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 Is our personal consumption of oil part of the problem?

 We consume lots of oil each day. After all, the oil used every day in the world is the sum of all the oil used by people personally. Some examples are driving to school each day, heating our homes (although some people may have natural gas-heated homes), and fueling our lawn mowers and snow blowers, and on a bigger level, fueling plants, factories, and all the oil the government uses. Every small drop of oil that we use consumes energy that can be used for more productive things. Also, every drop of oil that we use pollutes the air and brings the earth closer to its impending doom. For those of us who believe in global warming, this is it. All or nothing. We have to make a choice, let the earth die off, or take action now to save our planet. Al Gore is one of the people doing the latter. You can see one of his videos by clicking on the link below.

Not only is our personal consumption of oil affecting global warming, it is also helping the terrorists. The United States can not fight terrorism when it is funding it. Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda get their money from corrupt Middle Eastern governments that give them the profits made by selling oil to the West. In this case also, every drop of oil we use goes that much farther in helping terrorist organizations develop new weapons and take over more land, and do what they do best, terrorize the world. Their are many solutions to this problem, though none of them are perfect. We need to find a different energy source. Some examples are geothermal energy, hydroelectric energy, and biomass. These energy sources will solve the world's problems of spiking greenhouse gas levels and the danger of terrorist organizations growing more powerful, and the world falling into an anarchic episode.

 What impact does oil have on our environment?

Oil use is the main reason that the world has an extremely high carbon dioxide level and the reason for global warming. When oil is combusted, the reaction releases carbon dioxide, which blends with the atmosphere. This is the reason for global warming. Global warming will have some extremely negative effects on the environment. The most obvious is the world getting so hot, that no living being will be able to live on it. Also, the polar ice caps will melt, raising; the sea level and flooding the lowland areas near the coasts. Some areas that would drown are New York, the Netherlands, and Mumbai. The destruction would be similiar to a giant, world-wide tsunami. A good portion of the world's population would be wiped out. A whole century of working together and finding new solutions would be destroyed. This can be related to the Middle East conflict. The terrorists would have epiphanies. Their dream would be coming true. They would simply move to the mountains, then descend and take over. Much of the world would be in poverty. They would see the terrorists as the way to survive. We can not let this happen. We can all work together to save the world.

Are there any viable energy alternatives?

There are many alternative energy sources that can help to save the world and stop global warming. There are five that really stand out. Geothermal energy, hydrogen fuel cells, biomass, hydroelectric energy, and solar energy. These sources are all still in development. Most are extremely expensive. Solar panels cost about 500 dollars. Hydrogen fuel cell cars cost about twice the normal cost of an oil-fueled car. Hydroelectric energy is very cheap, at about 0.0024 cents per megawatt. You could power your whole house for a week on one dollar. But most of us don't live near a large hydroelectric energy turbine, so the problem is to transport energy to the places that need it. This energy source seems the most reasonable for the near future because it is so cheap. Geothermal energy gushes out of the earth almost everywhere, and is also very reasonably priced. This is also a probable energy source for the future. Biomass is probably the worse on the list, though it is not bad. It involves the burning of waste products to produce energy. This halves the carbon dioxide emissions, but that is still a lot of carbon dioxide released into the air. Also, it releases smoke, which can cause lung cancer. These energy sources are likely to take over in the near future, because of the problem with oil. Oil's problem is not only the carbon dioxide emissions, or where the profits go, but also that we are running out of it. Experts predict that we only have about 20 more years supply of oil. It is also getting extremely expensive. These energy sources should be used in the future and we should take steps to install them as the source of energy of the future.

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

 Oil profits and violence in the Middle East are definitely linked. The oil is very unevenly distributed in the Middle East, which is a good reason for why so many people rebel against the government. They feel that they should get more oil and they also think that violence will solve the problem. This is a big reason for why so many people are violent and destroying their own homes. Also, the oil profits mostly go to terrorist organizations like Al-Qaeda and people who use the money for the wrong things like Osama bin Laden. They control the oil fields and we are part of the problem. Because of our massive consumption of oil, the terrorists still have money to conduct their deeds of wrong-doing. Why do people in the United States choose to live in blissful ignorance, when it could end all of a sudden if we continue our current lives. Better work now and enjoy the benefits later. They always watch the news and marvel at the violence in the Middle East and criticize George Bush. If we cut down on our oil consumption, this violence would not be happening. IT IS OUR FAULT. If people could just realize that, we could make the world a better place and stop the violence in the Middle East.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T-yqlH67_4

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