I don't think anyone has thought to put the process into context of
the likely fuel regime that will be in place.

Rationing of petrol and diesel will be in effect.
The thought of algae or bio fuel being processed into aviation fuel,
while everyone is getting by on 20 litres a month if they have some
priority, is politically impossible.

Aviation will be finished, except perhaps for defence and such services
as air ambulance.
I have recently learnt that Australia imports 80% of its petrol.
The other 20% is refined from local oil.
Our total oil production is less than 50% of our use.
Do you really think we could allow any sort of fuel to be used for aviation ?

New oil fields have been found that will make the mid east look like a puddle. Siberia is the next gigantic oil field.
Oil or not it should not stop the search for alternate fuels. It,s a matter of clean fuel.

a597; you are in dreamland.
The year that most oil was found was, wait for it, 1964 !
Every year since except one, less oil has been found than the year before.
We now use about five times more oil each year than we find.

The last year when we produced more oil than was found was, wait, 1983 !
Just think about those figures.
Then come back and tell us there is plenty yet to be found.

Bazz don't fool your self, there is plenty of oil & gas available for a very long time, then the production of liquid fuel from coal is economically viable at todays oil prices. Supply is not a problem in any living life time.

a597 fuel from algae is probably the first alternative renewable fuel source that will become viable.

The dream of producing it in our arid centre is attractive, but for a water supply. We could not afford to drain the artesian basin for this use, that water is too valuable.

Somewhere closer to the ocean is probably a better bet for this. That is unless it would be viable to fill lake Eyre with a channel from the bight. Perhaps that's viable, & I'm just too small a thinker.

This is why we are getting a carbon tax to make these ideas come forward. Bazz somehow sees the bad side of things. Oil men plan forward 40 years at a time, even they will say they have no idea what happens after 40 years because no decision has been made. Oil in Siberia is for real.Bazz. How much oil does America take from the mid; east. About zilch. So much for the war. It is about time negative thinkers came on board and started putting some ideas together.

Yes, there is a lot of oil in various places.
There is also a lot of gas.
However it is not as simple as just it is there.

The old ERoEI (energy returned on energy invested) sticks its oar into
the problem. Every since 1889 the eroei has been falling.
It started out at 100:1 for oil and is now down to artound 10:1 and
still falling. Much further, say to 3;1, and the wells will be capped.

Gas is in a somewhat better position but the ereoi for gas is not all
that brilliant and unfortunately it depletes very rapidly.
Gas wells have a much shorter lifetime than oil wells.

However gas will keep us going somewhat longer and hopefully the
politicians will wake up sometime soon.