"When Oil Supplies Run Out, Civilisation Will Collapse" Agree Or Disagree?

"When oil supplies run out, civilisation will collapse" Agree or disagree?

Oil, coal and natural gas are all fossil fuels. They have been created through millions of years of abiotic material being deposited, heated and compressed- they are finite sources. It took several millions of years to create the world's oil fields, and no new oil is being produced, indicating the obvious fact that eventually there will be no more for us to use; and with the human race increasingly consuming the finite resources- which had remained untouched for millions of years- this evident crisis is looming closer and closer.

It is impossible to know exactly when the first oil was discovered and people realised that they could burn it, but estimates show that it was probably near to 10,000 ago. The first man to ever drill for oil was an American named Drake. In Pennsylvania, 1859, Drake drilled a well and eventually struck oil. Within the next 60 to 70 years, more and more people were going in search of oil and they found it in abundance. 75 years after this, scientists began to unravel the hidden strengths of oil.

Today, the rumours of an almost depleted oil supply are becoming more and more frequent; but they are also becoming increasingly true. Geologists, scientists and the governments of the world have thoroughly debated this issue and have so far presented us with no solid solution. However, they all seem to have made a 'silent agreement' that there is no way to prevent this crisis from occurring, we can only make sure that we are as prepared as we can be for the dramatic changes that are likely to be asked of us.

As always there are two sides to this debate- how severe will the consequences be? They can either be accepted as a window of opportunity for fundamental changes to our economy and society, and the wielding of a new age where, hopefully, the human race will be in a position to live with the resources of the earth; not against them; or as apocalyptic- the end of civilisation as we know it!

It is a myth that companies are finding new reserves and estimates suggest that 90% of the world's oil reserves have been found and are either exhausted, being drilled or ready to be drilled. The issue that is being called "peak oil", puts the situation into perspective- "Peak oil" does not refer to the complete loss of the world's oil reserves, but the moment when 50% of the World's reserves of this finite fuel source has been used. When we begin to look at this we can see just how dire the situation is going to become. When 50% of the world's oil has been used the prices of oil, petrol and diesel will soar several times higher than they already are today. And what will we do when people can no longer afford to fuel their cars or when buses, trains and aeroplanes will not be able to fuel up. And what about the emergency services- how will they be able to get to the 'scene of crime' or the accident when they have no fuels to go in their cars and trucks? Already, the evidence shows that society and the economy will not last very long even when lack of oil has only prevented transport. 99% of transport in the UK alone relies on oil, and it does not seem feasible that the remaining 1% of transport can support our people and businesses!

It has always, supposedly, been a fact that scientists will develop effective, alternative sources of fuel and energy, and although they have made enormous advances in the control of wind, wave and nuclear power the likeliness of them ever being able to match up to the power produced from oil is very slim.

Nuclear power is a source widely used today so it is arguable that with only a few minor changes we will be able to harness enough energy from this source to help us get back on track, however, it is also possible to debate that nuclear is definitely no the best method to use as it produces considerable less energy, is extremely dangerous and getting to the uranium (which fuels the nuclear fission process) is quite difficult and would be impossible without oil as it has to be mined from the ground. There have been several accidents involving nuclear plants; one of the worst being the Chernobyl fallout, Ukraine in 1999. The reactor core developed a crack and exploded killing several hundred people instantaneously and releasing harmful rays harming, poisoning and killing many people in nearby villages. The reactor core is still active today and will remain active for fifteen years. Although a concrete tomb has been put up around the core it has to be replaced frequently as the dangerous waves being emitted are eroding away at the concrete! Nuclear power is also only useful for certain purposes- nuclear power cannot propel a plane half way around the