Lewis 1
Jaret Lewis
March 24, 2013
Whitworth, Foundations of writing
Sec 16
Oil a failing resource
One of the most pressing controversies today is to continue to use crude oil in our society. On
average The U.S uses approximately 19,150,000 barrels of oil per day (www.cia.gov), annually
the U.S uses nearly seven billion barrels of oil (www.eia.gov). Oil is one of most useful and
profitable resources in the world; it enriches people’s lives and allows for many of our everyday
luxuries. Most people are for the use of oil because of all the things it is used for such as
heating, fuel, propane, asphalt, and petrochemical feedstock which is used to produce
chemicals, synthetic rubber, and plastics (http://teeic.anl.gov).Even though oil is a very useful
resource it also has its drawbacks which is why ,there is also a large amount of people against
using oil due to the negative effects it has on the environment and stability.
Our opinion on this issue is that people should stop using oil in general. We believe this because
of the negative effects that come with the use of crude oil in our society. There are two main
reasons for this opinion. The most significant reason is the environmental pollution that comes
with the use of oil. It destroys and pollutes oceans and seas and it extremely hard to clean up.
Another major reason would be the amount of times it can be used and the sustainability of oil
(http://web.ebscohost.com). The environmental problems and sustainability of oil are the two
main reasons we are against the continued use of oil
The biggest reason we are against the use of oil is the pollution caused by oil. A good example
of the pollution is the oil spills that occasionally occur on oil rigs; one in particular the BP oil spill
that occurred in 2010 had very serious environmental effects. There was to be around 30
million barrels worth of crude oil where the rig was drilling and it was unknown how much oil
actually leaked into the ocean (Begley).These spills are just one part of the pollution problem
cause by oil and there is more than one instance of them. One such is the deep water horizon
spill that released 39.1 million gallons into the environment, and the EXXON VALDEZ where
10.9 million gallons were leaked that was and still is the biggest spill in U.S history (Begley).
Another environmental issue caused by oil pollution would be the effect it has on animals.
Many would argue that even though there are negative effects on the environment there are
many organizations and people there to clean up and prevent it such as BP (www.BP.com). This
may be true but the extensive damage already done to the environment cannot be repaired so
easily. Oil can still be present in an ecosystem or environment up to thirty years after a spill or
exposure to oil (Congressional digest). Oil effects all types of animals negatively for example
invertebrates, oil can directly harm them through toxicity and physical smothering, fish can be
directly affected through their gills and their eggs can be harmed also, while birds and
mammals can be directly led through ingestion and face physical abnormalities through
contact. These are very harmful effects caused by the millions of gallons of oil that pollute the
environments because of spills.
Air pollution is the next reason regarding the environment why we oppose the continued use of
crude oil. Most people would believe that oil does not have a big effect on the air in our
environment. But in reality oil use has a huge impact on our air quality. Oil is the main element
in many types of fuel, and one of the major contributors to air pollution (Zimmerman). When
oil is used as fuel it releases carbon monoxide and nitrogen monoxide which are greenhouse
gases (Pradenas). These types of gases cause environmental issues such as climate change and
global warming (Pradenas). These phenomena contribute to the destruction of habitat and
endangerment of many species that cannot cope with the changes in their environment
The second reason we are against the continued use of crude oil would have to be its
sustainability and usability as a resource. A large majority of people believe that oil is very
sustainable due to the amount The U.S uses daily which is about 19,150,000 barrels of oil per
day (www.cia.gov). In all actuality oil is not sustainable at all due to how it is created. Oil is
actually produced by plant matter coal and other biodegradable materials that sink to the
bottom of bodies of water or sediment (form of layered rock) (www.energyquest.ca.gov). Then
it is usually covered by more sedimentary rock over the period of millions of years causing heat
and pressure to build due to the continued layers of sediment: and over time the substances
degrade and mix under the heat a pressure and become oil (www.energyquest.ca.gov). Seeing
the sheer amount of oil that the U.S alone uses in one day shows just how fast we are using
crude oil for our day to day lives. And considering how long it takes crude oil to form naturally
and that people cannot produce and synthetic crude oil it cannot be sustained. At some point
there will not be enough crude oil to sustain our needs. And eventually we will have to find new
alternatives to meet our needs.
Another part of the issue of sustainability is the how many times oil can be used and
perpetually renewable as a resource. Usually when oil is used it is used once and then it
can no longer be used for any other purpose. A good example of this would be plastics
and fuel, oil is used in a process called petrochemical feedstock to help produce plastics.
Every year millions of plastic products are thrown into landfills and burned to dispose of
plastic (www.epa.gov). This is one of the non- sustainable products directly produced by
and influenced by crude oil. While gasoline and other fuels are no different they can be
used only once and after they release pollutants into the environment that will also
continue to contribute to climate change and global warming.
The majority of people would say that there are more pros than cons when it comes to the use
of crude oil. It has many uses that contribute to the lives we live every day. It helps
produce many products we use daily. And considering most of the vehicles on the road
today almost all of our transportation relies on oil based fuel. Oil also helps create
electricity for our homes (www.epa.gov). Oil as a resource is very useful to people and
can be used for a multitude of to benefit people and still can be and with less negative
impact if people help prevent it.
We are against the use of crude oil because of the many negative effects that it has on the
environment, and because it is not sustainable as a resource. Oil is definitely a positive
resource for society in many aspects but the negative effects that come with its use are
too undermined and not spearheaded as some of our biggest problems. In spite of this
there are many ways people can work to cut down on and eventually stop the negative
effects of crude oil use. One of these methods could be the use of bio-fuels and biodiesel (www.epa.gov) l. Bio fuels are biodegradable fuels usually produced from organic
products and lesser harmful chemicals to produce fuel that can used be as an alternative
to crude oil fuels. Biofuels burn much cleaner and cause much less pollution than
conventional fuels. Another positive alternative to one of the negative effects of crude
oil would be electric cars. In the case of electric vehicles there would be almost no
pollutants released and there would be better fuel efficiency (Laldin). This would
completely negate most of the negative effects of air pollution caused by crude oil.
Lastly one of the best alternatives would be hydrogen fuel cells. These fuel cell powered
vehicles generate virtually no air pollutants what so ever. They also boast multiple times
the fuel mileage than the standard oil fuel based car. Their on drawback would be the
new of hydrogen fueling facilities that would have to be established. Considering just
some of these alternatives we can greatly reduce the environmental pollution of crude
oil in the environment, and while doing this boost its sustainability as a resource and
also its net-life. If some of these alternative fuel options are implemented there will be a
healthier environment and market to benefit from it in the long and oil will no longer be
a negative necessity
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