Oil Reserves, Running Out?

[Triple Vacuum Seal]

I'm not saying nuclear energy isn't going to work nor is it an acceptable method in the future. Eventually, we will have to use it anyway because esaentially what's happening is that power plants will be able to generate constant energy through atoms. Also, I don't need to explain the risks so there's no point acting like you don't care about it just because you think it's unlikely. But for now, it isn't an option till people actually accept the fact that changes need to happen and WILL happen sooner rather than later. Yes, issues of waste management can be resolved if most people actually bothered to do something about it, which unfortunately isn't the case right now and with the attitude around, might not be sorted out any time soon. Which is why solar energy is perfect for the current situation because people don't have to worry about it, although the source of the power is from a burning star millions of miles away from the earth (if not more) and depends on the consistency of the energy actually reaching us, since we cannot actually harness it ourselves. There will be no acopalyptic scenario and there hasn't been any regarding the debate about fending off fossil fuels, it's just been constantly discussed about why it's harmful fiercly because it's necessary for potential changes to happen. If there's no discussion behind this topic, it only makes it incredibly harder for any progress to be made. So the only thing we can do is go through the whole process slowly by researching, and using safer methods in order to make a bigger transition later.

 

Failure was simply proposing that we acknowledge nuclear as the alternative instead of placing it in the same category as other non-renewables. People only bash nuclear because it is fashionable to do so. These same people often conflate renewable energy w/ green energy and also conflate non-renewable energy w/ unsustainable energy.

 

 

The general attitude in the nuclear energy community (especially on the R&D side) is actually on board with much of what you just said. So I don't see how an increased investment into nuclear is a bad thing. We stand to gain nothing by slowing the research and development process of nuclear energy (especially fusion). The bigger issue is that regressive attitudes towards nuclear research have co-opted the misinformed pop environmentalists into slowing or even all out halting nuclear research.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Triple Vacuum Seal

[MyName'sJeff]

Well personally, I don't have a problem with nuclear energy anyway, since I know you can't get any better than that. At least to the extent of the current era of science and technology. I just hope they don't rush it is my concern. As long as it's ironed out properly, with proper safety measures, security, excellent management both internally and externally, I can see this being a saviour for us of course. I just think that in order for things to progress, obviously the public needs to be informed in such a way that they can feel safe enough to support the governments in helping us take that step and also gain knowledge of nuclear energy itself. If mankind was persuaded that man can walk on the moon, surely nuclear energy is going to be the next leap for us and for the generations to come.

Edited May 26, 2016 by MyName'sJeff

[LightningLord]

I'm super late to this, but I don't think oil reserves will run out that fast. Many people tend to overpanic about things and it spreads so easily. The amount of "blizzards and massive snow storms" my town was gonna get last Winter was way less than those predicted, and they weren't that bad for the most part. Same goes for global warming and oil shortages. It's happening, but slowly, and we don't need to lose our sh*t over it just yet, in my opinion. It's just that people get scared of it so easily and exaggerate.

[TheMcSame]

I'm super late to this, but I don't think oil reserves will run out that fast. Many people tend to overpanic about things and it spreads so easily. The amount of "blizzards and massive snow storms" my town was gonna get last Winter was way less than those predicted, and they weren't that bad for the most part. Same goes for global warming and oil shortages. It's happening, but slowly, and we don't need to lose our sh*t over it just yet, in my opinion. It's just that people get scared of it so easily and exaggerate.

I don't think it's panic, it's just flawed data. I mean, as I mentioned before, one of their own sources claimed we have just over 50 years of oil left. Not to mention it's all based on current usage.

 

The truth is, the likelihood of us running out of oil is near 0. The oil industry will go the same way the coal industry has and slowly die off as the public moves to alternate means of power.

Edited May 27, 2016 by TheMcSame

[dudclub55]

Climate change exists but we shouldn't do anything about it because it isn't bad enough yet? Duuuuuuuuuude.

[LightningLord]

Climate change exists but we shouldn't do anything about it because it isn't bad enough yet? Duuuuuuuuuude.

Not my point. My point was that people shouldn't treat it like the end of the world, because then we have so much panic and strsss floating around, nothing gets done.

[dudclub55]

Panic and stress amongst who? We shouldn't pretend it isn't a huge deal either because it 100% is.

[LightningLord]

Panic and stress amongst who? We shouldn't pretend it isn't a huge deal either because it 100% is.

Some people in general. They panic and stress so much, their minds don't think right and we get results that aren't as good as they should be.

