Oil... Good or Evil ?

 

 

    1. Question #1: Is your personal consumption of oil part of the problem?
    2. Question #2: What impact does oil have on our environment? 
    3. Question #3: Are there any viable energy alternatives?
      1.      -Discuss and include a live link to a credible website.
      2.      -This link must show how this is being addressed in a specific country
    4. Question #4: Is there a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East?

 

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  • Question #1: Is your personal consumption of oil part of the problem?

It is necessary for most cars to burn oil to function.

 

     Do you use cars? Do you use electricity? Your answer is probably, "Why yes, I do use cars and electricity...almost everyday!", or something along those lines. But did you know that you are using oil by driving a car and using electricity? By using cars, you are burning gas and by using electricity, such as lights and computers, you are using oil that is necessary for electricity to run those things. Monday through Friday, I go to school and use oil by driving a car. Everyday, when I need to see in the dark, what do I use? Electricity, which uses oil. Even to type this page up, what do I (through the use of electricity) use? You guessed it: oil. The question is, "Is your personal consumption of oil part of the problem?" Let me first define what the problem is. The problem is that our fossil fuel (oil) supply is scarce, but our need for it is increasing more than ever! So in response to the question, "Is your personal consumption of oil part of the problem?", I would have to say yes, my personal consumption of oil is part of the problem. You may be thinking "But you are only one person, so your use of oil is too small to affect the world." Well, suppose that no one on Earth used oil except one person. True, the oil consumption would be much lower, but that tiny bit of oil used by one person will add up. It is like collecting pennies. Sure, they are only pennies - 1 cent! But if that person kept collecting one penny everyday, that person will have collected $3.65 in a year. If they kept collecting, they will have $7.30 in two years. And in 10 years, they will have $36.50 (assuming there are no leap years). Even though $36.50 does not seem like a lot, if that pack of pennies was passed down to that person's children, the outcome would be significant. In 100 years, they will have $365.00. Keep saving for the next billion years and they will have a lot of money. Using this analogy, it can be said that every person consuming oil-no matter how small the amount-is part of the big picture of using up our scarce oil supply. 

 

~JT 9 December 2007

 

 

 

  • Question #2: What impact does oil have on our environment? 

 

A polar bear watching his home melt away, literally. 

Polar bears and other ice dependent animals are losing their homes as a result of global warming. 

 

 

     The world's growing use of the very scarce oil supply not only contributes to the growing scarcity of precious fossil fuels, it is damaging our environment as well! You have most likely heard of global warming. So, what is global warming? It is a rise in temperature in Earth's atmosphere. When we burn fossil fuels (such as oil) by using them to fuel things like cars, gases like methane and carbon dioxide are released. The Earth naturally absorbs Sun energy and sends some energy back to space, but when greenhouse gases (such as methane and carbon dioxide) are in the atmosphere, these gases absorb some of the energy that was supposed to be sent back to space. The energy is then sent back to Earth's surface, increasing the atmosphere's temperature. This earth that we call home, is heating up, which melts glaciers, destroying habitats for animals (penguins, polar bears, etc.) that depend on the ice. Where will these "ice dependent" animals go, when all the ice on the face of the earth is eventually melted away due to global warming? Will these species even survive, or will they follow the dreadful fate of the late dinosaurs; extinction? Another devastating fact about global warming is that as the atmosphere becomes warmer, the weather will become more severe (more floods, droughts, etc.). Oil is a resource that is used abundantly among humans, so you can imagine the importance of transporting oil from one destination to another. Once in a while, an oil tanker will have some kind of leak and the oil will leak into the ocean. When there is an oil spill, oil can get onto birds' feathers, and when they try to clean themselves, they are poisoned. Also, animals can be blinded by oil, and die when oil enters their lungs and liver.

 

Link about global warming and its destructive effects:

http://issues.takingitglobal.org/climate?gclid=CLCf8pClqZACFQGdPAod9XCv6w

 

 

Movie trailer to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth"

Al Gore's effort to educate the public about the climate crisis in this documentary on global warming.

 

~AC 13 December 2007

 

 

 

  • Question #3: Are there any viable energy alternatives?

         -Discuss and include a live link to a credible website.

