Lucifer Juice

Or The Evils Of Oil

PT.2 Carolyn, what impact does oil have on our environment?  PT.3 Carolyn, are there any viable energy alternatives? PT. 4 Brandy, is there a connection between oil and violence in the Middle East? Webb, Alysha. "Shoppers ignore hybrids in China - so far." Automotive News Europe  Nov 27

 

I myself am not yet a driver, although I am an eager student who cannot wait to drive.  I am sure that, however unfortunate, once I become an active driver, I will contribute to this over branching problem due to my consumption of oil.  Each and every individual person does their share in contributing to this problem, whether it is the negative part, or the positive part (the solution).  Confusingly enough, although America can be seen as a country compiled of many others, the United States seems to have missed one of the most important traits of other countries.  The way our country is set up, it forces the community, if you will, to provide individual transportation to the point of having not just one car per family, but to the extent of having a car for each person who is able to drive in the household.  To those of us who live here, this seems natural, but if you step back and look at this situation from a broader perspective, things really are quite ridiculous.  For example, in Japan, to accompany the mass amounts of people, there is public transportation that reduces the use of oil along with reducing personal expenses and bettering travel overall.  Here in the U.S., you can see if you look out your office window or in this picture, that we load the road with cars of all sorts.

 

If personal consumption of oil is part of the problem, then are we striving to correct what is at least in our hands?  Some people, who choose to remain ignorant of the problems that oil consumption is causing, will continue to meet the needs (wants) of oil producers by way of gas stations.  However there are individuals who have their own thoughts and are examining this situation in a constructive manner.  Such ideas as hybrid cars (those that don’t use oil, but instead use electricity), and carpooling/public transportation (to the extent of our ability), are conveyed to the community in a way that says “Hey, I want to fix this problem!”  Through all of this, we are basically damaging each aspect of our life in some way or another.  “Today, the biggest forms of energy are fossil fuels - oil, gas, coal. But that is set to change in the future for at least two reasons,” (Guy, par. 2).  People are loaded with ideas that simply need to be further developed, acknowledged, and executed.  A simple three steps could result in a massive result in reduction of oil consumption for the average person, and the World as a whole.

This video shows a massive amount of people in less than a minute at the station for the shrinkansen

(bullet public transportation in Japan).

As a human being it is my responsibility to not only think of myself, but of my environment and the other creatures in it. Our misuse and overuse of that so called "precious resource" known as oil is destroying our beloved planet and murdering the other creatures we share it with. As humans we tend to think only of ourselves, but I believe this policy is completely bogus. I don’t know about you but I believe that whether you are a creature of the earth, sea, or sky you deserve the right to life. When oil is shipped from the place where it is ripped from the ground towards the greedy countries that devour it, it is usually taken by ship. There are many documented cases where these ships dump or spill oil in varies forms into the ocean, which is home to many living things. Usually these have to do with some sort of equipment problem or just plain human error, yet this is still no way to treat our world. Research done after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska shows that these catastrophes leave devastating effects on the plant and animal life in the surrounding areas. The birds that lived there, including geese, were highly affected by the oil in the water, which would attach itself to their feathers. The oil would cause them to lost insulation and catch hypothermia or even be ingested and poison these delicate creatures. If the birds do manage to survive lasting effects can be seen later on such as bird defects in their hatchlings.

The oil spilled from these large ships covers birds who interact with the contaminated water and eventually kills them.

Also mentioned in a BBC article, otters who come in contact with oil are effected even years after the event. Directly after the event the otters are harmed because they also stay warm by licking themselves and therefore can ingest the toxic oil. If a lighter type of oil gets into the water it is also extremely possible that some fish can be harmed or even poisoned. Our greed and extreme thirst for oil is not just affecting ourselves, but the animals that have no want or need for the dreadful stuff. We need to cut back the amount of oil we need or at least find a more efficient way to transport it so as not to make other living organisms pay the price for our stupidity. I urge you to fight for a change in not only United States, but also world policy on the transport of oil and to help stop the damage inflicted in your own communities (see the link posted below.) Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs when it comes to oil and unfortunately we can’t open them wide enough to see the damage we are causing the environment and its creatures.

This is a photograph of an otter which was taken after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

Helpful Links: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/index.php

The world bustles along throughout the ages, power shifting and ideas evolving. In recent years however this powerful machine that is our planet and the people in it have become extremely well oiled. In my personal opinion this gargantuan use of oil is and should be a thing of the past. “The U.S. transportation system depends almost entirely on oil.”(West par. 4) We don’t have readily accessible public transportation here so we all relay on our personal gasoline-powered motor vehicles. In regard to cars, there are more efficient and cheaper types that would not only benefit the environment and the driver, but also lessen the dependency on oil. One such model is the hybrid electric or plug-in hybrid. Both of these use electricity to run, then when the battery is out of juice, can switch to a gasoline-powered motor. Although this will not entirely eliminate our dependence on oil, it will cut down the scale at which we use it.

New types of cars are being manufactured that you can plug in and the battery will be able to store power and so does not have to relay on gasoline.

Traditionally to main fuel source used to generate power were fossil fuels such coal and oil. Many countries, several in Europe, have agreed to lessen their dependency on these fuels and turn to alternative sources. Some of these include solar, wind-power, and hydroelectric. Wind power is when countries or even corporations build windmills for the purpose of harnessing the wind and converting it into energy. It is cheaper to do this than to burn coal, and with new technology that has been recently created; it is a fairly easy process to unfold. This cheap, easy energy can be used to electrolyze water to create hydraulic energy that can be easily transported to individual homes and businesses. Using this process producing the same amount of energy as burning coal, with no harm to the environment and no extra cost.

Another efficient option that could be utilized is using solar power, or energy harnessed from the sun. The only cost to this is installing the solar panels on the roof of you’re house or business and the proper machinery to convert said energy. Unlike fossil fuels, energy from the sun will never run out and the use of it does not harm the environment in any way. Although using solar power is more expensive than burning coal, for environmental reasons some governments are making it worth their citizens time and money to explore this new option. “Consumers in Germany receive low-interest loans and a favorable guaranteed price when feeding excess electricity into the grid.” (Brown par. 26) These countries know that the price is not too great if it makes our world a better place.

Solar panals are placed on the roofs of buildings and are how the sun's light is trapped.

Burning fossil fuels harms the environment, funds violence, and is wasting  precious resources. By using such methods as wind power, solar power, and hydroelectricity we can create cleaner, more efficient world. In this age of technology we need huge amounts of energy as quickly as possible. To achieve this and also manage to keep our earth healthy we must look to renewable power sources so that we can get all we want, without the extra grease.

Helpful Links: http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/

(This is a link that shows all the new technology and inventions involved in alternative energy. It gives news articals pertaining to the subject and also has recent updates so that you can stay educated.)

3. (Carolyn)