Future fuel crisis

[Slavoj Zizek's Balls]

If we reached the point where fuel was becoming scarce, do you think it would have an effect on class consciousness and thus be the tipping point for a global revolution?

That is... if we do not come up with an alternate form source of fuel such as nuclear fusion (although fusion will eventually dry our planet up if implemented globally).

[Prof. Oblivion]

If fuel started becoming scarce, prices for it would rise and alternative energies would reach a point where they become more affordable, initiating a transition.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

It's very unlikely that that is going to happen. The discovery of shale oil in the US and Canada has ensured a reliable source of oil for at least the next century, and there is enough coal to supply electricity for much longer than that. If the rate of growth in the consumption of fossil fuels continues to increase, it seems unlikely to me that humanity would survive long enough to deplete them.

[Lowtech]

fuel is already scarce, as everything in our economy is scarce...artificially. no concentration of wealth is possible without artificial scarcity.

additionally, fossil fuels have been obsolete a very long time. it's only kept around for it's profitability.

i wouldn't put my hopes into a "transition," as capitalism based economics has never been about what was logical. not enough companies would perform enough of the right actions to "transition" into other sources of energy fast enough to handle the shock of an entirely fossil fuel based economy suddenly not having enough fuel to function. money will be as it has always been, a buffer between reality and the rich; those who don't live in reality. the poor and working poor will bare the brunt of the collapse. and the rich are banking, literally, on there being enough of us in the working classes to absorb the catastrophic damage.

[groudren]

Remember the old gasoline commercial, “I’ve got a tiger in my tank?” Remember the old novelty tiger tails that were available from Esso stations during that commercial’s hey days in the 1960s? If some of the world’s geological experts are right, the fuel tigers in our tanks of the future will soon be completely extinct. Just as extinct as dinosaurs. Just as extinct as that old gasoline commercial.

[Lynx]

Take a Nissan Leaf for a test drive. There's enough 'tiger' in that car to make me believe we won't miss the fossil fuel version.

Lets save fossil fuels for their chemical and industrial uses. Those are not as easily replaceable.

[Prof. Oblivion]

Electric transportation technology has come a long way in a very short time. The biggest technological hurdle - decreasing charge time - is close to being solved. The biggest capital hurdle - the creation of charging stations - is very practical in light of faster charging: all you need to do is install a bunch of outlets at a fill station and charge for power.

In light of these extremely fast developments, it's quite silly to claim that the electric car is unviable as a replacement technology.