'China Oil Spill'

[Panther_99FS]

http://www.csmonitor.com/CSM-Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/China-oil-spill

 

[wombat666]

One day people will wake up about the perceived need for 'oil' but I doubt it will be in my lifetime!!!

 

[stansdds]

Unfortunately, the need for oil is not likely to ever go away unless we the world decides to abandon its current lifestyle and return to living in caves and being hunter-gatherers. The first recorded use of oil was more than 4000 years ago. Asphalt was used in the towers of Babylon and pitch has long been used in boat building.

 

[Milton Shupe]

Practically everything we touch is an oil-based product:


First list found on Ranken-energy.com:

ammonia
anesthetics
antifreeze
antihistamines
antiseptics
artificial limbs
artificial turf
aspirin
awnings
balloons
ballpoint pens
bandages
basketballs
bearing grease
bicycle tires
boats
cameras
candles
car battery cases
car enamel
cassettes
caulking
cd player
cd's
clothes
clothesline
cold cream
combs
cortisone
crayons
curtains
dashboards
denture adhesive
dentures
deodorant
detergents
dice
diesel
dishes
dishwasher
dresses
drinking cups
dyes
electric blankets
electrician's tape
enamel
epoxy
eyeglasses
fan belts
faucet washers
fertilizers
fishing boots
fishing lures
fishing rods
floor wax
folding doors
food preservatives
football cleats
football helmets
footballs
footballs
gasoline
glycerin
golf bags
golf balls
guitar strings
hair coloring
hair curlers
hand lotion
heart valves
house paint
ice chests
ice cube trays
ink
insect repellent
insecticides
life jackets
linings
linoleum
lipstick
luggage
model cars
mops
motor oil
motorcycle helmet
movie film
nail polish
nylon rope
oil filters
paint
paint brushes
paint rollers
panty hose
parachutes
percolators
perfumes
petroleum jelly
pillows
plastic wood
purses
putty
refrigerant
refrigerators
roller skates
roofing
rubber cement
rubbing alcohol
safety glasses
shag rugs
shampoo
shaving cream
shoe polish
shoes
shower curtains
skis
slacks
soap
soft contact lenses
solvents
speakers
sports car bodies
sun glasses
surf boards
sweaters
synthetic rubber
telephones
tennis rackets
tents
tires
toilet seats
tool boxes
tool racks
toothbrushes
toothpaste
transparent tape
trash bags
tv cabinets
umbrellas
upholstery
vaporizers
vitamin capsules
water pipes
wheels
yarn

Second list found on Gasprices-usa.com:

air conditioners
ammonia
anti-histamines
antiseptics
artificial turf
asphalt
aspirin
balloons
bandages
boats
bottles
bras
bubble gum
butane
cameras
candles
car batteries
car bodies
carpet
cassette tapes
caulking
cds
chewing gum
combs/brushes
computers
contacts
cortisone
crayons
cream
denture adhesives
deodorant
detergents
dice
dishwashing liquid
dresses
dryers
electric blankets
electrician’s tape
fertilizers
fishing lures
fishing rods
floor wax
footballs
glues
glycerin
golf balls
guitar strings
hair
hair coloring
hair curlers
hearing aids
heart valves
heating oil
house paint
ice chests
ink
insect repellent
insulation
jet fuel
life jackets
linoleum
lip balm
lipstick
loudspeakers
medicines
mops
motor oil
motorcycle helmets
movie film
nail polish
oil filters
paddles
paint brushes
paints
parachutes
paraffin
pens
perfumes
petroleum jelly
plastic chairs
plastic cups
plastic forks
plastic wrap
plastics
plywood adhesives
refrigerators
roller-skate wheels
roofing paper
rubber bands
rubber boots
rubber cement
rubbish bags
running shoes
saccharine
seals
shirts (non-cotton)
shoe polish
shoes
shower curtains
solvents
spectacles
stereos
sweaters
table tennis balls
tape recorders
telephones
tennis rackets
thermos
tights
toilet seats
toners
toothpaste
transparencies
transparent tape
tv cabinets
typewriter/computer ribbons
tires
umbrellas
upholstery
vaporizers
vitamin capsules
volleyballs
water pipes
water skis
wax
wax paper

 

[cheezyflier]

not to mention that there's no way of growing the food that we do, or distributing it without oil.
cities as we know them are unsustainable without it.

 

[Bjoern]

Go as renewable as possible, I say.

 

[safn1949]

Go as renewable as possible, I say.

I agree to a certain extent but the problem is the sheer scale of energy use,until we manage to make fusion happen I don't see any serous alternative.Even then fusion would only replace oil in the generation of electricity and not transportation and farming.

