Oil is a very important recourse in our daily life; it would be very hard to imagine life without oil. Though recently scientist have discovered that oil is about to finish in the near future, but some argue otherwise. Should the world continue to rely on oil as a major source of energy? Should we find a new source of energy? How much time do we have left? A lot of questions are left unanswered, or answered with different point of views. In this situation, we have to look at things from different point of views; who is going to get effected, and whom are we affecting, think about the damage we are causing or going to cause, and the losses and gains. This topic is very sensitive because a lot of things are at stake, making the wrong decision or being carless about it can affect us humans on the long run. Many people are arguing about that the oil price is slowly increasing, since oil is finishing in most countries, therefore the demand increase. They also argue about how we have transitioned from wood to coal, and to oil, and now we are being pushed out to a new energy source. They are wondering whether the new source of energy will require more natural resource, and will it be at a reasonable price? I will tell you which side I am on, and why I am on this side. I will try to give good points supporting my reasons and explain why I choose this answer. A lot of money has been spent on researches regarding this topic, but unfortunately most of them have been proven to be incorrect. Those researches resulted in many misconceptions, which made many people think that oil is actually not about to finish and that we still have time. Many argued that we would eventually transition to a new era where we will discover a new source of en... ... middle of paper ... ... There are many evidences proving that oil is actually running out, and soon enough and we will be left with no options, we need to wake up and make a stand. I agree with most of the people when they say that the global oil production has not peaked yet, but they are missing the point. The people who fixate on this need to wake up and smell the fumes that we are reduced to running on. The IMF paper clearly shows that we are low on supply. The oil price itself should be a clue since it is now 100 per barrel, 10 times higher than it was at the eve of the 21st century. Since the world’s population is increasing, and the oil level is declining, it is only a matter of time until the oil completely runs out. Saying that there will be sufficient oil to meet demand for at least the next 30 years means that if we don’t find an alternative soon, we might face a huge problem.
Richard Manning Wrote the essay “The Oil We Eat – Following the Food Chain Back to Iraq” which was published in Harper’s Magazine February 2004 edition. In this essay, Manning discusses the evolution of agriculture and the consequences of it. Furthermore, Manning explores the relationship of fossil fuel, food calories and transfer of energy to illustrate earth’s prospective future. Through the use of charismatically presented factual arguments, visual powerful emotional narratives and the credibility of a few choice names, Manning creates an environment in his essay that allows flaws to escape otherwise unknown to majority reader.
Almost every single nation in our world today, the United States included, is extremely reliant on oil and how much of it we can obtain. Wars have been started between countries vying for control of this valuable natural resource. The United States as a whole has been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign oil and has had some success, especially with the discovery of the Bakken formation and projects like the Keystone Pipeline.
In 1908, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) predicted that the total future supply of U.S. oil would not exceed 23 billion barrels. In 1914, the U.S. Bureau of Mines predicted that only 5.7 billion barrels of oil remained. In 1920, the USGS proclaimed the peak in U.S. oil production was almost reached. In 1939, the Department of Interior declared that there was only 13 years of oil production remaining. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter claimed, “We are now running out of oil.” Despite these predictions, the U.S. has produced over 200 billion barrels of oil since the early 1900’s. (The Futurist, 1997)
People need oil for daily life and work. Since World War II, oil has caused many serious problems in the United States and throughout the world. Remarkably, economic and social problems were heightened by the emerging energy crisis. By 1974, the United States gained a third of its oil by importing from the Middle East. James Oakes, et al.
In ancient times Babylonians used oil as mortar, Native Americans used oil as a topical medicine, and, before electricity, oil was used to create light. Mankind has been dependant on oil as a resource for generations. It has influenced growth, warfare, and technological advancement, but what if mankind were to run out (Alois)? The possibility of this eventuality was first vocalized by M. King Hubbert who introduced the notion of “peak oil.” When global oil production “peaks” it reaches its greatest output level and then permanently declines (Hubbert). There is much debate as to whether this “peak” exists, has already been passed, or will be passed in the near future. Despite the debate there is one undeniable fact; there is a finite amount of oil since it is a non renewable resource. Considering a sudden systemic collapse of all oil production seems unlikely, oil will probably be replaced gradually. This loss of oil could be positive; possibly less CO2 would enter the atmosphere and global warming may be stalled. However, the success of this transition away from fossil fuels will be largely dependant on the ability of developed nations to manage their time. If the US, or any other nation, is going to be successful, they need to start now.
As years pass and demand for gasoline increases, it is inevitable that the world’s oil supply will not last forever. This idea is made increasingly clear by evidence of peaking. Peak production is the point in time when about one-half of the world’s oil supply will be gone. Oil production in a given ...
