One of the long lingering theories that has had an outsized impact is that most of our oil comes from rotting dinosaurs and ancient plants. Its not true. Oil has been found at depths that preclude oxygen. Theyve found that there are oil reservoir deposits [in the Gulf of Mexico for example] where the oil levels go up after having been dr…
One of the long lingering theories that has had an outsized impact is that most of our oil comes from rotting dinosaurs and ancient plants. Its not true. Oil has been found at depths that preclude oxygen. Theyve found that there are oil reservoir deposits [in the Gulf of Mexico for example] where the oil levels go up after having been drawn down to a low level. Abiotic oil. It is a result of processes deep in the earth. The "oil is a fossil fuel" line has been used so long [no matter who first said it], that it ranks up there in terms of acceptance with people who deny that vaccines have caused damage like autism.
Abiotic oil is like string theory, something people want to believe based mostly on conjecture. In this case, mostly from the eternal economic growth crowd.
Except I've been on calls with a famous wildcatter who shared data to the same a number of years back. I'd actually reverse it and say that people who believe that oil only comes from dinosaurs and plankton and rotting veggies from millions of years ago have the bigger burden of proof. They like their "Peak Oil" hysteria that has been promoted for decades. Helps prop up the oil market. Ironically it also encourages the oil companies to discover "just enough" to keep the whole thing going. Imagine what would happen if we took 20% of what has been wasted in Ukraine and applied it to better drilling and discovery... Consumers would like it, but those 25-year CapEx plans by Big Oil wouldn't...
You talked to a wildcatter. So we are drilling 3+miles deep in the ocean, fracking and tar sands, because conventional is abundant? That is at once an elaborate conspiracy, and also a failure of the imagination.
One of the long lingering theories that has had an outsized impact is that most of our oil comes from rotting dinosaurs and ancient plants. Its not true. Oil has been found at depths that preclude oxygen. Theyve found that there are oil reservoir deposits [in the Gulf of Mexico for example] where the oil levels go up after having been drawn down to a low level. Abiotic oil. It is a result of processes deep in the earth. The "oil is a fossil fuel" line has been used so long [no matter who first said it], that it ranks up there in terms of acceptance with people who deny that vaccines have caused damage like autism.
Abiotic oil is like string theory, something people want to believe based mostly on conjecture. In this case, mostly from the eternal economic growth crowd.
Except I've been on calls with a famous wildcatter who shared data to the same a number of years back. I'd actually reverse it and say that people who believe that oil only comes from dinosaurs and plankton and rotting veggies from millions of years ago have the bigger burden of proof. They like their "Peak Oil" hysteria that has been promoted for decades. Helps prop up the oil market. Ironically it also encourages the oil companies to discover "just enough" to keep the whole thing going. Imagine what would happen if we took 20% of what has been wasted in Ukraine and applied it to better drilling and discovery... Consumers would like it, but those 25-year CapEx plans by Big Oil wouldn't...
You talked to a wildcatter. So we are drilling 3+miles deep in the ocean, fracking and tar sands, because conventional is abundant? That is at once an elaborate conspiracy, and also a failure of the imagination.