The claims of some politicians that we are on the brink of an energy crisis are misguided. We have enough oil in reserve to see us through any production shortage and the supply of in-ground oil is in no danger of running out any time soon. There is thus

The author has come to the conclusion that there should be a continued use of oil based technology and infrastructure because there is a sufficient supply of oil to support them and the politicians are misguided to think there is any oil crisis. On first inspection the argument may seem plausible but if you take into consideration several factors and assumptions it would be correct to come to the conclusion that the authors argument is flawed.

The main flaw in the argument is that the author has not provided any valid data that would prove that their is no oil crisis and thus no need to set aside the technology and infrastructure based around oil. While the author states that there are enough oil in reserves, the author did not give any data on how much oil or how long it would last. While the current oil reserves may be high the amount of oil may not be sufficient for a prolonged oil shortage. The author has also neglected to include any data for in ground oil and as with the oil reserves, even though it may seem sufficient at the time, any major increase in use or prolonged shortage may quickly deplete it.

The author has also made some assumptions that hurt his or her argument and subsequent conclusion. The author has assumed that current usage of oil will not go up, any production shortage will not go on for a prolonged period of time, the infrastructure and technology will be sufficiently maintained to support steady oil production or the use of oil and that the reserves will not be depleted if their is a world wide shortage and they have to help supply oil to other countries. the author has also assumed that oil producing companies will not shut down due to an economic down turn and not stop oil production all together.

To better evaluate the authors argument it would be helpful if certain information was analysed. We would need to know the current level of oil in reserves, how long the average production shortage lasts, the state of the current technology and infrastucture and if any poor maintenance leads to frequent production shortages and the current trend in oil usage and if it is going up or down. If these issues were resolved the author could make a more logical argument and strengthen his or her case for keeping the current infrastructre and technology that depends on oil.