opinions please

vampyregirl · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 19, 2007 Posts: 342

1907 was the year royal Dutch Petroleum officially merged with Shell Transport & Trade. Since then the worlds population has increased four fold while energy demand has increased 30 fold.
Why has energy demand increased more than seven fold per person? What are your thoughts on this?

perdition79 · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 3:18 am Post subject: Re: opinions please

That's a softball question. Think about it: How did people live in 1907? Without petroleum. Oil was a complete paradigm shift for civilization. Everything we are today is oil. Before 1907, it wasn't.
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MD · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:10 am Post subject: Re: opinions please

nocar · Intermediate Crude Joined: Nov 05, 2004 Posts: 687

Because people have decided that having a car is a must. And then a few other things, like bigger houses for smaller families. But cars, and everything that goes along with a car-dominated transport system is the main thing. Cars, suburbs, bigger houses they are all connected.

Air travel is another oilconsuming thing.

nocar

sittinguy · Heavy Crude Joined: Sep 07, 2007 Posts: 385

Having (a) car?? I have 4 cars, a motorcycle, 4 atc's, and a 31k gallon pool.
that answer your question,

I'm gonna miss my pool.

WildRose · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1087

Moped · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:22 pm Post subject: Re: opinions please

Oil has always been available for a cost that fails to reflect its true value in terms energy output, but rather is sold for a little over the cost of recovery. If as we often hear, one gallon of gasoline contains the energy equivalent of 500 hours of hard human labor, then not using oil to increase ones own prosperity can be seen as foolish, especially wheneveryone else is. Prosperity is therefore simply thinking up better ways to use a form of energy that is almost free, and this can be seen in countries that used oil immediately, verses the countries that ignored this gift, ie ie America has its yellow taxis, India has its rickshaws.
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Shannymara · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:28 pm Post subject: Re: opinions please

Diminishing returns. Takes more and more energy per person to further increase population as quality of energy and environment degrades.
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MonteQuest · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject: Re: opinions please

More toys.
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vampyregirl · Heavy Crude Joined: Dec 19, 2007 Posts: 342

Interesting points all. Did you know a recent Shell survey in America revealed that 75% of Americans have an emotional attachment to there vehicle? I find that interesting. Back in 1895 Marcus Samuel said "In the future oil will be not a source of illumination but a source of power." He didn't know how right he was. That was before the automobile became popular and before the first airplane took flight. He was thinking of oil fired locomotives and ships at that time.
The way i see it energy is all that separates a first world country from a third world cesspool. And it will continue to be so in the future.
Ok im babbling now. Thanks for your responses all

TreeFarmer · Heavy Crude Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 352

Travel and transportation. Most of the items people used to buy were made locally or no more than 50 miles away. Also, before 1900, people never "travelled" in the modern sense. Other than migrating or moving people tended to stay very close to where they lived.

TF