well economically recoverable oil is certainly finite in the world. it may take 30 - 50 - 100 years but if we keep burning hydrocarbons we will eventually reach a point where oil is more expensive than alternatives but that is not an argument for not using it in the meantime. The mass hysteria around anthropgenic global warming is unfounded on many levels: humans are part of nature. so is oil. earth has withstood numerous near instant on geological scale carbon spikes. it is not clear the harms of buring carbon exceed the benefits. alternatives seek political rent without showing economic competitiveness. there are certainly externalities from burning carbon but until these can be quantified and shown to exceed the benefits or shown to be better utility wise than alternatives if any exist then it should not be assumed that oil is worse. etc. as recently as 12,000 years ago the earth had massive rapid climate change. the fallacy of balance of nature. nature is never in balance. it is always changing. etc.