[TheMcSame]

Climate change exists but we shouldn't do anything about it because it isn't bad enough yet? Duuuuuuuuuude.

Context is VERY important when talking about climate change. Climate change itself is a natural process, this process isn't unique to Earth, it even occurs on other planets within our system and even the sun.

 

Human causes are a different matter, but the fact is that humans aren't the only factor in climate change.

[dudclub55]

 

Climate change exists but we shouldn't do anything about it because it isn't bad enough yet? Duuuuuuuuuude.

Context is VERY important when talking about climate change. Climate change itself is a natural process, this process isn't unique to Earth, it even occurs on other planets within our system and even the sun.

 

Human causes are a different matter, but the fact is that humans aren't the only factor in climate change.

 

 

Of course we're not the only factor.. but we certainly do play a bigger role than we should.

[TheMcSame]

Of course we're not the only factor.. but we certainly do play a bigger role than we should.

Bigger than we should? Sure. However, the effects of our contribution are debatable, one massive thing to note is that all these climate models fail to consider is the sun.

 

Just to make it clear, by no means am I saying we should do nothing, but LightningLord does have a point. All these predictions end up being way off the mark.

 

This video is a very good watch if you've got some spare time.

 

 

[AlienTwo]

It's only "debatable" with the anti-science, Republican, Alex Jones crowd. Science is in general consensus about the fact the we are making a major impact.

[TheMcSame]

It's only "debatable" with the anti-science, Republican, Alex Jones crowd. Science is in general consensus about the fact the we are making a major impact.

It's no coincidence that periods of low solar activity result in cooler temperatures while periods of high activity result in warmer temperatures...

 

Also, you seem to be misunderstand what I said.

I'm not saying that whether we have an impact is debatable.

I'm saying that the results of our contribution are debatable.

[AlienTwo]

Nono, I understood and stand by my words. It's not debatable. My personal astrophysicist has told me so.

[gtamann123]

The thing about global warming is that the majority of people alive today won't feel any massive life shattering effects of it within their lifetime. Which is why I personally don't spend any time at all thinking about it because it will really have very little, if any impact at all on my life. And I think a lot of people feel the same way and have the same apathy. Its hard to motivate someone to worry about something that isn't going to impact their life.

[sivispacem]

The thing about global warming is that the majority of people alive today won't feel any massive life shattering effects of it within their lifetime.

This is exactly the attitude that's got us in a mess in the first place. Complacent, selfish, denialism.

[RedDagger]

The thing about global warming is that the majority of people alive today won't feel any massive life shattering effects of it within their lifetime. Which is why I personally don't spend any time at all thinking about it because it will really have very little, if any impact at all on my life.

Apart from the massive effects climate change is already having, what with the changes in extreme weather and all sorts of weather records getting broken every year.

[gtamann123]

I should have been more specific. I meant to say that the older generations (40+) are largely apathetic on climate change for that reason. Im in the same boat because I dont plan on living any longer than about 20 years at the most and I doubt my life will be turned upside down by climate change in that time frame. Young people and people being born today will most likely feel the effects when they are older.

 

The thing that makes me angry is when people confuse my climate change apathy with denial. I fully believe that climate change will cause major life chattering effects to the human race. And is possobly the most likely cause of human extinction. And is most definitely being caused in part by human activity. It's just that me and the majority of the human race are apathetic about it because we understand that it will be hard to feel any of the effects when we are a rotting brain dead vegetable in a wooden box 6 feet underground. WW3 could literally be happening directly above my casket and I would have no clue lol

Edited May 27, 2016 by gtamann123

[trip]

 

The thing about global warming is that the majority of people alive today won't feel any massive life shattering effects of it within their lifetime.

This is exactly the attitude that's got us in a mess in the first place. Complacent, selfish, denialism.

 

For many years I've looked long and hard for a PSA they used to run in the 70's. It depicted a PTA(Parent Teachers Association) meeting and a dude who stands up from the audience and says "What do I care? I won't be around when they are selling water in a can". Then the camera pans down to a little girl next to him(holding his hand) who says "But I will daddy".

 

I'm the last of my blood line so I won't be affected. Unless you count the discomfort from yesterday and today when we went from 60some degrees F to 90 degrees F - no sh*t we jumped like 30 degrees in one day. Brutal...I just put all my window unit air conditions in.

 

Even though I don't have any kids to pass the earth down to I do feel bad for the kids that aren't mine who will inherent what we've left.

