On: Oil Is Hard to Quit, Even in Norway Where Electric Cars Rule

[ljf]

This! When you can run your house and charge your car for free with your own panels and batteries, oil/gas has very limited value to me.

We rarely burn peat any more too as another example of a 'valuable resource' that is left in situ rather than collected now.

[cedws → ljf]

Still need oil for plastics and industrial chemical production, both of which are going to be needed for the foreseeable future.

[ljf → cedws]

Yes you would, until there is a cheaper alternative - which in time I'd hazard a guess that there will be.

[timeon → ljf]

It is not like burning it but peat is still harvested and sold for gardening purposes.

[ljf → timeon]

Very true - but the value of peat as a heating fuel is now vastly diminished as other more efficient fuels are available for a lower price.

I remember peat still being burnt in Shetland when I was young, and compared to coal or even wood it gave off very little heat.

There is still plenty of peat to be taken 'for free' as a fuel using traditional methods, but very little is burnt now, as it is easier and cheaper to heat your home, with wood, coal or more likely gas or electricity.