A Big Picture About Oil and Earth

What is it about oil?

It's not a secret that the engine of the global economy is oil, the activities that involve the refinement of crude oil and processes that turn natural gas into a variety of products control how the world moves and works. How oil was discovered goes way back when chemist James Young observed in a coal mine an oil suitable for lamps and lubrication, with the years “kerosene” became familiar even before the Industrial Revolution and by the time the 20th century came, oil was already considered the dominant fuel. 

Now we often see these articles or news regarding the oil industry, and how the barrels and prices increase or decrease, we see them as a foreign affair, we do not see them as something that should be part of our personal interest, but the truth is that this industry is closer to us than we think. More than 6,000 items are derived from petroleum; products as insecticides, soap, vitamins, amino acids, CD’s and DVD’s, solar panels, toothpaste, and of course gasoline, are all part of our daily lives and they are all made up from oil. Now, what is wrong with it? you may ask yourself, if it is working properly, why should we stop?

As stated before, this is a large industry, therefore there are

many enterprises and even governments with oil and gas reservoir participate daily in the extraction of it, therefore as there is a lot of income involved, there are many people needed. Diverse roles as Land Agents, Geoscientist, Energy Engineer, Drilling Engineer, Petroleum engineer, among many others are required to fulfill the task, so this would be an advantage, as it is a crucial element in industries, it can offer many jobs and opportunities for citizens, even if you are not a Hydrographic surveyor, you can work in its transportation, extraction, and gas stations. Taking into account the lack of job opportunities across the world and how unemployment can affect the quality of life of a whole family, closing these enterprises would be a tragedy for many. 

Now on the other hand oil has many repercussions on a

global scale. It produces an emission of harmful substances such as Sulfur Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Acid Rain and many others that have a negative impact on the health of populations surrounding oil plants. It also contributes to environmental pollution by releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing the planet’s temperature to rise and also by interfering with our ecosystems and local communities, oil spills are lethal for animals, they put at risk the life of millions of birds and mammals as sea turtles that are just living peacefully in their habitats.

In conclusion, the oil industry is not going to stop any time soon, even though it raises violence and terrorism, there is a lot of manipulation, money, governments, and ambition involved. But at some point it will stop, taking into account that oil is not a renewable source of energy and it is LIMITED.

Countries around the world are already exploring new alternatives energies, more environmental friendly and are already making this transition to become independent from oil, which is a plan of action that every government should consider, because this fossil fuel is not going to last forever and its extraction is becoming more difficult as reserves are nearly drought.  

By Valeria Villera, Step 10