If we do find an alternate resource for fuel could are economy survive not having oil?

Question

If we do find an alternate resource for fuel could are economy survive not having oil?

Answer 1

Sure. But survival is not the issue. The real questions have to do with costs and "side effects", both short term and long.

There are applications other than fuel for petroleum, including plastics, lubricants, roofing and road surfacing materials, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_p...

but alternate raw materials can be used for all of them. However, petroleum is used because it is the cheapest: synthetic motor oil is significantly more expensive than motor oil made from petroleum; plastics made from other sources, such as coal, ditto; etc.

Of course if the alternate energy source were cheap enough, we could even make oil, but the dream of "power too cheap to meter" (the original promise of the nuclear power industry?) remains but a dream.

http://www.cns-snc.ca/media/toocheap/too...

Answer 2

Only if we find an alternative base for plastics as well