Science Question about Oil consumption

Hello,

I was thinking about what the future might hold in a scenario where people have drained all the crude oil they can from the earth.

So here it is: What will happen (Scientifically) to the Earth when no Oil supply is left because we pumped out all we could?

Thanks in advance!

a reply to: POWMIA

We won't ever drain the world of oil. It will never happen.
The term "fossil fuel" was coined to make it seem like the black gold was a finite supply.
In reality though, we will never use it all up.
And before we even drain half the estimated current supply, new technologies will had replaced the need for oil...as they currently are on their way to doing now.

a reply to: Macenroe82

But that wont stop them claiming there's an oil crises 2.0 and pushing up prices!

But yeah, I think science will move towards using plant based oils in plastics. Look around you, all that plastic is essential to the modern human way of living. We'd need to shift back to making things that are built to last, and bottles of glass etc.

In fact, the more I think about that, it would possibly be a great mover in terms of making us a better fit for our little planet. But there would be many decades of figuring it all out I'd suspect.

originally posted by: POWMIA
Hello,

I was thinking about what the future might hold in a scenario where people have drained all the crude oil they can from the earth.

So here it is: What will happen (Scientifically) to the Earth when no Oil supply is left because we pumped out all we could?

Thanks in advance!

I imagine that for lubricants and plastics purposes, we could synthesize analogues but it would be a different issue in regard to fuels.

The energy density of petroleum is particularly high and the infrastructure dependent upon it is widely distributed and difficult to replace. To some extent, biofuels, natural gas and coal gas could be used in replacement but they deliver far less power and are harder on machinery.

Hydrogen based fuels are also a possibility but the infrastructure is still not really pervasive and energy density is low.

I think the greatest impact would be economic.

The Earth's environment would probably begin repairing the damage of fossil fuel use and would also continue in its slow processes of generating new oil reserves.

We could also expect some local subsidence and change of aquifers as water drained into areas once filled with oil. To some extent,fracking accelerates the process so that the less dense oil which floats to the top, is easier to get at.

The chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, and many tech industries rely on oil products.
It would be a disaster if it ran out as it is so much more valuable for materials than it is for fuel.
To avoid catastrophic climate change we need to stop burning it asap.
Hopefully then there will be enough left for future generations to use wisely.

If oil did run out then plant or bacterial based manufacturing could be developed to produce oils but it would be expensive and difficult to scale up.

We could go all in with H2 and mini Nuclear reactors at any time. Solar panels can give us abundant energy to crack water, algae can be used to set up an H2 Farm. Mini reactors have been known about for a long time and would use very small amounts of radioactive material and not weapons grade. For that matter safe reactors are an engineering marvel that have potential. We are making Plutonium for the war machine with many of our reactors, instead of providing clean power with safer materials as the heat source.

The whole world is holding back the manufacturing of things that would replace oil for political reasons IMO.... They use the oil to provide financial support to certain people like the Wahhabi's in the ME who bring about social change that benefits the cabal seeking to control things. This is a conspiracy site, just saying..........

originally posted by: Macenroe82
a reply to: POWMIA

We won't ever drain the world of oil. It will never happen.
The term "fossil fuel" was coined to make it seem like the black gold was a finite supply.
In reality though, we will never use it all up.
And before we even drain half the estimated current supply, new technologies will had replaced the need for oil...as they currently are on their way to doing now.

You added another lie to the narrative: "new" technologies won't ever fully replace oil, coal and natural gas. Beside that Big Oil won't let that happen, the 'other' tech like nuclear power, wind and solar can't power the huge Maritime shipping industry, the hi flying jet set technology, gynormous land transport Industry by truck and rail, or heat our homes in the winter.

We are locked into our current Energy Paradigm, resources are indeed finite. Not that it matters, we'll choke on the carbon we are pumping into the atmosphere long before we run out of the resource.

The term fossil fuel may well be a misnomer. There are studied cases of so-called emptied wells filling back up over time. There is a popular theory that oil comes from a layer from under the crust , and is produced in or near the core.

a reply to: POWMIA

Well for starters it will effect food preservation as many food companies use oil is a main ingredient in making plastic disposables, and and A thousand years from now we won't have dead fish and dinosaurs to fuel us, and our hubris and stupidity will drive us to extinction.

I want a child, but I don't want a child with no future.

We can convert natural gas directly into low sulfur diesel.

It will be a LONG time before we lose access to petroleum.

a reply to: Qumulys

That's right. I wouldn't put it beyond the gov. To do that either.

a reply to: intrptr

Pfft...clearly you have no faith in Tom Delong.
He has a team right now, right this very minute, working feverishly around the clock to
Bring us this new technology.
Do your damn part and send him your credit card number so he can save humanity.

And yes that is sarcasm.

originally posted by: bigfatfurrytexan
We can convert natural gas directly into low sulfur diesel.

It will be a LONG time before we lose access to petroleum.

We can convert anything with carbon in it to low sulfur diesel/jet, gasoline, and methanol. The technology is well known.

Coal is already dead. That is without any help from environmentalists but pure economics.

Oil is slowly dying. Try asking your question the other way around, "What would happen if we stopped using oil entirely?"

You face huge hurdles. We would have to religiously recycle plastics. We would have to clean up the ocean to get new plastic supply chain. We would need a different source of fuel for internal combustion engines. And if you really think hard about it, what is the CO2 pumped into the atmosphere but unused energy? We took the energy to get CO2 but why not take it all the way! Take the "waste" CO2 and put it good use!

Oil will be around for a long time! Same with natural gas. CO2 is the new gold rush waiting to happen.

originally posted by: Qumulys
a reply to: Macenroe82

But that wont stop them claiming there's an oil crises 2.0 and pushing up prices!...

oil crisis 1.0 was the result of a single company gaining monopoly over all oil reserves. the crisis ended because they lost their monopoly as fracking released new reserves not under their control.

crisis 2.0 will only happen if they regain their monopoly,

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

Coal is already dead. That is without any help from environmentalists but pure economics.

Coal is FAR from dead.

Thanks for the responses, however, I was looking for a more "Earth Science" answer.
Like the Earth dry up and fissures form and the surface cave into the lower crust?

originally posted by: POWMIA
Thanks for the responses, however, I was looking for a more "Earth Science" answer.
Like the Earth dry up and fissures form and the surface cave into the lower crust?

The pressures are monitored, land subsidence isn't an issue if the zones are not allowed to depressurize.

originally posted by: EvidenceNibbler

originally posted by: POWMIA
Thanks for the responses, however, I was looking for a more "Earth Science" answer.
Like the Earth dry up and fissures form and the surface cave into the lower crust?

The pressures are monitored, land subsidence isn't an issue if the zones are not allowed to depressurize.

source plz?

a reply to: NobodiesNormal

Here's a good article to start with.
www.longbeach.gov...

Many oil experts had recognized for years that the oil pools extended eastward under the City and offshore to Seal Beach. Development was not started in this area until 1965 because of drilling restrictions placed by the City in order to protect against subsidence. After it became apparent that water injection was stopping subsidence and the easterly oil field extension could be developed safely, the City (by vote of the people) lifted the drilling ban. A lesson learned, the citizens of Long Beach required that the eastern offshore extension of the field be unitized prior to development and water injection be started immediately. At the same time, restrictions were placed on the development to ensure that subsidence would not occur and that the natural beauty of the shoreline would be protected.