Some countries, i just cant see what the problem is with "Energy" per se ie: Electricity.
The USA is one country that could be entirely self sufficient in Electricity even without Oil, Gas or Nuclear energy altogether (other than in initial construction and maintainance costs).. if it decided to follow that route (which it wont)..
Despite being a world leader in the technologies in some respects, because some States ARE pro-active, they get little recognition of this.
1,000,000's of square miles that can be used for wind farms, geo-thermal, hydro-electric et nausium...
....and yet some States wont even clean up their old Coal Burning power stations (and even open new ones)... this is the "image" the world gets, and most of your own population.
Its the smaller, more densly populated countries i feel sorry for, they dont even have the option even if they wished to for widespread energy generation in this way... they are stuck with micro-generation.
As to the fuel aspect of Oil... there are a number of substitutes that can be used such as Rape Seed Oil etc...
In 1900 Dr Rudolph Diesel successfully ran an Engine on Peanut Oil for the French Government.. and "Oil Engines" were being successfully manufactured in the UK in 1892. They'd run on just about any type of "vegetable oil".
It was a matter of pure economics in the late 19th/early 20th centuries that made Gaslolene/Petrol engines popular.
The trouble is also partly that Oil is used for a lot more than just fuel/energy... they use it for Plastic, Tarmac..hell, you name it.
I'm not sure they will ever, economically, replace Crude Oils use in everything..
Bookmarks