Suppose oil were a renewable resource, that the earth would continue to replenish our supplies indefinitely, would that be a good thing or a bad thing? When one considers the cost to the environment and the apathy we would inevitably show toward shifting towards more environmentally benign sources of energy, it might just be that cheap and perpetually abundant oil could be more harmful to us in the long run than higher short term oil prices and a diminishing supply.
The conversation about limitless oil supplies, which initially worked its way through the more conspiratorial websites has begun to gain traction on more mainstream sites and why not? ItÂ’s a great conversation for the water cooler but should not detract us from the pragmatic realities we face.
Regardless of the answer, America has finally begun to seriously focus on the rapid development and deployment of alternative energies and, although I cannot conclude which side of the abiotic argument may prevail, itÂ’s essential we donÂ’t take our eye off the ball