# What if, the worlds oil reserves ran out tomorrow!



## mtcates (May 14, 2011)

Imagine how much it would cripple the world today.  Would you even have a job?  There would be no trucks to haul freight or food.  There would be no grocery stores that had food in them. Lack of sufficient healthcare and medicine would result. Could you even heat your house with wood.  No saw, splitter, truck or tractor gas.  Imagine doing all the wood processing by hand. How many people would even survive the chaos?


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## mainstation (May 14, 2011)

Not many.


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## remkel (May 14, 2011)

I think I will be ok- the no job thing would be a nice change- seeing as how no one would have jobs it would be  a free for all- just hunker down, keep the food stores up, make certain about everyone's marksmen skills in the household, and let her rip!

As for he wood, it "wood" do us some good to get the exercise.


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## oldspark (May 14, 2011)

You dont even want to go there, bad for everyone plain and simple.


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## 48rob (May 14, 2011)

Be prepared or be dead.

Not much different than living a few hundred years ago.
...except for the overabundance of people now that do not unerstand, or care to explore what being prepared really is.

Rob


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## Fsappo (May 14, 2011)

Same as it was 500 years ago, except we have too many people on the world now and a large majority of them are used to getting stuff for free.  I think it would turn into a mad max kind of scenerio.

For me..I live in fresh water, can fish, hunt, cook, cut and split by hand if need be.  Just need plenty of ammo on hand and like Remkel said.  Everyone in my house will know how to shoot and aim for center mass.


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## oldspark (May 14, 2011)

You can say you are prepared but be ready for a shock, it has nothing to do with getting stuff for free its about a system based on oil. This thread has ash can written all over it.


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## SolarAndWood (May 14, 2011)

I would quickly regret not having a rainwater collection system and a cook stove.


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## mainstation (May 14, 2011)

Rent the Viggo Mortenson movie, "The Road" for what society might look like.


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## Wade A. (May 14, 2011)

Believe you me, that is  large part of why I burn. Since I hand split my fuel, that part wouldn't change as long as my tools are good. Sure would miss a chainsaw though. But, for the return on investment, a chainsaw is something that is likely to be around long after everything else withers away. In such a case, I'm glad that I put in some time to learn how to joint, set and sharpen my grandfather's two-man saw. Most people are really amazed at how fast a well tuned saw can chew through a round. Wood gathering would certainly not be as easy, but draft horses did it quite efficiently for centuries. 

Those of you who take an interest in the long descent of the industralized paradigm (i.e., those who are wide awake), be sure to check out John Michael Greer's blog, "The Archdruid Report." He has what the old folks always called "walking around sense."


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## oilstinks (May 14, 2011)

alchohol! Then we could make some real power. Propane out too? There are already small engines like weedeaters and blowers running on propane.


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## snowleopard (May 14, 2011)

Can this scenario wait until Tuesday?  My daughter's coming home from college . . . 

Military action around the globe would pretty much come to a screeching halt.  All the folks far from home would be stranded.   My poor children would be home-schooled (they have thanked me for not doing this to them, but like all good curriculum junkies, I have enough to keep us going for years.  Why? No clue. I now have a rationale, so thank you).

The poor speculators who are intent on driving the price of oil as far through the roof as tulip bulbs during the Bubble will have to scramble to find another host. 

Rand Paul would have the Right to Work.  (Even in the hero shots pasted in his ads, he looks like he's never seen either working end of a two-man saw before, doesn't he?) 

Agriculture will be transformed, as most of the Green Revolution crops are heavily dependent upon fossil fuels, and our artifically-high population numbers will adjust accordingly.  This will be painful for all involved.  Heritage plants and animals that are adapted to local conditions would be cultivated again, and the hybrid seed market would collapse.

Ferraris, Priuses, and Lambourghinis, with the useless heavy engines and the obstructing windshields removed, will be found to make nice little trotting carts.   People who do have jobs will find out that living within biking, skiing, and walking distance makes a lot of sense.   Draft horses will become valued assets rather than living museum pieces.  

