wreak havoc with weather patterns, with sea levels, with food production, etc.

Yeah, but you live on high ground and have enough space for a garden. (As do I.)

I think that fossil fuels will be used up about the same time that deforestation will be completed, whenever that is. That's when the smart money will be on semiconductor and transactinide mining interests, so if you act now, you can still earn big profits.

8:14 AM  

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