[xcamel]

Just the energy locked up in gas hydrates seems to be more than all the oil extracted and refined so far.

[JohnBovenmyer]

The gas hydrates have lots of potential, but need more basic research to harvest them safely. You don't want your what you're mining to be destabilized and boil away in one giant f*rt before you can sell it. Not to mention the acute damage caused by the giant bubble displacing the water to sink ships or create giant waves. Nor all the hassles the greenies would cause if you let all that methane enter the atmosphere before we could burn it to the less potent greenhouse gas CO2. It probably can be harvested economically once enough R&D is done.