After a period of adjustment, I think we'd get back to the business at hand of living.  Think about it.  Maybe the way we live is Not Normal.  We live a life of ease, and thoughtlessly take for granted a level of effortless comfort that the world has never seen.  Maybe we'd just get back to living the way that most people have lived through most centuries and millennia.  Maybe instead of clutching one another in terror and asking via our little electronic pets, "What if! we had to push up our sleeves and get to work!", we'd just do it. 

Maybe colleges would offer less art history and more wind/water/tide-energy generation classes, more agriculture and normal school classes, and people would be eager to attend because of useful information they could acquire.   More children would be homeschooled, or go to the little neighborhood school that didn't require behemoth buses to transport them. 

Maybe we'd stop building idiotic MacMansions and lived in houses that fit our family sizes and needs, were oriented to the sun's heat, were insulated against heat loss, and were situated in locations convenient to our places of work (which might be home on the family farm).   Children might be regarded as assets and respected for their contribution to the good of the common order, instead of kept as pets that get whatever leftover bits of time are available in the mad rush to accrue and consume.  They, in turn, would learn where food, clothing, and shelter come from, and that he who does not work does not eat.  

 We'd find designs for carpet beaters in the museums, and start making them and  bartering them to one another.   We'd learn to play those musical instruments sitting in the closet that everyone is too busy to play anymore.  We'd learn to converse with one another in the firelight instead of sitting in front of flickering 21st-century fires and letting paid surrogates have our conversations for us.  We'd get to know our neighbors instead of conversing with people we'll never meet on the other side of the country or world. 

Government would be transformed, and another group of people would understand the meaning of calluses as they left Washington and tried to parlay lobbying into a marketable skill.  Even the Martin Sheens and Rush Limbaughs of the world might shut up and pick up some tools.

I'm going through a bit of a field-ground shift as I start to accrue wood for the coming years.  I passed a fuel oil truck as I was zooming home to grab my truck to pick up some pallets last week, and realized that if it came to it, I could make it without that truck ever pulling in my driveway again.  And then I started thinking about how artificial a way of life that is--and that we've grown so dependent upon it that we consider it normal.  And, as the title of this thread suggests, so much so that the idea of doing without strikes terror into out hearts.  

Maybe, just maybe, instead of complete mayhem and terror and the END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, we'd heave a collective sigh of relief, shake our heads and ask, "Wow, that was some ride, wasn't it?" and in the ensuing silence, learn to listen to ourselves and one another.


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## begreen (May 14, 2011)

Soylent green will save us.


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## jimbom (May 14, 2011)

We would be warm from our stove.  The nearby spring flow averages 100 million gallons per day.  Plenty of people could and would use that for water.  My great grandparents kept the milk in the spring branch to keep it cool. We would be posting on the tree at the fork in the road rather than Hearth.com.  I still remember the commands for the horse team, but we no longer have horses, harnesses or the iron for them.  Today's horses probably don't know the commands themselves.  Other  than that, we would still be living in possum hollar like today.


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## BrotherBart (May 14, 2011)

I would really, really, really try to stretch those two cans of coffee in the cupboard.


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## begreen (May 15, 2011)

Likewise for the Natty's and tobacco. Life would get grumpy very quickly.


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## oldspark (May 15, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Soylent green will save us.


 That was a good movie!


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## mtcates (May 15, 2011)

I guess that boidiesel and ethanol would in time take the place of petroleum and life would return to normal.  This however would take some time and the transition would be interesting.


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## SolarAndWood (May 15, 2011)

A couple possible upsides are that there would be a lot less crap going to the landfills and a lot less noise coming from the highways.


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## begreen (May 15, 2011)

I wouldn't want to be the guy delivering that biodiesel.


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## oldspark (May 15, 2011)

mtcates said:
			
		

> I guess that boidiesel and ethanol would in time take the place of petroleum and life would return to normal.  This however would take some time and the transition would be interesting.


