Is Oil Evil?

partners:

Eric Wu

Forrest Baba

 

Is Oil Evil? 1. Is your personal consumption of oil part of the problem? 2. What impact does oil have on our environment? http://wildlife1.usask.ca/wildlife_health_topics/images/oil_muskrat.jpg 3. Are there any viable energy alternatives? 4. Is there a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East? Responses: Sources: Pictures:

 

1. Is your personal consumption of oil part of the problem?

 

    Of course my personal consumption of oil is a huge part of the problem! Almost everyone in the world uses oil. I am a huge oil consumer. When I mow the lawn, I have to use a ton of oil to get the lawn mower started. My family has three cars and huge amounts of oil are needed to run our cars. We use oil also in our furnace to heat our house in the winter. Think about it, almost the everyone across the world use cars on a day to day basis and they need oil to run their cars.

-Eric

Dec.14.2007

 

     Yes my personal consumption of oil is part of the problem but not a big part of the problem. If you think about it everyone with a car, lawn mower, snowmobile, etc. is part of the problem. If one person stopped using these necessities in life it wouldn’t help the oil problem because they are just a small part of the problem. Unless a mass quantity of people stopped using oil it wouldn’t help. When countries stop using oil and start using other power sources the oil problem will start to cease.

-Forrest

Dec.17.2007

 

2. What impact does oil have on our environment?

 

    Oil is really bad for our environment. The exhaust from oil coming out of the cars has lead to a massive damage in our ozone layer. The damage to the ozone layer will take us closer and closer to global warming. The pollution of oil not only has hurt our ozone layer, it has also threatens the animals living in their habitats that encounter oil. Oil spills on the ocean have hurt sea creatures and land animals that get caught in the mess. Although these oil spills are accidents, they still hurt our environment and the animals living in their habitats.

-Eric 

Dec.14.2007

 

Oil Spill

 

 

 

Oil covered duck

 

     Oil has a negative impact on our environment because of the pollution oil consuming machines let out. These fumes destroy our ozone layer and are destroying the enviornment. When oil tankers spill oil into the ocean it destroys the oceanic environment. In Korea an oil taker spilled oil and destroyed the fishing industries, which is how many people make a living.  At the rate of oil consumption we are going in, the environment will continue to get worse at a dramatic rate. So if we don’t do anything about the oil problem the environment will slowly start to deteriorate.

-Forrest

Dec.17.2007

 

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/news/latest-news/skorea-oil-apvin.html This is a link to a video about an oil spill in South Korea

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                This muskrat and northern shoveler were victims of an oil spill in Saskatoon.

 

 

 

 

http://wildlife1.usask.ca/wildlife_health_topics/images/oil_muskrat.jpg

 

 

3. Are there any viable energy alternatives?

 

     There a so many oil alternatives to chose from! Many innovation have been created such as hybrid cars, wind turbines to take wind power in to create electrical energy, hydrogen fuel cells, corn oil, and a pure electrical motor have all been tested for use in place of oil. The problem is that hybrid cars, wind turbines, hydrogen fuel cells, and corn oil are costly. The research, the time, and the energy to find and retrieve these resources is expensive. The benefit to this is that these innovations are an alternative for oil, so people do not have to rely on oil. Hybrid cars save gas by combining an electric motor with part gas to have better mileage. Hydrogen fuel cells are powered by water and is not as costly to refine as oil is. Although these alternatives may be costly, the money saved will all pay off at the end!

-Eric

Dec.14.2007

 

     There are definitely viable energy alternatives. One energy alternative that I found was biodiesel. Biodiesel is produced using virgin plant oils and is also renewable. If the United States starts using biodiesel we will no longer have to rely on the Middle East and also save money, but not a lot. It costs about $2.46 for one gallon if it is made with corn oil. There are also several biodiesel manufacturers, one of them being Nova Biosource Fuels, Inc. On Mythbusters they used grease from a fast food joint to power their car and it actually worked. Although they needed a diesel engine for this to work I believe this is also a viable energy alternative. As soon as we start using other energy alternatives we will no longer have the oil problem.

