Potential Environmental Impacts of Utilization of ConocoPhillips Fuel Efficient High Performance (FEHP) Lubricant Applications in the Automotive Indu

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Potential Environmental Impacts of Utilization of ConocoPhillips Fuel Efficient High Performance (FEHP) Lubricant Applications in the Automotive Industry

In some shape or form, nearly all aspects of American life contribute to unnecessary exploitation of natural resources. The automobile is a staple of American life and culture, and perhaps best exemplifies Americans’ dependence on gross quantities of raw materials. On any given day, over 235 million vehicles travel 11 billion miles on U.S. highways, consuming nearly 20 million barrels of oil daily 1,2,3. Worldwide, oil consumption has reached a 16-year high of 80.6 million barrels per day 17. Most important of all, proven oil reserves around the world only provide roughly 40 years of production at these current rates 18. Oil consumers ignore this reality either through lack of education or simple apathy, because right now there are no immediate consequences to consuming such vast volumes of a polluting, non-renewable resource. Numbers like those mentioned above are so large it is difficult for one to fathom their true magnitude, however they still convey the reliance average Americans have on their automobiles and oil.

By and large, the automobile is the only way most Americans travel. Without getting into the details of problems with public transportation, people simply do not consider other options to personal transportation. This becomes especially significant when one considers that cars are the single largest emitter of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The U.S. produces nearly 24% of the world’s CO2 emissions, a third of which comes from gasoline combustion in cars 4,5. Many scientists cite rising oil consumption as the leading cause...

... middle of paper ...

...F-150 at a glance, 2004, Ford Motor Company, 11 May 2004, <http://www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/f150/index.asp?redir=true&bhcp=1&bhfv=7&bhqt=1&bhsh=768&bhsw=1024&bhsp=6232004br=Safari&ver=1&pfrm=MacOSX&consp=6232004>

15. New Report: Reducing Vehicular Global Warming Pollution Saves California Drivers Money, 2004, Union of Concerned Scientists, 11 May 2004, <http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release.cfm?newsID=391>

16. Innovations: High-efficiency axle system, 2003, Visteon Corp., 1 May 2004, <http://www.visteon.com/about/features/2003/020303.shtml>

17. Reuters, World oil consumption seen at 16-year high, 2004, MSNBC News, 12 May 2004, <http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4959509/>

18. Worldwide Oil and Gas Production and Reserves, Phillips, 2000, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 3 May 2004, <http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/finance/mergers/ptprod.html>

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