Boylesy, has it ever occurred to you that what you believe is "collective common sense" is actually the ranting of a ratbag fringe of catastrophe merchants? No one pays much attention, because it is not worth the effort.

There is much more fossil fuel than is needed to see you out china, & your kids kids as well. So please stop fretting, you'll end up costing the tax payers a fortune in medical bills.

Bazz, in the words of the song, "anything you can do, I can do better". Sailing ships can carry any amount of freight, you just need enough of them. In fact, wouldn't it be wonderful to actually usefully employ all those public servants, loading & unloading thousands of them, by hand. It would be a dream to see the old ports of London, Liverpool & all the rest back at work.

Unfortunately, it won't happen. The yanks have proven for many years just how successful small nuclear power plants are at powering ships. If oil becomes too expensive that is the next step, so don't hold your breath for the ships to stop, more's the pity.

Hasbeen has it ever occured to you that those who you perceive as ranting doomsday ratbags may actually be able to see further into the future than your limited intellect allows you to do?

Careful Boylesy, that greenie arrogance is showing, along with the claws

Yes, Hasbeen, nuclear powered ships are of cause a viable way to go.
I just wonder if they would be economical.
Certain cargoes perhaps.

You said;
There is much more fossil fuel than is needed to see you out china, &
your kids kids as well.
>

Unfortunately that is the wishful thinking syndrome that is prelevant
in the US this election year.
The latest rush of shale oil & gas will be short lived and expensive.
It has caused a blip upwards in production but it really is small in
comparison with the depletion rates that are becoming common.
The UK North Sea depletion rate is 22% per year and ours is close to
20%, but ours may be less than that.
These depletion rates are real and as further fields reach those
levels the shale production will never keep up.

It is a matter of scale, the oil industry is so large that all these
"solutions" are just "pi$%^ng" into the wind !

Hasbeen,
I think you might find this link will help you understand
the points I was trying to illustrate. It is from a real expert who
works in the field and gives some historical background.

http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-04-16/commentary-world-finite-isnt-it

No doubt there numerous Roman citizens who refused to believe that their empire would ever collapse.....right up to the end when the Visigoths sacked Rome itself.

It is a classic frog in boiling water scenario where the decline is so gradual that few people notice until they are dead!

Hasbeen you are the frog that sits in the water slowly being brought to the boil all the while declaring that the water is not that much hotter than it was a minute ago! Until you inevitably cooked alive.

We 'doomsday nut jobs' would prefer to hop out of the water before it kills us.