Originally Posted By dshyates Earlier this month we had 29 miners killed in a mine explosion 3 miles from the trailer my kids live in. The blast blew the pictures off the walls and cracked the cinder block foundation their home is sitting on. Many of thier frinds at school lost a parent in the "accident". It is the worst mine "accident" in 30 years. Now ther are 11 workers missing after an off-shore oil derrick exploded. This morning the wreckage sank below the surface and there is a 1 by 5 mile oil slick spreading across the gulf. Up to 336,000 gallons of oil and 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel are also in danger of leaking. 11 workers killed and a massive oil slike, it is the worst "accident" in 40 years. In light of these 2 "accidents" what do you think is the future of fossil fuels? We all know that they are devestating our environment and are a dead end technology. Thought?
Originally Posted By DAR I think we'll come to and should rely on them less and less as we look to alternative means of energy. We are still haven't tapped the full potential of alternative energy and that's going to take some time. Which is why I'm waiting on purchasing a hybrid type car, because I know improvements can be made, I'm not what you would call an early adopter. Now that doesn't mean we should abandon fossil fuels completely, maybe keep some on reserve, but then phase them out eventually.
Originally Posted By fkurucz Oil will eventually be short supply, probably sooner than later at the developing nations are increasingly using more and more. Use your bad boy V8, 12 mpg truck as a commuter vehicle while you can (I especially get a kick out of the ones that have a fake pair of testes dangling from the rear axle). In the long haul gas will get more and more expensive. I suppose we will make the transition to compact, diesel powered vehicles that get 60 mpg or more but eventually it will just be too expensive to fill 'er up. Coal: There's a lot of coal left.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<Coal: There's a lot of coal left.>> And as we saw a few weeks ago, getting it is a dangerous operation. Not to mention that burning it is probably one of the worst things we can do for the environment! Coal, in my opinion, is not a viable option. The costs of using it, both environmental and human safety, are just to great.
Originally Posted By plpeters70 <<We are still haven't tapped the full potential of alternative energy>> Exactly, and we really, really need to get our butts in gear! We do not want to be in a scenario where the oil starts to run out, and we don't have a viable second option. Things could get ugly real fast as soon as the lights start going out!
Originally Posted By Mr X ***I think we'll come to and should rely on them less and less as we look to alternative means of energy. We are still haven't tapped the full potential of alternative energy and that's going to take some time.*** We've been saying the same thing for decades. I remember just the same rhetoric when I was in Grade School (yes, that was several DECADES ago). ***Which is why I'm waiting on purchasing a hybrid type car, because I know improvements can be made, I'm not what you would call an early adopter.*** And that sort of thing has been said for decades as well.
Originally Posted By mousermerf <<<Oil will eventually be short supply, probably sooner than later at the developing nations are increasingly using more and more.>>> I got stuck doing research on the Gaia hypothesis once. Turns out they really do find more at a much faster pace then consumption - it's not guaranteed and in theory the supply is limited, but how much actually exists is a big unknown. But every time they've set some scary number and date for when our consumption will outpace our resources has been wrong. We were theoretically supposed to have run out ages ago.
Originally Posted By pecos bill Fossil fuels will be used as long as they are available and are cheaper than alternative sources. The Human toll means nothing, people bow their heads for a few seconds and then it's business as usual. A realistic transition will occur only when it is more or less forced upon us.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 We always seem to wait in this country for "crisis mode" to hit before we get off our butts and do something. "Get ahead of the curve" is not something we seem to be good at on a collective level.