-Forrest 

Dec.17.2007

 

4. Is there a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East?

 

    Well, there is for sure an extremely strong connection between oil and violence in the Middle East, no doubt. The main place for oil refining is the Middle East. The most oil is in Iran and Iraq. The U.S. relies on imported oil heavily. The U.S. and many other countries have been struggling for control over the oil in Iraq and parts of Sudan. There have been disputes over the prices of oil and the amount that should be exported to other countries. The oil in Iraq is one of the reasons for the Iraq war. The Middle East helps the U.S. supply oil, which is very crucial for energy. Having control over the oil has given Iraq power to have some control over the U.S.'s desicions.

-Eric 

Dec.14.2007

 

     Yes there is a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East but oil is not the only reason there is violence in the Middle East. Since oil is very valuable throughout the world it causes a reason for dispute over oil rich land. Some fighting in the Middle East isn’t over the oil though. Some disputes are about cultural differences because of the land in which different ethnic groups believe they should have. A lot of western countries have tried to take control of the Middle East because of the resources in which they have. Although fighting is about oil it isn’t all about oil.

-Forrest

Dec.17.2007

 

Responses:

 

1., Is your personal comsumption of oil part of the problem?

      I totally agree with Nick that cars are the main source of oil comsumption. I also agree that our society would not function without oil. We need oil mainly to run our cars, use lawn mowers, fuel for airplanes, and military use. Big SUV's and vans take up a ton of gas. They are not fuel efffient at all. I would suggest that the car companies the make hybrid SUV's and vans to reduce this vast oil consumption. Although, it may cost more, it will defiantly help. If it is even possible, maybe the airline companies could create an electric plane, that wouldn't rely on gas at all. The electric plane would cost more, but save money on oil.  

Author: Nick Wojno, 10/17/07 

-Eric 

 

3., Are there any viable energy alternatives?

      Tony sounds very convincing. I agree that there are many energy alternatives. There is hydroelectric power. I agree that energy alternatives are much more expensive, but in the long run it is less expensive. The energy alternatives will save people money, and best of all, it is great for the environment! The energy alternatives may sound skeptical, but it is very possible! 

Author: Tony, 10/17/07

-Eric  

Sources:

 

Oil Behind Iraq War:Nelson. 5 Jul. 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 Dec. 2007

 

    <http://www.smh.com.au/>

 

U.S. Oil Policy in The Middle East. Jan. 1997. Foreign Policy in Focus. 14 Dec. 2007

 

    <http://www.fpif.org/>

 

Fuel Economy and Alternative Fuels. Jan. 2007. General Motors. 14 Dec. 2007

 

    <http://www.gm.com/explore/fuel_economy/>

 

Should You Build Your Own Small Wind Electric System? 2006. Dakota Electric Association. 14 Dec. 2007

 

    <http://www.dakotaelectric.com/>

 

Tons of Oil Spill into Yellow Sea. 7 Dec. 2007. CNN. 14 Dec. 2007

 

    <http://www.cnn.com/>

 

Issues:Global Warming. 2006. National Resources Defense Council. 14 Dec. 2007 

 

    <http://www.nrdc.org/>

 

Coastline is dead after S. Korean Oil Spill. 10 Dec. 2007. MSNBC. 15 Dec. 2007

 

    <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/>

 

Economically Viable Alternative Energy. 30 July. 2007. Carilin Lee. 17 Dec. 2007

<http://www.seekingalpha.com/article/42838-economically-viable-alternative-energy-nova-biosource>

 

Oil Destroys korean Fisheries. 12 Dec. 2007. National Geographic. 17 December

<http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/news/environment-news/skorea-oil-apvin.html>

 

Contributors:

 

Eric Wu

 

Forrest Baba

 

 

Pictures:

 

 

This is a satellite pic of smoke from oil.

http://www.nerc.ac.uk/images/photos/oil_depot_11_12_05_1150.jpg

 

 

 

 

This is just a cartoon about oil and its affect

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/ksm/lowres/ksmn63l.jpg

 

 

 

This is showing how dependent we are on oil.

http://www.ahajokes.com/cartoon/mars_oil.gif

 

 

Contributers:

Forrest Baba

Eric Wu

 

 

 

 

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