Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The history of oil research paper
Essays on how the oil industry affects our economy and environment
Our natural resources essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The history of oil research paper
Since the beginning of all recorded history human beings have been dependent upon mother Earth to supply us with our needs. We have cultivated the earth for crop production as well as domesticated animals to better suit our needs; for labor and even for food itself. Sustainability was never in question and land, crops, and animals were always in plenty if taken into consideration. A simpler life where survival through food, shelter, water, and reproduction were all that mattered. However, through time things have changed. From hunter and gatherer sects to farming communities; from small towns to booming civilizations; maybe most importantly has been the change of ideology. We as a society have changed from a simple nature of self sustenance into a society of greed. Greed that is represented in the forms of money, power, land, and politics. The effects of this greed are devastating to the environment. Since sustainability doesn’t necessarily formulate into the ideology of those who are greedy it has been pushed to the side. This has resulted in the Earth’s resources to be exploited, stolen, and in some cases even have led to bloodshed; these things only leading to people being able to line their pockets more deeply. One main culprit of these “crimes” is the oil industry. The Oil Industry has existed since the early 1800’s. As The History Channel’s website states, it has been “an illuminant for medicine, and as grease for wagons and tools.” The first break for the oil industry was with the discovery of kerosene. John Austin, a New York merchant, had observed cheap and efficient oil lamp in his travels. Upon returning home he then manufactured them to be used on kerosene. Shortly after the United States oil business boomed as whale... ... middle of paper ... ...nd the destruction of the environment. On the other hand, most ironically, the industry can also provide for a drastic increase in the quality of life, in agricultural capabilities, and lastly oil has gotten the U.S. and other established, wealthy countries to where we are at now. In my opinion there are two serious problems that are facing our civilization and the Oil Industry. The first being that we have no other back-up plan once the oil is all used up. Secondly, and morally prevalent is the fact that some of these smaller countries can get completely ruined (socially and environmentally) by Oil Companies simply because of the lack of laws internationally. As well as the government will just about sell anything to become wealthy. What our future holds pertaining to this field is murky. It will be interesting to see what will happen in the next one-hundred years.
The oil industry began to expand because of the use of kerosene lamps. Rockefeller renamed the business to Standard Oil Company when his brother William, Andrews, Henry M. Flagler, S.V. Harkness, and others joined his partnership. The company reached a capitol of $1million.
One of these factors was the logistical nightmare of redeveloping the infrastructure needed to transport oil to the refinery. As early as 1881, Standard oil operated approximately 3,000 miles of pipelines, eventually owning ninety percent of the nation’s pipelines. Although transcontinental railroads were an available alternative, pipelines were cheaper, reduced handling and storage fees, and were more efficient. The fact that modern oil companies invest hundreds of millions of dollars into speculating for sustainable natural oil deposits implies that such deposits are rare and hard to identify with a passing glance. If the spurts of oil proved to be isolated incidents, the capital invested in building pipelines and reestablishing a monopoly would have been squandered.
On January 10th 1901 the discovery of oil at Spindletop would lead to the greatest economy boom the world has ever encountered. The amount of oil that would be discovered across Texas would be more than enough to power America through the next several decades. The effects of having oil would completely change Texas culture, lifestyle, and business tremendously. In the book of Oil In Texas, will prove that America would change completely from agriculture nation to an industrial nation after the discovery of oil in Texas.
Oil has always been a coveted natural resource. Oil was discovered in the United States in 1859; since it was a young industry, it was without any structure. That is where John Davison Rockefeller stepped in. John Rockefeller was at one point one of the richest men in the world, monopolizing the oil industry which played a major role in shaping the economy.
