In reply to Jed Rothwell's message of Wed, 3 Jun 2009 19:44:46 -0400: Hi, [snip] >Robin van Spaandonk wrote: > > >> If we continued to use fossil fuels as our energy source, at the current >> rate of energy consumption, until all the oxygen in the atmosphere had been >> used up (assuming none of it were recycled by nature), then it would take >> 40000 years to use it up. > > >In the blink of an eye, in other words. And long before we use it up the >effects would be catastrophic.
One other point. The fossil fuels will be exhausted long before then, putting an automatic end to the practice anyway. Oil may only last another 20-30 years, and coal maybe 300 years. I repeat - Oxygen consumption is a red herring. BTW 40000 years is not the blink of an eye. If archeologists find anything that old, they consider themselves extremely lucky. Modern science basically started just a few hundred years ago, and we are already discovering CF. Imagine how much further along we will be after just 1000 years of scientific advancement, let alone 40000. [snip] Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://rvanspaa.freehostia.com/Project.html
