Picking on Peak Oil

Russian geologists have for many years stated that oil was not a fossil fuel but was in fact abiotic. They have always drilled based on that science and have been much more successful than any other nation in hitting the mark. The discovery of methane on moons with volcanic activity further strengthens this idea. If oil IS abiotic, the supply is endless. If oil is truly a fossil fuel, dinosaurs and plants were stacked up several miles deep in Saudi Arabia.

What? Petroleum isn't dead dinosaurs and trees turned to black gold?

There is no direct evidence (to date) of abiogenic petroleum.

An interesting read: Abiogenic Origin of Hydrocarbons: An Historical Overview

Strange but we keep on finding new oil all the time. I think Anonymous Hero had it right in a previous entry on the same topic:

"The tendency is to couch the problem as one of abundance or lack thereof, but the real barriers are mostly artificial or manmade as a means for geopolitical control. You will see this from both centralized governments as well as various internal groups and lobbyists. Not all of these entities have the same goals and they may be in direct conflict of each other, which makes the whole dynamics much more complex than it is portrayed in the news."

Power wins and we always seem to have new oil and money to collect. There are still many scientists that refute the existing biological theory as the sole theory. The biological theory does not explain what happened to all the hydrocarbons that were part of the original formation of our planets in this solar system. In fact recent discoveries of methane on the moon may refute the biological origins as the sole theory, unless dinosaurs inhabited the moon. I would not bet against abiotic oil and also think the oil industry is somewhat conspiratorial in trying to discredit the abiotic theory. Who else would gain by telling us we are in a crisis by running out of oil? How often do we listen to the chicken littles? I will keep my mind open. In the meantime try reading some of the articles found here. I would also recommend Thomas Gold's book even if it is flawed and subject to some plagiarism.

Peak Oil is usually presented in a short form, which -almost sensationalist - mostly without meaning. In geology there are many different classifications from operational field, to known reserves, to not yet reachable, to assumed (with good reasons). Every such one is markedly more difficult to reach, maybe reachable only after lengthy technology development. And gradually more expensive to get. The other relationship is, that the lower the grade, the more is of it.

With all these caveats, conditions taken into consideration, the short form statement loses its punch. On the other hand, the price is the lowest for the easiest to recover form, then rises, until technology breakthru occurs, like horizontal drilling.

There is greed at play that causes unjust distribution of resources. Nonetheless, 7 billion folks on a finite planet is making things tricky to manage sustainably.

Also, even if oil forms nonbiologically, what matters is that it presently is being consumed way faster than reserves are reforming. Getting at the hard-to-get fossil fuels risks new types of environmental damage, too.

Population pressures on resources contribute a lot to the declining economic outlook in wesern countries. Politicians can propose all types of policy changes to make us feel like we are fixing things, but until knowhow catches up with lost ground (Indeed, farmland is actually losing soil at alarming rates.), continued economic decline looks unavoidable. :(

Study your science, children!

Peak oil is a non-starter for most people. It is simply a convenient way to divert attention from the issue, which is excessive combustion leading to environmental degradation. You could also scream about peak coal, and call that argument ridiculous, and it would be, except that it is not the issue. Coal combustion is the issue. David Yergin is correct about the trend for profit driven exploration to regulate pricing.

There is a reason we have National Forests in this country, and it is because the demand for lumber would have stripped many of them of old growth with out protection. Many people will laugh and scoff at the notion, after all, they will grow back. Many people are laughing at the notion of excessive CO 2 and other pollutants, after all, they will eventually reach stasis. It's just that we may well be extinct, unless we provide protection. Profit driven exploration is trumping protection.

It may be a non-starter for some, but, at the least, it still leads to incentive/impetus for developing energy production that doesn't rely on fossil/abiogenic substance to power it. (Think in terms of something that doesn't contain the word "combustion".) It's mostly the cumulative effect of high-power consumption devices, like A/C and electric stove/ovens that tax the "reserves" of the grid and define future needs. Rethinking this problem and the associated technology is another component of changing the equation for power generation.

Water-driven and nuclear driven power generation is certainly non-fossil. I still have mixed feelings about man-made dams for power generation. Now there are communities that developed around it and are dependent on it. And nuclear just seems inelegant at some level.

To me, most subjects like this always come back to population control and planning. As a species, we procreate with little or no thought to the overall impact of how the newborn will live on the planet. All thinking is "local" in that regard. (Men must have their 1-2 minutes of ecstasy.)

"Turban-Yergin" is a "tempest-teapot-Tool" of the Globalists, IF he's claiming there IS such a thing as "peak-oil". The "Predernaturally-Picqued-Peakers"seem wedded to the notion of Oil being "fossil" when I and most Russian experts KNOW different. Oil/gas/volatiles are in CONSTANT production,--I doubt we can exhaust all reserves even with a 2-car Indian(India) & Red Chinese World(--billions of autos). Even if Oil was on the wane, coal can be cracked to produce Hydrogen for fuel cells or, saving most of the present distribution infrastructure, cracking-coal to produce gasoline and other volatiles. Further, there's LOTS of ocean from which to extract bio-diesil from hi-lipid-algae & seawater, with no sooty particles from its oxidation. I'll BET someone "ghosted" Turban-Yergin's book, as he seems to be the "Jar-Jar-Binks" of Petroleum-supply Fantasy", as dictated by his Globalist Masters,--drooling Commie-syncophants that they are.