 Not sure ethanol is going to fix anything, maybe in the long run but using corn to make it with has got to change.


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## begreen (May 15, 2011)

Cellulosic ethanol production techniques are progressing, but I read that butanol production is perhaps a better goal.


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## Gary_602z (May 16, 2011)

One reason why I keep up on a good supply of blowup dolls! Money in the bank my friends!  


Gary


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## oldspark (May 16, 2011)

Gary_602z said:
			
		

> One reason why I keep up on a good supply of blowup dolls! Money in the bank my friends!
> 
> 
> Gary


 Did not see that one coming.


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## BrotherBart (May 16, 2011)

I am taking a long position in blow up doll futures when the market opens tomorrow.


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## mesuno (May 16, 2011)

In the second world war there were a large number of cars converted to run on wood gas - all it takes is some fabrication skills and dry firewood. Do we know anyone with dry firewood or large supplies of sawdust?

I can just see a cunning chainsaw conversion too...


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## woodchip (May 16, 2011)

[If everything goes down tomorrow, the thought of I'll be alright with a stash of wood, a decent veg plot, and a cellarful of wine sounds great until you realise that I'll probably have to sit up day and night guarding it from marauding hordes. 

Unless I can get a few of Gary's blow up dolls in combat gear standing round like a load of sentries..........  ;-)


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## Wade A. (May 16, 2011)

What you'll mostly find on the internet concerning this subject is dichotomy of predictions proposed by the "Cornucopians" and the "Apocalyptics." The first group believes that the divine granted mankind an open license to exploit resources that are infinite, and the second  believe that we are always one black swan event from excrement in the ventilator. I've come to appreciate that the probable outcome is neither of these scenarios. It is going to be a long, long descent, and it will happen at different rates for different groups and individuals. Some have already started down that path, others are luckier. Already the world is beginning to look a whole lot different than it did just 20 years ago, and the differences are not superficial. Look for that to accelerate, I think. But, whatever theory you subscribe to, yeah, blow-up dolls will always command a premium price. Go long.


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## Jags (May 16, 2011)

Hoisin sauce was designed to make ANY meat palatable.


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## Later (May 17, 2011)

Kinda like the plague but more violent.


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## moosetrek (May 19, 2011)

I guess I'm not sure why it would be such a problem; I mean the world did just fine (relatively, of course) for centuries, science will continue to evolve and smart people will continue to solve problems - we have many of both... We'd still have substantial power (coal fired power plants, which power the coal mining equipment), and after the great calamity of adjustment I think we'd figure out some new resource to overuse.  The hardest challenge would be areas where people have never had to think about these things, places where the government comes in and "fixes it" with a check or a new home.  Out here we're probably a couple generations closer to that way of life.  Not that it wouldn't be a great shift; many of the ranches and outlying areas depend on driving, tractors, atvs, etc. but most still have horses, many lose power easily and lots of places are snowed in for days and it's just part of life.  On the other hand, it's a lot easier to be self-sufficient on a 50,000 acre ranch than a condo in Connecticut.  It really depends where you live, and what you learned to do.  I thank my parents for teaching me how to fish, hunt, cut wood, and mostly how to solve problems with what I have on hand.  

Oh... "soylent green is people!"


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## woodchip (May 19, 2011)

moosetrek said:
			
		

> I thank my parents for teaching me how to fish, hunt, cut wood, and mostly how to solve problems with what I have on hand.



Being self reliant is one of the best virtues anybody can have, or develop. 

It's actually amazing how quickly people have become dependant on something, and generally been weaned off the old ways of doing things. 

Wanting a comfortable lifestyle with everything at the flick of a switch certainly has it's price  ;-)


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## Fsappo (May 19, 2011)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> I would quickly regret not having a rainwater collection system and a cook stove.



I'll barter ya a wood cook stove.  If the SHTF just head to our warehouse.  Bring something good to trade.


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## Jags (May 19, 2011)

Franks said:
			
		

> SolarAndWood said:
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> 
> ...



