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The problem is not petroleum products themself, the problem is burning the petroleum products. Even if we move the whole energy economy away from fossil fuels we'll still be using oil for lubrication, plastics, asphalt, and a bunch of other things. That is fine.

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Eventually it is a problem - they are not renewable. Are all the components usable for these other uses? I thought some distillates only worked for some uses (can the gas portion be used for asphalt?).

I would also imagine there is immense heating from the road surfaces. Not to mention the fumes, chemicals used in the processing, and all the transportation.

If we're not burning petroleum for heating/electricity anymore I imagine our reserves will be enough for thousands of years of roads, chemicals, synthetic materials, etc. By then we'll have developed alternatives, if not sooner

I think that's wishful thinking on the timeline and a very hopeful outlook for technology to save us. It also doesnt answer the question of if some of the byproducts are only useful for burning. If I remember right, gasoline was originally considered a byproduct.

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