Oil provided new fuel for transportation and manufacturing, even railroads were able to convert to oil. Oil helped manufacturing plants and farms move to a cheaper source of energy. Another significant factor of oil is that it helped encourage automobile production as well as roads. The production of the Interstate highway led to the movement of people and goods (Champagne, Harpham 13). Rapid industrialization of the Gulf Coast region sparked. By 1929 in Harris County, 27 percent of all manufacturing employees worked in refineries. By 1940 the capacity of the refineries had increased fourfold. The oil and gas industries carried a boom-and-bust mentality (Oliena 1). The economy flourish at times and failed other times, because the prices would rise and fall. When new oil was discovered in a particular place it brought about more people, overcrowding the schools and new housing. Yet a couple years later the town could experience a bust creating poverty and making the town a ghost town. The oil and gas industry transformed the government and its role with the economy. The Texas Railroad Commission was extended to regulate energy and to promote well-spacing rules. Higher education benefitted through the oil and gas industry ( Munch, Francis, and Rundell 604). In 1923 oil was discovered in the West Texas Permian Basin on university land. The Permanent University Fund was split up between the
Olien, Roger M., Diana Davids Hinton, and Inc NetLibrary. Oil and Ideology: The Cultural Creation of the American Petroleum Industry. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2000. Web. 8 April 2014.
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.
We find ourselves in unique situation. A debate of whether it is right to dig up oil in the Great Lakes. The lakes are known to contain oil and natural gas, but what risk does that play to our environment? The two sides in this debate both have their valid points. It is right to preserve wildlife, but oil is also a highly valuable commodity in today’s market. People often stress that we must take care of our planet because it is the only one we have. Why then do we destroy thousands of square miles of rainforest for wood? Why is there so much emphasis on industrialization, and not enough on the preservation of our Earth? Why do we need to use so much, nevertheless waste so much? Our environment and world is declining at a rate at which we cannot afford. It will be sad to see our planet in another few hundred years. We need to start preserving our environment, and not drilling our Great Lakes for oil is a great place to start. If we drill for oil, we will lose much wildlife, destroy habitats, have possible oil spills, and in fact endanger ourselves in the long run.
Oil was being used to grease the wheels of America’s infant industries, to fuel the expansion of growth. Rockefeller lamented that so many wells were flowing that the price of oil kept falling yet everyone went right on drilling. He saw an industry plagued from overproduction and his own success was being threatened by... ... middle of paper ... ... ush you and your children and your children's children" (Raymond 198)!
Throughout the history of the United States of America, many great men have directed their attention to the success of the country. J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Andrew W. Mellon and Henry Ford are just a few of the greatest business leaders accredited with contributing to the industrialization of the United States. John D. Rockefeller, one of the major oil producers in the United States of America, began investing in the emerging oil business in 1863. He is widely considered to be one of the world’s wealthiest men, and greatest U.S. business leaders ever, for his part in creating, developing, and establishing the Standard Oil Company. Dominating the oil industry by the early 1880’s, Rockefeller drafted ideas of production, transportation,
When cars started to come out oil was being used a lot, John D Rockefeller had so much success and so did his company money just started
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).
As the old way of fueling their energy needs ran out, there was a search for a new way. This is where crude oil was re-introduced. To light there lamps whale oil was no longer needed, but kerosene was now being used widely.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a petrostate. It is a petrostate in the sense that the oil sector dominates the national economy and international exports. (Colgan 226) This is due to Saudi Arabia’s one crop economy, oil. (Ali 100) Oil accounts for 70-80% of the state revenue as well as roughly 95% of export revenues. Before the discovery of oil in the 1930s, the economy rested on Islamic pilgrims. Containing the Grand Mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, Saudi Arabia gets a large influx of believers every year for the Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During this time of year, income was made by food and shelter sold to the travelers. This was enough to support the state, but not enough to make it the monetary power it is today. What allowed for Saudi Arabia’s climb in the world economic ladder was oil. Oil has been a valuable industrial resource since the beginning of World War 1. Since then the demand for oil has progressively become higher and higher amongst industrial nations, allowing for oil rich states to receive large amounts of affluence. Among these oil rich states is Saudi Arabia, the region with the highest capacity for oil production out of the entire Middle East. From their remarkably high oil production, Saudi Arabia was able to gain considerable amounts of wealth and political significance. Oil in Saudi Arabia politically affected the Saudi government in both their foreign and domestic policy by providing economic power, the ability to fund wars, the ability to use economic diplomacy.