I always figured that if I had to, I could fashion a cook stove in a short time that would use the IR as a heat source.  Between the solid fuel weber, the smoker (can be wood fired and be used as an "oven") and the cooktop on the IR, I could pretty much cook anything I want.


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## woodchip (May 19, 2011)

I've often thought that Saxon re-enactment groups over here would be ok in a survival situation, they have basic knowledge of food, cooking, and the gear to get on with it. 

They go round castles and historic places at weekends demonstrating how to do things the old way. 

I suspect most of them hate going back to the 21st century office on Monday mornings  ;-) 

http://www.regia.org/main.htm


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## zzr7ky (May 19, 2011)

I suspect the value of my 2 man cross cut saws would rise sharply.

If there were severe disruptions for long, substancial chaos would ensue.  The masses have been trained that rioting is acceptable.

Being raised in the bush, and later educated as and Engineer, I'm not fast but as Larry the Cable Guy sez I "Git 'er Done" one way or another.


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## DaveH9 (May 19, 2011)

The end of the world might be coming Sat. ... we shall see, (that it won't) but the end of the world will come someday. We won't run out of oil tomorrow, but we started running out the day we used the first gallon of oil. It's finite. Someday we will run out, but it won't be the end of the world.


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## joefrompa (May 19, 2011)

Let's see, we've got more power supplies than ever before based upon non-petroleum sources. We have vehicles that work based upon electricity and ethanol. The list goes on.

Would it be an easy few years of adaptation? No. But then, life isn't supposed tobe a cakewalk. And mankind makes the greatest strides when its most challenged. 50 years ago, there wasn't supposed to be enough resources on earth to feed 3 billion.

I won't predict utopia, but I actually think mankind would step up in some pretty good ways while also depriving some of the worlds worst dictatorship/autocracies of their power lever. 

On a personal level, I'd have electricity (possibly rationed) and heat via the wood stove. I have a bike. I have an axe and ways to protect my family. I'd want to quickly stake out some food supplies, and I'd probably want to have a plan to get out into the countryside a bit...


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## ecocavalier02 (May 20, 2011)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> I would really, really, really try to stretch those two cans of coffee in the cupboard.


haha. thats great. i would prob stock up coffee more than anything to last a while.


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## begreen (May 20, 2011)

Coffee, wine?? coffee, wine?? toilet paper? rice and beans maybe a good idea too.


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## woodchip (May 20, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Coffee, wine?? coffee, wine?? toilet paper? rice and beans maybe a good idea too.



Few crates of beer too for some. 
If it all went down I suspect quite a few would prefer to drink themselves into oblivion rather than face reality  ;-)


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## moosetrek (May 20, 2011)

Beer, coffee, tp, and ammo.  Should be able to get anything else I need with those, one way or another!


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## renewablejohn (May 23, 2011)

From my point of view not a problem. My woodland would provide all heat and electric from a small gasifier chp plant  The woodland would also produce the turpentine required to keep the car on the road with a small crop of castor oil to provide the lubrication for the car. Our polytunnels would provide sufficient food all year round. Biggest problem would be how to defend your plot from others less fortunate.


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## BrotherBart (May 23, 2011)

We would make it about two weeks and then we would be in a world of hurt.


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## begreen (May 23, 2011)

Earthquake preparedness has us keeping a fair supply of essentials on board. We could make it about a month and then would be in the same situation. The bigger concern would be for all those grasshoppers out there that fiddled away and have only a few days worth of supplies. A plague of locusts is not a pretty sight.


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## Seasoned Oak (May 25, 2011)

Eliminating my OIL heat  was my first big step away from oil, the second will come with transportation,if it ever gets here. Tomorrow wont work though especially for the hoards of people who get their every want and need fulfilled by the Govt right now.They will be coming for YOUR stash. Im looking into street legal golf carts as a local transportation alternative right now. Could get groceries, go to work, ect all without leaving town.


