Project #14 (Chapter 12 Hydrocarbons)
Watch the Nat Geo Film:
National Geographic Aftermath Series:
World Without Oil (45:59 minutes)
What would our world look like if we ran out of oil? The lifeblood of our high-tech, highly mobile world won't last forever. Watch one scenario of what happens when one day oil does run out. How might our world change and how would we adapt? Aftermath follows the chaotic days and months after this catastrophic event through dramatic re-creations and CGI animation. Find out how we might cope as food disappears, electrical power fails and winter turns the big cities into abandoned buildings.
Short Summary/Notes: Aftermath: World Without Oil
In the first few minutes of approximately 100,000 billion barrels (16,000 km3) of under-ground oil vanishing, alarms in oil rigs sound as pipe pressure plummets. One day after oil, asphalt, diesel, petrol and tar supplies become limited. This causes $2 trillion of stock to become worthless. Oil-workers are sacked .
Consumers rush to petrol stations to fill their cars up for the last time. Oil tankers are called back to their countries of origin to save spending national reserves of oil. Every mode of inter-national transport is now grounded. However, steel, food, medical supplies and trash are not being moved.
Power-stations start running out of diesel. Power cuts start spreading across the world. 5 days after oil. Martial law is declared to stop rioting and looting. Unemployment rises to 30%. Farm animals die due to lack of food. Coal power stations face shortages of coal.
What are stats for a human and animal needs for food?
5 days after oil:
5 months after oil, Chrysler, General Motors and Ford are taken over by the American government. Famine and drug-resistant infections threatens death and migration as food shipments come every second day. Emergency vehicles are still getting oil rations. This inspires citizens to tinker with chemicals to get biofuel. Governments start to wonder if they should plant crops for food or fuel. They later abandon biofuel planting altogether.
1 year after oil, emergency vehicles start to be run either by lithium battery or biofuel. The price of lithium then shoots up. Populations of wild animals bounce quickly back. People resort to growing their own food and keeping livestock.
10 years after oil, satellites burn up in the atmosphere as parts are not being replaced. Electronic equipment is scavenged for precious metals as people start recycling on a huge scale. Algae is used as a bio-fuel. Trucks deliver supplies to hospitals.
40 years after oil, skies are much clearer and cleaner as pollutants are washed out. Aeroplanes, trains and ships now run on biofuel. Lithium battery cars are expensive. People only grow what they need. New towns grow along railway points. A world trade based on biofuel and lithium is now growing.
Where is the world greatest supply of Lithium? Why is Lithium important?
If you want to do more investigation, read the book:
Life Without Oil: Why We Must Shift to a New Energy Future
March 23, 2011
We have spent the last two centuries building a civilization on coal and the last century building it bigger still on oil. Fossil fuels have been the wellspring of our complex, glorious modern world, but they are about to run out. By the end of the 21st century, our oil and natural gas supplies will be virtually nonexistent, and limited coal supplies will be restricted to only a handful of countries.
In Life without Oil, environmental scientist Steve Hallett and veteran journalist John Wright make abundantly clear that we are at the crest of a remarkable two-hundred-year glitch in the history of civilization and are about to embark on the decline. Experts may argue about whether peak oil production has already arrived or will come in a decade or two, but in any case, as Hallett and Wright show, we must plan for a future without reliance on oil.
But successful planning depends on a realistic assessment of the facts about our current situation. To that end, Hallett and Wright describe how the petroleum interval of the last century, on which our civilization is based, fits in to the larger history of civilization. They describe the fate of civilizations and empires of the past that have come and gone based on their vital connection with the environment.
Turning to an even longer timeframe, the authors make a compelling case that the key determinant of our global economy is not so much the invisible hand of the marketplace but the inexorable laws of ecology. When it comes to the long term, nature will impose limits beyond which our economy cannot go. Despite increased emphasis on renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources, our current obsession with growth is ultimately unsustainable. The authors foresee the coming decades as a time of much disruption and change of lifestyle, but in the end we may learn a wiser, more sustainable stewardship of our natural resources.
This timely, sobering, yet constructive discussion of energy and ecology offers a realistic vision of the near future and many important lessons about the limits of our resources.
"Hallett and Wright deliver a brilliant overview of the dilemma posed by our society's profound dependence on a depleting, non-renewable resource that is becoming more scarce and unaffordable almost by the month. Readers new to the "Peak Oil" discussion will find this an excellent entry point." --Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute
is a book of fundamental importance, especially as it is written in a very
readable style. It explains the Oil Age, which is a brief epoch in an
historical context. The first half saw the rapid expansion of industry,
transport, trade and agriculture, driven by easy oil-based energy. It allowed
the world's population to grow ten-fold, but also caused much damage to the
natural environment. The second half, which now dawns, will be marked by a corresponding
contraction due to the natural depletion of the resource. The book stresses the
scale of the challenge but comes forward with useful suggestions for how
people, and eventually their governments, can begin to adapt and successfully
react to what unfolds. It is essential reading for everyone."
--C.J. Campbell, Founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas
"Sobering yet compelling...a lucid and inspiring plan for international energy-conserving cooperation." --Booklist, March 1, 2011
About the Author
Steve Hallett is an associate professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University. His previous appointments include McGill University, Canada, and the University of Queensland, Australia.
John Wright is a journalist specializing in energy and environmental issues with over thirty-five years of experience. He is currently the Latin America news editor for Energy News Today, but has also worked for Knight-Ridder, Dow Jones, and the Associated Press. He is the author of The Obama Haters.
· Hardcover: 375 pages
· Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 23, 2011)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1616144017
· ISBN-13: 978-1616144012
· Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
· Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)