what will happen when we run out of fossil fuel?

Question

Will the enconomy break down? What is the worse case senario?

whilst i do appreciate your humour ( which did make me laugh), any serious answers??

Answer 1

solar power or wind generated.if not we will all have to keep cows under the house and have natural gas again hehe,

Answer 2

First, it's not going to happen any time soon.

Fossil fuel includes coal, and there is a lot of coal. We can find ways to convert coal to other forms of fuel including liquids, but there is no need to rush into this technology. We are nowhere near out of petroleum.

One thing that is good about the concerns being raised is that we are learning how to make more efficient and environmentally friendly uses of fossil fuels. We are also learning to develop other energy sources, including nuclear and eventually thermonuclear fuels.

The worse case scenario would be an economic collapse, but we are so far from this happening it shouldn't be an issue.

One thing we should all demand is fair pricing and increased conservation as the stocks of fossil fuels are reduced from the abundance of the 20th Century to simply adequate supplies.

Answer 3

We will use more nuclear plants. The majority of the economic breakdown and war would happen as the fossil fuel is depleted (actually this is happening right now). Chances are the middle east will become a waste land again that nobody will care about and America might lose some footing in the world economy.

Answer 4

Worst Case scenario on a Planet with a population of Five Plus Billion - - - cannibalism !! But nah the big energy combined have it all mapped out - - - they'll be peddling energy in one form or another - - - suddenly Nuclear will be Safe and no one will think twice about paying taxes on windows because they convey sunlight. Same scenario as the last twenty thousand years, the rich will prosper the masses will endure.

Answer 5

People will elect Tina Turner as leader and Mel Gibson will be your hero. (Thus it was revealed in Mad Max) Was this a serious question?....ok..

No more air travel for quite some time, eliminating police action politics. This would allow governments to find their own balance. Whether they rise or fall will be determined by them (or possibly immediate neighbors)

Economic shifts would be drastic but eventually subside changing the focus from macro to microeconomics. Countries would have to be able to feed itself and not rely on imported goods. There would be less demand for marketing professionals and other people who didn't actually "make something" and more emphasis on agriculture. Farmers would be rich again! Unfortunately, lawyers would still find work.

BTW, the middle east would spend its accumulated wealth on wind or solar energy so they'd hardly die out like some people would wish.

Life would be better. We're almost set up for geothermal power and natural gas in my country anyway so no biggie. Just less wastefulness.

Answer 6

Well, it's not like it's just going to "run-out" one day all of a sudden.

It will become scarcer and scarcer, and will cost more to extract oil from the ground. Energy costs will rise, and we will switch to renewable sources like wind, solar, and biofuel, and other fossil fuels, like coal (which can be converted to oil) and natural gas as they become more cost effective (if it's cheaper to use coal instead of oil, we will use coal).

Eventually, because the cost of finding and extracting any fossil fuels will become too expensive because of how rare they will become, our entire economy will shift to nuclear (fisson now, fusion later when we figure it out), and rewnewable sources, and to hydrogen (by splitting water atoms, once we figure out how to do it cheaply).

Ultimately, humanity will need to leave planet earth as we will eventually completely consume resources that are simply not replaceable or the environment becomes unfit for human habitation. Hopefully by the time this happens, we will have found other planets which can support life, otherwise there will be massive death and most of humanity will be wiped out down to levels that nature can tolerate while it repairs itself.

Answer 7

What I have understood is that with newer technologies leading the way in discovering previously unknown oil pools, we are not going to run out of fuel for a very very long time.....seriously.

By the way, whenever that time comes, which could be hundreds of years away, the source for fuel may not be oil anymore....I think Jesus will return before that becomes an issue...LOL.

Answer 8

Nuclear energy, solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, waterfall energy, biofuel will help to manage the energy utlisation levels. The economy of Arab ountries will be broken down thereby there extremism will come to end.

Answer 9

well if we are expecting a runout of fossil fuels then we'll have time to plan for alternatives...like Biodiesels (Watch serial called Road Trip on Discovery Travel n Living) and solar power

if it happens overnite.. then god save us all.

Answer 10

The towel heads will just have an empty sand pile to squat on.