         -This link must show how this is being addressed in a specific country

     

 

     What is an energy alternative anyways? It is an energy source other than our popularly used, but scarce, fossil fuels. There are many viable energy alternatives available, such as solar power, wind generators, synthetic fuels, biomass, geothermal energy, and tidal power. We all know that plants can create their own food by converting the Sun's light energy, into simple sugars through a process called photosynthesis. So, why don't humans find a useful way to use the Sun's abundant light energy? We have, and it is an energy alternative called solar power. The video above discusses how companies such as Google, Staples, and General Motors (GM) have begun using solar technology. The narrators in the video hope that having large companies use solar technology will be some sort of an incentive to other consumers to begin using solar technology as well. Therefore increasing demand for solar technology, and reducing the cost of it in the near future. Solar power is the process of turning the Sun's energy into electrical power. A common way to collect the sun's energy and convert it into electrical energy, for uses with solar power, is with "photovoltaic panels". Solar power is becoming popular, and it is "eco friendly", clean, and renewable. Think about all the green house gases that will not be emitted into our atmosphere if more people used energy alternatives. We only have one Earth, so why not try to preserve it for as long as we can?

A "solar tree" (made with photovoltaic panels) next to the green tree!

 

Link to why alternative energy is good

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-is-Alternative-Energy-Good?&id=523867

 

 

 

ExxonMobil is a major corporation in the oil and gas industry. ExxonMobile is the dinosaur, and the white object on the dinosaur's tail is a windmill. Windmills are powered by wind energy and are used as an alternative energy source (pumping water, grinding grains, etc.) .This cartoon shows that this alternative energy source is negatively affecting sales of oil (the dinosaur is clearly hurt)! Because of this alternative to oil, people are relying less, but still a lot, on oil.

 ~AC 13 December 2007

 

 

 

  • Question #4: Is there a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East?

     

     Well, seeing as there is kind of a war going on in Iraq, which is part of the Middle East, one can assume that possibly, yes, there is a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East. And that "one" is me. So the US needs oil, right? Yeah, because we are the largest oil consumers in the world (see chart below). The violence in the Middle East does not refer only to the war between countries, but it refers to the Middle East's war between its own people as well. With oil as a necessity to run most products for consumers in the "home of the free", we (yes, that includes you too) are FUNDING VIOLENCE. Ok, let me back up for a minute here. We are not trying to encourage violence, but in a way, we are accidentally "encouraging" it in the Middle East. Because the U.S. imports A LOT of our supply of oil from the Middle East, the Middle East is receiving a lot of money in return. They can then use some of that money to buy destructive things such as, guns and material to build dangerous weapons of mass destruction. Thus, there is a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East. 

 

According to the chart above, the US was the largest oil consumer in 2004, yet we were not producing the most... hmm...

 

 

When, you ask? Soon, soon...unless more people started using hybrid cars or began using energy alternatives. This would greatly decrease the demand for the very scarce oil. Only then will the fortune teller be wrong.

 

It is one of our American idols: Uncle Sam! He really does want your oil,

and your money.

~JT 9 December 2007

 

 

Contributors:

AC: Anna C.

JT: Julianne T.

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  • Recent comments:
    Nadia:Well I would like to begin by saying that I was quite impressed with the obvious effort put into this blog. The additions such as videos etc was a great attribute to have. Though they enhances your viewpoint, it also allowed me to further disagree with your belief on this issue. I think that the alternative fuel sources mentioend, as they are not realistic and in this econdomy are probably not vaible. Therefore, it may be a wiser idea to propose more solutions to the matter at hand, rather than how to also help it in the future. As appeealing as this may sound, it is not realistic. However, the blog was very well-prepared and by far one of the best I have viewed.
    ben:I think I should also add on my personal opinion to what Anna and Julian have said. I agree with thm on many accouns. Yes Anna and Julian are right in saying that we all contribute to our current status with oil, and yes we can stop it. However, we still do need to work on certain individuals that have more power. However, the main difference I think is her approach to it. As i said above, I think they need to go deeper into detail.
    Lilly F:First of all, I would like to say I liked the colors and the pictures. I thought they added to your blog very well and they made your blog very attractive. I agree with Julianne when she said that each person is contributing to the oil problem. I think that she told her point and supported them with good supporting details. When seeing your video by Al Gore called “The Inconvenient Truth,” I was truly shocked by some of the facts that were said in the video. One of them was the ten hottest years have happened in the last fourteen years. I also was shocked when I saw that if the Arctic keeps melting then Shanghai, Calcutta, and the World trade Center memorial will be under water. Overall I thought the blog looked very nice and had good information in it. ~Lilly F~ 1/9/08
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