Re: Nothing like oil?

"tphile" <tphile@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:649c0e84-504a-43fc-9af8-c0ccec05a2ce@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 Feb 16, 11:36 pm, David Tate <dt...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Is there any SF, especially recent SF, set in a mid-future (200-500
> years out or so) in which the fossil fuels have been used up, and no
> really satisfactory substitute[1] was found to replace them? I
> suppose that would be post-apocalyptic steampunk of a sort...
>
> David Tate
>
> [1] A satisfactory substitute would have an EROI of at least 10 to 1,
> a ****table high-energy-density form usable for things like high-speed
> air trans****t, no catastrophic environmental side-effects, and an
> availability and economic cost to produce that would make most or all
> of the current economy still feasible.

Frank Herberts Dragon in the Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragon_in_the_Sea
oil is running low so we send submarines to steal it from underwater
wells.
which was his first published novel and had his major themes.
Of course he got it wrong, instead of subs, we just invade and take
over
the country under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

but this does bring up a point that isn't covered very well in SF.
Oil is essential in an industrial society for many things,
lubrication,
fuel, plastics etc.
but I doubt we are gonna find fossil fuels on the Moon, Mars,
Asteroids,
Ringworlds or anyplace else we are likely to colonize or terraform.
No fossils to make fuel.
Oil may be rarer and more valuable than water on Arakkis.
we will need a serious synthetic substitute

tphile
what about RAH Friday, they are using either flying cars or horse and
buggys


"****pstones".  A super-battery energy source made widely available 
commercially but the exact nature is an industrial secret.

-- 
Mike Dworetsky

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