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## Delta-T (May 25, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Earthquake preparedness has us keeping a fair supply of essentials on board. We could make it about a month and then would be in the same situation. The bigger concern would be for all those grasshoppers out there that fiddled away and have only a few days worth of supplies. A plague of locusts is not a pretty sight.



grasshopper are delicious.....oh, you're using an analogy....grasshopper are delicious.


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## begreen (May 25, 2011)

True, they are protein and spiced up, sold as a treat in Oaxaca. They call them chapulines. But I meant the lazy grasshopper as a human analogy. That brings us back to soylent green.


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## Delta-T (May 25, 2011)

oh, I know what you meant, and I see, you know what I meant. together, we know what we mean. i think.


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## mecreature (May 25, 2011)

I would assume everyone would get hungry/thirsty pretty quick.
People who are accustom to conservation would have a better chance.

I would probably do exactly the opposite of what local authorities were mandating. 
Most would gather in cities waiting for hand outs..

Down the road from me there was an old farm house and 40 acres up for sale after the housing bubble got popped.
A family bought the property for a very nice price. 
In a 1 year span they now have a dozen or more sheep, 4 or 5 goats, several pigs and several dozen chickens, turkeys..
they bought a calf and bull calf that have now had a calf and shelter be it cheap for all these. 

I have never ask them whats up but I think sustainability is their goal... I could be wrong.


It has got me thinking. at least some goat cheese, milk and eggs would be a big help 
I already have the equipment to reload for hunting ammo. when my ammo runs out.

by that time, the line at the astro dome will be substantially shorter for the free hand out crowd.

I wonder if my neighbor would trade a bottle of wine for some of these taters I got... I got enough cigars to last me a while.


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## Jags (May 25, 2011)

mecreature said:
			
		

> I already have the equipment to reload for hunting ammo. when my ammo runs out.



If I run out of ammo, it will be from defending, not hunting.  I couldn't eat that many animals.


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## mecreature (May 25, 2011)

Jags said:
			
		

> mecreature said:
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same here. People would probably gather in groups.. strength in numbers. that could eat up some ammo even for hunting.
I bet my trapping skills would get a bit better also..


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## begreen (May 25, 2011)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> oh, I know what you meant, and I see, you know what I meant. together, we know what we mean. i think.



Gotta get together sometime for some chapulines and cerveza. And if there's a plague of locusts, I will try to remember to harvest them.


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## Delta-T (May 25, 2011)

there are so many combinations of household products that make explosives, or poisons, or toxins, or just plain old nasty stuff, that you might not need that much ammo to deter the crowds. A lil bleach, a lil ammonia, couple glass jars....too easy.


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## smokinj (May 25, 2011)

mecreature said:
			
		

> I would assume everyone would get hungry/thirsty pretty quick.
> People who are accustom to conservation would have a better chance.
> 
> I would probably do exactly the opposite of what local authorities were mandating.
> ...



I will grab a couple poles and kayak stick to the rivers see you at the super doom! lol Mean while back at the ranch I will be full of fish and smokin a Dunhill pipe!


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## Seasoned Oak (May 25, 2011)

Perhaps we could eat those asian carp jumping out of rivers as boats go by.


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## begreen (May 25, 2011)

Nah, I heard they taste like carp.


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## btuser (May 26, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Nah, I heard they taste like carp.



They like them everywhere else.


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## phatfarmerbob (Jun 3, 2011)

mecreature said:
			
		

> Jags said:
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Two most important things for the apocalypse Seeds And AMMO


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## GunSeth (Jun 6, 2011)

Cats and dogs living together.  Mass hysteria.


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## CarbonNeutral (Jun 8, 2011)

You want to know which countries will do just fine (with their reserves and usage)?

See this: http://www.datadrivenconsulting.com...e-ground-oil-exports-imports-and-consumption/


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## Seasoned Oak (Jun 8, 2011)

Transportation is the 800 LB gorilla in the room,and there are alternatives getting off to a slow start. We need an apollo project to jump start alternatives. LNG is available with a little planning,  and its about $1 a gallon.


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