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Related: About this forumIf everyone used as much energy as Americans, we’d run out of oil in 9 years
http://grist.org/list/if-everyone-used-as-much-energy-as-americans-wed-run-out-of-oil-in-9-years/Unlike gluttonous American industry, Europes most profitable companies plan to make even more money by getting ahead of this whole peak oil trend, reports Der Spiegel. And its a damn good thing, because if everybody guzzled oil like Americans, wed be even more screwed than we are now.
Case in point:
If every person on Earth used as much energy as the average person in the United States, todays known oil reserves would be exhausted within nine years.
Aha! say the naysayers. But havent I been hearing that America is on the verge of producing all the oil well need? You have but not from anyone credible. As energy futurist Chris Nelder just outlined at Smartplanet, even if we could exploit every single resource the U.S. has, and to hell with the environmental consequences, wed still run out in a decade or three and be right back where we started: running on empty, and facing economic collapse as our existing transportation, agricultural, and manufacturing infrastructure literally runs out of gas.
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If everyone used as much energy as Americans, we’d run out of oil in 9 years (Original Post)
Javaman
Apr 2012
OP
mactime
(202 posts)1. I have heard this
I have heard this explanation used to justify stopping all immigration to America
mactime
(202 posts)4. Americans use more energy
and by allowing more people to come to America you create more 'high energy' users.
Javaman
(62,521 posts)6. that's some pretty weird logic. nt
dkf
(37,305 posts)2. Americans believe cheap oil/gas is a government given right.
But one day reality will hit and it will not be pretty.
kristopher
(29,798 posts)5. That's a useful sound bite, thanks.