Is Oil ? 

By Bianca S. and Karina S.

 

 

 

 

    1.         Of course my oil consumption is part of the problem of its overuse. Similar to how votes in an election build up, when every American uses as much oil as I do, it matters. Everyday I spend a good 45 minutes in a car driving either to school, a fast food restaurant, or sport's practice. Then, I will come home and take a long hot shower. Next, realizing that it is too cold in my room, I will crank up the heat to a whopping 77 degrees Fahrenheit. To top it all off, my computer, lights, and TV will be on full blast, practically 24/7. Two months ago I visited Bucharest, Romania. Our oil consumption level is on Mount Everest, and theirs is on Mount Rushmore (that different)! They have public transportation, drive Smart Cars (environmently friendly), and prefer walking to nearby stores. If I used as much oil as I used on that vacation everyday, my oil consumption would probably be halved. As long as I grow up driving a gas guzzling SUV, continue taking long showers, keeping the heat on high, and never turning off electronics, I will be part of the problem for my entire life.
    2. Bianca S. December 8, 2007 2. What impact does oil have on our environment?        There are many ways that oil impacts our environment, but the two major causes are the oil companies and burning of oil. Oil isn’t really the problem here, it is fine just sitting under the ground, the real issue is the oil companies. Sometimes the oil companies are careless and do harmful things to the environment to save money. In one case in Ecuador, Texaco oil company decided to dump the waste products of oil, that are full of harmful toxins, into the rainforest, causing lots of damage and destroying the water. Some scientists even link the cause of some earthquakes to drilling massive amounts oil and unsettling rock formations underground. Another way oil damages the environment is the way that we use it. Everyday we burn tons of oil in our cars, this pollutes the air and harms the ozone layer, which contributes to global warming. So oil impacts our by causing earthquakes, destroying rainforests, and contributing to global warming. Overall oil has a negative impact on our environment.  Karina S. - December 11, 2007  News Article on how oil drilling may cause earth quakes - http://pesn.com/2006/02/15/9600235_Shell_Oil_Gulf_Quake/   Video on how Oil companies harm environment -       3. Are there any viable energy alternatives?  
    3. Sources:
    4. Contributors:

 

 

 

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

  

     Of course my oil consumption is part of the problem of its overuse. Similar to how votes in an election build up, when every American uses as much oil as I do, it matters. Everyday I spend a good 45 minutes in a car driving either to school, a fast food restaurant, or sport's practice. Then, I will come home and take a long hot shower. Next, realizing that it is too cold in my room, I will crank up the heat to a whopping 77 degrees Fahrenheit. To top it all off, my computer, lights, and TV will be on full blast, practically 24/7. Two months ago I visited Bucharest, Romania. Our oil consumption level is on Mount Everest, and theirs is on Mount Rushmore (that different)! They have public transportation, drive Smart Cars (environmently friendly), and prefer walking to nearby stores. If I used as much oil as I used on that vacation everyday, my oil consumption would probably be halved. As long as I grow up driving a gas guzzling SUV, continue taking long showers, keeping the heat on high, and never turning off electronics, I will be part of the problem for my entire life.

Bianca S.
December 8, 2007
2. What impact does oil have on our environment?
 

     There are many ways that oil impacts our environment, but the two major causes are the oil companies and burning of oil. Oil isn’t really the problem here, it is fine just sitting under the ground, the real issue is the oil companies. Sometimes the oil companies are careless and do harmful things to the environment to save money. In one case in Ecuador, Texaco oil company decided to dump the waste products of oil, that are full of harmful toxins, into the rainforest, causing lots of damage and destroying the water. Some scientists even link the cause of some earthquakes to drilling massive amounts oil and unsettling rock formations underground. Another way oil damages the environment is the way that we use it. Everyday we burn tons of oil in our cars, this pollutes the air and harms the ozone layer, which contributes to global warming. So oil impacts our by causing earthquakes, destroying rainforests, and contributing to global warming. Overall oil has a negative impact on our environment.