 

[jhefner]

I agree to a certain extent but the problem is the sheer scale of energy use,until we manage to make fusion happen I don't see any serous alternative.Even then fusion would only replace oil in the generation of electricity and not transportation and farming.

I think fusion holds a lot of promise; but there will be some will want to rush to use it transportation and everything else in the name of reducing our dependance on oil. The "Atoms for Peace" program of the 1950s demonstrated that any new technology like fission and fusion needs to be introduced carefully, not like some saviour from our dependence on oil and fission power.

 

[Bjoern]

I agree to a certain extent but the problem is the sheer scale of energy use,until we manage to make fusion happen I don't see any serous alternative.

Every newly installed solar collector, wave generator or wind turbine lowers the need for energy from non-renewable sources.

 

[stansdds]

Every newly installed solar collector, wave generator or wind turbine lowers the need for energy from non-renewable sources.

Yes, but at what cost? I looked into installing solar panels on my roof as my house would be ideal for such an installation assuming my roof would support the weight of the panels. The cost was high and by the time I had recovered the cost of the initial installation, I would have replaced the panels twice as they do not last forever. The end result would have been a constant outlay of money that exceeded any savings on energy costs.

 

[safn1949]

That's the problem,I have a friend who is all hopped up on solar while not understanding how it really works or the upfront and maintenance costs.I drive a big truck and basically live in it 300 days a year so I have an inverter,microwave,coffee maker,fridge and laptop in the truck.

I am doing the same thing you would do with a solar setup in your house,I'm just using a different power source.It's a pain,you can only run a couple of things at a time.What people don't understand is you are running the inverters off batteries,not the solar panels themselves.

They just charge the batteries necessary to run the inverter,I use the truck engine instead.The electricity has to be in a certain form to run this stuff,you can't just put a panel on the house and plug stuff in.And it's bloody expensive to buy and maintain.

Plus it takes energy to produce windmills and what not,from oil.Nothing is free,nothing.

 

[CybrSlydr]

Geothermal!

That's what I'm looking at for housing. Geothermal!

Sell off my excess to the grid.

 

[stansdds]

Probably a lot more reliable than solar and wind, at least around here.

 

[CybrSlydr]

Other than cost, I can't see why not - of course, you have to make sure the crust is thin enough where you want to build, but the benefits are awesome.

You're off the grid and can make a bit off of what you don't use. No electric bill! Not to mention use it for heating and cooling...

 

[wombat666]

We made a point of installing Solar Panels when we first purchased and included the cost as part of the renovations.
At least we received a Government rebate for the cost and our consumption of coal fired power is remarkably low, the same goes for water, installing tanks with 10,000 Litres capacity saves on charges while conserving our badly depleted supplies.
I'm not debating our need for Petro Chemical products, I simply believe we can and must use alternatives where possible.
SASOL have been supplying a large percentage of South Africa's petroleum for decades because they invested in producing it from coal, I am always surprised by the number of well run and unobtrusive Nuclear power plants throughout France (for example) when we travel in Europe, as well as the growing number of Wind Farms.
Every little piece of alternative thinking does help.
:ernae:

 

[stansdds]

The movie "China Syndrome" and all those who believe it is a documentary and not a work of fiction have destroyed the hope of the U.S. generating most of its power from nuclear reactors.

 

[Bjoern]

Yes, but at what cost?

It's partially government sponsored here, so it's kind of feasible.

 

[Trans_23]

Yes, but at what cost? I looked into installing solar panels on my roof as my house would be ideal for such an installation assuming my roof would support the weight of the panels. The cost was high and by the time I had recovered the cost of the initial installation, I would have replaced the panels twice as they do not last forever. The end result would have been a constant outlay of money that exceeded any savings on energy costs.

No need for solar panels anymore. Photovoltaic shingles are the new sun collecting material of choice. I have no idea the cost or weight. Read here....http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1205726,00.html, or Google it.

 

[Ken Stallings]

One day people will wake up about the perceived need for 'oil' but I doubt it will be in my lifetime!!!

Well, the computer you typed that post from was constructed primarily of plastics, which is a byproduct of petroleum.

That chair you sat in while typing it on your plastic keyboard, was likely containing a significant amount of plastic.

When you get a phone call, you pick up a device made almost entirely of plastic.

Your desire is frankly pie-in-the-sky.

I will not comment on your signature image.

Ken

 

[Ken Stallings]

The movie "China Syndrome" and all those who believe it is a documentary and not a work of fiction have destroyed the hope of the U.S. generating most of its power from nuclear reactors.

And I would add that many of those people who speciously destroyed nuclear power programs in the United States are the very ones complaining the loudest about petroleum production today!

There is a lesson there!

Ken