These oil wells are great for the economic growth, inventing new jobs and fueling most of our vehicles. The Earth has literal oceans of oil stored in its soil waiting to be harvested. Meaning, crude oil isn’t renewable, and eventually it will run out. According to the British petroleum, the multinational gas and oil company headquarter, there is only enough to sustain the planet for roughly around 53.3 more years. The result of oil depletion will turn turbulent, and we will have to resort to renewable energy. The issue concerning this is that, renewable energies such as solar, water and wind have not been perfected and can be too expensive to use. In theory, renewable energy is still a stable and natural energy source that could potentially save the future. If the we invest in perfecting these energy sources instead of pipelines, oil companies could finally stop reaping the Earth of its oil and prevent a future crisis 50 years from now. We wouldn’t have the need to burn fossil fuels, and we could be one step closer to a cleaner Earth. Nonetheless, most people nowadays care only for shortcuts that will lead them to big money, even if it sacrifices our world’s interior, and the health of those that live upon
Every year the demand for oil grows, and the amount the U.S. produces decreases while the amount of oil America imports increases. In 1994 the oil imported from OPEC members was about 1,400,000 thousand barrels in 2008 it was about 2,200,000 thousand barrels. The amount of American oil imported from non-OPEC members was roughly 1,700,000 thousand of barrels to 3,000,000 thousand barrels. According to eia.doe.gov the U.S. imported roughly between 4,000,000 and 4,500,000 thousands of barrels of oil in 2010. All this boiled down means that the U.S. imports more than half of all its oil. And at the current rate the U.S. spends roughly $13 million dollars on oil per hour. Furthering its impact on our economy the NRDC found that roughly 1/5 of our trade deficit stems from imported oil. Every day the U.S. loses $390 million to foreign oil, money that could be spent on the United States’ infrastructure, or helping to get the U.S. out of its recession. This is money that is most likely not going to be reinvested in America and will only further our deficit. Another problem outside our spending is the fact that we are importing from some highly unstable nations...
Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil is one of his more socialist attacks on corporate power, labor suppression, government corruption and corporate control of war, universities, and Hollywood. The novel was written during the Harding administration Teapot Dome Scandal set in World War I and 1920s era, in the early California oil fields.
Peak oil is pretty much like a bell curve, which is a line on a graph that goes in a constant up-and-down pattern. At the top of the bell curve is where peak oil is located on the graph and that means worldwide, half of the resource has been consumed, and that half of the resource that’s been lost will return some thousands of years from now. That’s too long for us to wait, not to mention that fossil fuels are the cause of the ongoing deterioration of the earth’s atmosphere. In the circumstance of oil or some other material like it, production will never increase above where it was at its peak, no matter how money is thrown into the resource. From an investigator’s point of view, if you are attempting to accumulate the pieces of a case’s motives and means, to comprehend what power drives what events, peak oil was nearly within the stroke of a razor’s edge, the solitary part which instigated everything to echo and seem sensible
In 1970 oil reserves became more scarce, leading to a decrease in production, while consumption continued to grow rapidly (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). In order to fill the gap between rising demand and falling supply of oil, the United States became more and more dependent on imported oil, primarily from Arab countries in the Middle East. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). As the U.S and many other countries became highly industrialized nations, they became even more dependent on oil imports. With demand being higher than the actual amount of supply, prices kept rising reaching a peak of $140 a barrel in 2008. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011).
" Oil is the life blood of our modern industrial society. It fuels the machines and lubricates the wheels of the world’s production. But when that vital resource is out of control, it can destroy marine life and devastate the environment and economy of an entire region…. The plain facts are that the technology of oil-- its extraction, its transport, its refinery and use-- has outpaced laws to control that technology and prevent oil from polluting the environment…" (Max, 1969). Oil in its many forms has become one of the necessities of modern industrial life. Under control, and serving its intended purpose, oil is efficient, versatile, and productive. On the other hand, when oil becomes out of control, it can be one of the most devastating substances in the environment. When spilled in water, it spreads for miles around leaving a black memory behind (Stanley, 1969).
Oil is an essential resource in the whole world. People use oil in a variety of ways. The world has used oil for many years and it will still use it as a basic commodity. Oil use can be traced back to 1850s. However, when Edwin Drake produced commercially usable quantities of crude oil from a 69-foot well in Pennsylvania in 1859, he marked a new period that considered oil as a valuable commodity. Oil prices have been inconsistent since 1859. The discoveries of more wells considerably lowered oil prices and made some oil barons abandon the industry. However, oil prices have increased over time because of several factors.
A. Scientists predict that in the next several decades the world will run out of oil. According to the article How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil by Umut Newbury accessed from the EBSCO Host database states that
The oil refinery converts crude oil into valuable products and supplies. These products are made and sent to many countries abroad, in which are transported on land or along rivers and canals. Crude oil is then arranged and categorized into segments by fractional distillation. Raw crude oil, or unprocessed crude oil, is not normally beneficial in most industrial applications. Low sulfur crude oil has been valuable as a burner fuel to construct steam for the force of seagoing vessels. The lighter elements have the ability to construct explosive and dangerous vapors in the gas tanks. There are extremely hazardous, and are often used in war ships. The remaining hydrocarbon molecules are filtered from crude oil and used towards lubricants, feedstock, plastics, and fuels.