 Karina S. - December 11, 2007
 News Article on how oil drilling may cause earth quakes -

http://pesn.com/2006/02/15/9600235_Shell_Oil_Gulf_Quake/

  Video on how Oil companies harm environment -

     

3. Are there any viable energy alternatives?
 

  • Discuss and include a live link to a credible website.
  • The link must show how this is being addressed in a specific country.    

 

 

   There are so many energy alternatives! Solar energy is our friend, because PVs take sunlight and make energy! ACRO Solar has a plant in the sunny Camarillo, California that can make enough power for you and 250,000 of your neighbors. Another similar alternative is solar thermal electricity. First, the sun warms hot water and steam forms (kind of like the steam in a shower). Next, the steam can be turned into electricity! That is the basic deal of solar energy . Even better, it has gotten much cheaper recently. Our next awesome source is wind! A turbine with angled blades moves when air pressure pushes it, and is connected to a shaft and generator, equaling up to 500 KW. Hydro electric power is next on the list. In the United States alone, we get 10% of our power from it. Once again turbines are turned, but this time by high pressure water from behind a dam, and it is hooked up to an electrical generator. It may sound strange but the earth's heat by active volcanoes is used in geothermal energy, another alternative energy source. Finally, biomass is another option. This is when processed agriculture is burned, steam appears, and a turbine connected to a generator is spun. People cannot be stubborn any longer, and must to let go of oil. Now!

Bianca S.

December 8, 2007

Energy Alternatives at Consumer Energy Center California, Untied States

 

DC Power Systems

 

 

 

Above is an interesting clip of possible future inventions.

Bianca S.

December 10, 2007

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

 

    The main way that oil contributes to violence in the Middle East would be money and disputes. The money that the Middle East gets from oil goes to only a few rich families. Some of these families are extremists and support terrorism. The money made from oil can be used to pay for the expenses a terrorist groups that create a lot of violence and despair in the Middle East. Another way that oil causes violence is that it creates disputes between countries over where oil companies are allowed to drill. An example of this would be the dispute over the drilling of oil on the border of Kuwait and Iraq. This resulted in the Gulf War and the deaths of thousands of civilians. Oil helps fund terrorist groups and creates controversies between countries that ultimately end up with violence.

Karina S. - December 11, 2007

 

 

 

 

Sources:

 

 "Renewable Energy." Consumer Energy Center. 2006. 8 Dec. 2007  

     <http://www.consumerenergycenter.org>.

 

 

"Renewable Energy Organizations." DC Power Systems. 2006. 8 Dec. 2007 <http://www.dcpower-systems.com>.

 

 

Contributors:

 


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  • Recent comments:
    Stephanie G. and Anita V.:I also agree with Karina that large companies that damage the environment using oil are very much at blame for all the harm that is being done, but I also feel that every person that uses oil is adding to the problem also. Every gallon that every person uses adds up and harms the environment with many chemicals, and this too adds to the harm that is being done. -Anita V.
    Harvey L.:It is quite evident that companies are the source of many tribulations brought by the use of oil. We undoubtedly must reduce oil consumption in order to avoid future predicaments. America's continued increase in consumption of oil is altering the composition of the earth's atmosphere, which will continue to change unpredictably. If ever there was a time to begin vital efforts to conserve oil and to explore or invent alternatives, it is now. It is quite pathetic that previous presidential administrations had the potential to stem the source of these problems, but instead ignored the realities of global warming and oil's link to terrorism.
    Stephanie G. and Anita V.:I completely agree with Karina when she says that the main damage that is caused by oil is due to large companies. She gave great examples of how oil companies harm the environment, but what about the the energy companies? DTE energy and countless other energy companies around the United States use oil or natural gas to fuel their generators that make the electricity. The amount of harmful gases that affect the environment from just one of those companies in a day is about the harm my family's car-driving makes in a year. Oil production and consumption on a large scale is the reason why oil has such a great impact on the environment. -Stephanie G. December 20, 2007
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