[kortilla]

> meaning it takes one barrel of oil to produce 4 barrels

This is a dumb statistic and doesn’t help prove a point. It can “take 3 barrels” to produce 2 and it would still be worth it because it doesn’t actually take 3 barrels. It takes the energy equivalent and the value of oil is the energy density with its portability.

[ben_w]

Before non-fossil energy sources were significant, one of the points the statistic it proved was that peak oil scenarios hurt well before you "run out" of oil completely[0].

Today, the statistic is still relevant because we've got other ways to make energy-dense portable fuels from renewables.

[0] unless you can substitute oil for another energy source, which was only sometimes part of those discussions, the rest of the time it was "prepare for collapse!" with images from the original Mad Max films.