 

 

*the reason I always want to reference that PSA is because we are actually in a time when they are selling water in a can(bottle...but you get the point )

[gtamann123]

I'm also the last in my bloodline so I wont have any children of my own living on earth at that time. Everyone I love or care about will most likely be dead. It's just hard to feel concerned about impending doom when you won't be witness to it or suffer because of it.

[RedDagger]

Apart from the massive effects climate change is already having, what with the changes in extreme weather and all sorts of weather records getting broken every year.

[trip]

I'm also the last in my bloodline so I wont have any children of my own living on earth at that time. Everyone I love or care about will most likely be dead. It's just hard to feel concerned about impending doom when you won't be witness to it or suffer because of it.

I used to feel the same way until I started to notice how much my friends love their kids.

Edited May 27, 2016 by trip

[gtamann123]

 

Apart from the massive effects climate change is already having, what with the changes in extreme weather and all sorts of weather records getting broken every year.

Again that's only effecting certain areas of the planet. Where I live the only effect we will feel in my lifetime is the average temperature raising a couple degrees. Even the most aggressive estimates I have seen don't say we will see major earth shattering effects within 20 years. 50 years? Probably. But 20 years Probably not.

[dudclub55]

I'm also the last in my bloodline so I wont have any children of my own living on earth at that time. Everyone I love or care about will most likely be dead. It's just hard to feel concerned about impending doom when you won't be witness to it or suffer because of it.

 

There's pessimism, there's defeatism, and then there's.. that.

[AlienTwo]

I'm also the last in my bloodline so I wont have any children of my own living on earth at that time. Everyone I love or care about will most likely be dead. It's just hard to feel concerned about impending doom when you won't be witness to it or suffer because of it.

f*ck everyone else on Earth then, huh? I think apathy is far more pathetic than denial, as with denial at least you have some weird belief system in place. Apathy is just a sad, selfish, and narcissistic way to live.

[gtamann123]

Is it sad that future generations are going to suffer from climate change? Yes I think it's very sad. Is there anything I can do about it? No. I was perfectly content before I was born and I will be perfectly content when I'm dead. Climate change just isn't something I concern myself with or worry about because it will never effect me. Its not worth adding yet another pointless concern and worry to my life. Which is why I'm apathetic about it. I figure that worrying about stuff that's out of my control and will have no major impact on my life is pointless.

Edited May 27, 2016 by gtamann123

[dudclub55]

You say it's sad but then say you're apathetic about it all in the same paragraph, which is it? It is also not something that's out of your control, anybody can contribute to combating climate change.

[Triple Vacuum Seal]

Is it sad that future generations are going to suffer from climate change? Yes I think it's very sad. Is there anything I can do about it? No. I was perfectly content before I was born and I will be perfectly content when I'm dead. Climate change just isn't something I concern myself with or worry about because it will never effect me. Its not worth adding yet another pointless concern and worry to my life. Which is why I'm apathetic about it. I figure that worrying about stuff that's out of my control and will have no major impact on my life is pointless.

"Maybe you not giving a f*ck was really just you giving a f*ck all along"...

 

If you truly didn't care, then you wouldn't find it worthy of comment, reflection, or even acknowledgment. Perhaps you don't know how to give a f*ck about climate change in an honest way, so you choose not to. That's understandable. But it's a bit different than apathy.

[RedDagger]

Again that's only effecting certain areas of the planet. Where I live the only effect we will feel in my lifetime is the average temperature raising a couple degrees. Even the most aggressive estimates I have seen don't say we will see major earth shattering effects within 20 years. 50 years? Probably. But 20 years Probably not.

There's already noticeable effects on crops, industry and populations, which will have an effect on pretty much everyone, even indirectly - food prices are a good example.

[gtamann123]

 

Is it sad that future generations are going to suffer from climate change? Yes I think it's very sad. Is there anything I can do about it? No. I was perfectly content before I was born and I will be perfectly content when I'm dead. Climate change just isn't something I concern myself with or worry about because it will never effect me. Its not worth adding yet another pointless concern and worry to my life. Which is why I'm apathetic about it. I figure that worrying about stuff that's out of my control and will have no major impact on my life is pointless.

"Maybe you not giving a f*ck was really just you giving a f*ck all along"...

 

If you truly didn't care, then you wouldn't find it worthy of comment, reflection, or even acknowledgment. Perhaps you don't know how to give a f*ck about climate change in an honest way, so you choose not to. That's understandable. But it's a bit different than apathy.

Perhaps I'm using the word apathy wrong. Because I'm fully aware of climate change and the effects it will have. I just don't spend any time worrying about it. So whatever the word for that is I guess describes how I feel.