So who's reduced their carbon footprint?
- Thread starter Phil W
- Start date
It's really simple - today the UK uses 1.7 million barrels of oil per day. In 2020 we won't be able to. If we try to it'll ruin the economy. We need to reduce that 1.7mbpd. We can either drive less or improve the efficiency - I think improved fleet efficiency is easier than driving less. I think making efficient cars cheaper and inefficient cars more expensive is the best way to do that.[TW]Fox;10267189 said:
Then the problem is self-resolving. If oil is too expensive, alternatives will be found without unnecessary forcing or pointless revenue raising that won't actually change things.
Oil will not suddenly dry up overnight, there's a wonderful thing called the market economy that is far better at resolving issues like this than any attempt to intervene has ever been.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Why is that relevant?
Still China, becuase they have a huge population, and thus, are a huge issue.
Consider a very basic example.
Country A has one person living it in it, who emits lets say 100kg c02 per year. Thats a lot. Country B is far more frugal, its population emit 10kg c02 per year. But Country B has 100 people living in it.
Which is the bigger threat to the world?
Yes, Country B, irrespective of the glutteny of the single population of Country A.
We are a small country, therefore, our actions do not make much, if any, difference to the world situation. This is a selfish view, yes, but it's also pretty much spot on. The bigger your population the bigger contribution your country makes to the situation.
And China has a HUGE population. It's per capita figure is also skewed by billions of people living in poverty and not even having a donkey ride let alone a car.
Almost certainly. But if we all make an effort, China will find another excuse. Why? Becuase they are going through what we went through 150 years ago. They will, perhaps quite rightly, ask why they cannot industrialise on a mass scale when we were allowed to 150 years ago. People in China want a Western lifestyle. They want cars too. They want lots of electricity as well.
THIS is the problem. Not the guy down the road with an X5.
Well, except of course that history shows otherwise...
The markets will never see it in time, and when they do it will be far to late. What happens when energy costs to much to even start production of a replacement?
Like i always say, nothing can replace the energy we get from oil
And i also agree with clv on the subject of cutting down our use of that wee oil, if we used say 300,000 less a day for a year that's a saving of 6.3bn for the good old tax payer.
Yes, but there was more oil to be found and produced. This time around there isn't. So this good old saying comes into play
"When its done its done"
The market works for more than oil. We have had plenty of shortages of all manner of things that were supposed to be disasterous, but were not, I wonder why?
Compare that with the success of unnecessary change through regulation, I know where my money is.
But that's like saying "but the price of cheese could go up, if cheese was £1m a gram, what would we do".
It's pointless to make such random speculation when it's not realistic to any sort of actual market condition.
It could jump to that price tomorrow, if SA came out and told us that they only have 5 years worth of oil left.
Again, let's have something realistic, rather than just irrationally stupid.
Actually it almost certainly would not, a doubling in oil prices would not involve a doubling in fuel prices simply becuase 80% of fuel price is not product, it's taxation. $160 a barrel would result in petrol priced at perhaps £1.30 a litre.
Most people here would pay that, whilst grumbling a bit.
Stupid? Sorry but do you know what they have in the ground?
God your the only person in the world then outside of SA.
If they came out and said, sorry we cannot produce any more oil about our quota because we haven't got it to pump, and at the same time said they only have 15 years of reserves left; the market would go crazy.
And don't think that couldn't happen down the line, because i to be honest i think its happening now, they said they have increased production, but if i remember correctly they are pumping no more than they did this time last year.
Yes