What is the alternative to a petroleum based economy?

Question

America is the largest consumer of oil in the world, with the EU not far behind and China repidly gaining ground. Humanity as a whole is consuming more oil then at any other period in history. At this rate we will completely strip the earth of its petroleum reserves by 2050 (excluding coal and shale). What can we do about it? What is the alternative?

Answer 1

1. The transport will change in multiple ways:

     we will go to live power as in bicycles and horse back.... yes horses will have a limited return to fame, imagine you and your special sharing a horseback to the movies, dinner and dancings, done right, you could train your horse to take you home when you are too drunk to stear yourself.

      We will combine them with better public transit systems.

      vehicles will become diesel powered run on bio-diesel which will come into full despencing as unleaded runs out.

      powered vehicles will be for modest work requirements, and bicycles and horses will be for general transport.

      Trains will share space with riggid h2 - o2- he2 streamlined airships for midrange transport as well as the prelim access to space.

       We will start restructuring living vs environmental areas... deserts will become the future cities and the cities that are in ag areas will shrink, while cities and towns in natural areas will dwindle to support sizes only.

and the dream goes on.... :)

Answer 2

Tha Oil company buy gun and pay to terrorist to keep this was warm and gas price high like Iran, I be members of hezbollahs in Iran, they have camp in Iran, british company pay to Iran to run those camp, war is all about to rub you and me brother not all about more car or ...capitalism

Answer 3

hybrid cars(example:ethanol and hydrogen)

Answer 4

methane, propane, ethanol

Answer 5

A bunch of things will come in to replace it.  Wind power is ample and that's off-the-shelf technology at this point, and they've got the bird-kill thing worked out.  

I have my doubts about ethanol due to the distillation cost, but I think biodiesel is a winner.

I think the economics of solar power have changed to the point where you could install a roof panel, fold it into your mortgage and be cash-flow positive from day 1.

Moving transport from oil to electric is gonna happen, through plug-in hybrids and railroad electrification, and high-speed rail taking a bite out of the aviation fuel burn.

We might have to "twist the arm" of a few countries to get onboard with conservation, but that's what aircraft carriers and the World Bank are for.

Americans are rampant gadget freaks and I expect we'll find a way to make everything better while also green, so people will want to go green coz it's better.  The world will be impressed with our innovations, and buy or copy them.

Answer 6

hydrogen