How much oil is left in the world?

How much Oil is left in the World?
It's he resource that's as rich in demand as it is in controversy. "Black gold" bleeds into almost every major topic of interest, from politics and foreign relations to the environment and economy. Considering the large role plays in our day-to-day lives, we're forced to beg the question: " How long will it be there?

Definitions:

Oil Reserve: The amount of oil that can be recovered economically with existing technology

Oil Resource: The total amount of oil in place

Oil Consumption in the United States:
Oil Reserve Levels Over 31 Years:
1980-1983-1986-1989-1992-1995-1998-2001-2004-2007-2010

1980: 2011:
36.5 billion barrels 30.9 billion barrels

Total Decline: 5.6 billion barrels

Total Amount of Oil Harvested Over the same Period:
103 billion barrels

So, how did our overall reserves fall by only 15% when it seemingly should have fallen by over 280%
Improvements in oil extraction technology have allowed us to convert more oil resources into oil reserves.

Case Study: The Bakken Oil Field
Rock fracturing technology developed in 2008 opened up an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil that previously could not be extracted from the North Dakota Oil Field.

So, how much oil do we have left?
Global supply estimates change as more oil is discovered and newer technology allows us to access previously unretrievable oil.

The US Energy Information Administration:
"The global supply of crude oil is expected to be adequate to meet the world's demand for liquid fuel for at least the next 25 years" How much Oil is Left in the World t's the resource that's as rich in demand as it is in controversy. "Black gold" bleeds into almost every major topic of interest, from politics and foreign relations to the environment and economy. Considering the large role oil plays in our day-to-day lives, we're forced to beg the question: "How long will it be there?" Let's dig in: Definitions: Oil Reserve: The amount of oil that can be recovered economically with existing technology Oil Resource: The total amount of oil in place Oil Consumption in the United States: Oil Reserve Levels Over 31 Years: 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 1980: .2011 36.5 billion barrels 30.9 billion barrels Total Decline: 5.6 billion barrels Total Amount of Oil Harvested Over the Same Period: 103 billion barrels So, how did our overall reserves fall by only 15% when it seemingly should have fallen by over 280%? Improvements in oil extraction technology have allowed us to convert more oil resources into oil reserves. Case study: The Bakken Oil Field Rock fracturing technology developed in 2008 opened up an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil that previously could not be extracted from the North Dakota Oil Field. So, how much oil do we have left? Global supply estimates change as more oil is discovered and newer technology allows us to access previously unretrievable oil. The US Energy Information Administration: 66 The global supply of crude oil is expected to be adequate to meet the world's demand for liquid fuels for at least the next 25 years.2 This infographic brought to you by Bakken Residence Suites Sources: http://www.nd.gov/ndic/ic-press/bakken-form-06.pdf http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=33&t=6 http://www.eia.gov/countries/country-data.cfm?fips=US&trk=p1 http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2012-06-21/how-much-oil-left-world