|
|
5 Things You Need to Know About Oil Dependency
By Jennifer Olvera
Oil Dependency Spells Disaster
Peak oil is the term given to point in time when maximum global petroleum production is reached and permanent decline begins, leading to a drop in availability, rise in price and, potentially an energy crisis. Petroleum is a non-renewable resource that is already considered to have reached its plateau, signaling a decline is on its way. Eventually, the shortfall will effect transportation – not to mention the agricultural, chemical, and plastics industries. Prohibitively high transportation costs would not only cause inflation but also limit tourism and the automobile and airline industries. Many farmers could go bankrupt, and the cost of food could skyrocket, not only because of the impact on farming but also on the cost of delivering food to market.
What Role the U.S. Plays
The United States is the largest importer of oil in the world – importing upwards of 13.5 million barrels daily – with as much as 20 percent of these imports coming from the Middle East (the Persian Gulf in particular). It's estimated that within the next nine years, up to 68 percent of U.S. oil needs will be fulfilled with imported oil. This will largely come from unstable parts of the world. The Middle East, as well as its oil, is being threatened by ongoing conflicts in Iraq, a nuclear-minded Iran, and radical extremist movements looking to take over the region (and the oil industry), particularly major oil producer Saudi Arabia.
Why Oil Dependency Is a Vicious Cycle
Unfortunately, alternative energy sources are almost always more expensive and less cost effective than traditional fuels. Developing alternative fuels such as ethanol is seen by many as becoming more integral to our future. Higher oil prices have begun to influence new engine and car designs so vehicles run more efficiently and, in some cases, utilize alternative energy sources. While advanced vehicles like plug-in hybrids have the potential to replace conventional counterparts that utilize internal combustion engines, and thus decrease oil dependency, the change is slow-going and the transition costly for consumers because of high technology and battery costs. Oil has been a major strategic resource for quite some time and is likely to remain so for many years in the future, even as alternative fuel use increases..
Oil Dependency Impacts the Environment
When petroleum-based fuel is burned by internal combustion engines ,pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and unburned hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere. These pollutants are believed to cause a myriad of health problems from asthma and cardiovascular diseases to lung cancer. The release of carbon dioxide, which traps heat from the sun and warms the earth's atmosphere, is widely believed to contribute toward an unstable climate, agricultural devastation, and rising sea levels.
There Are Ways to Help
It's important to recognize that oil has value beyond just its price, and it should ideally be reserved for use where there is no substitute. Making wise transportation choices can have a significant impact in limiting U.S. oil dependency. One of the quickest ways to reduce oil dependence is for automobile manufacturers to make – and consumers buy – significantly more fuel efficient vehicles. More advanced vehicles like electric cars and plug-in hybrids have the potential to make a huge difference in fuel use and emissions, but battery technology and cost must advance significantly before these become truly mass market products..
Jennifer Olvera, a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago, has been writing professionally for over a decade. In addition to covering the "green scene" for publications such as Where Magazine and Crain's, she has become one of the preeminent dining, food, and entertainment writers in Chicago. She has regularly been published in Chicago Magazine, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Zagat, Citysearch.com, and Gayot.com.
|
|
Subscribe to Green Car Journal Now!
|
|
Sponsored Links
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
