Lewis 1
Jaret Lewis
March 24, 2013
Whitworth, Foundations of writing
Sec 16
Oil a failing resource
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 (The World Factbook); annually
the U.S uses nearly seven billion barrels of oil (Frequently Asked Questions). Oil is one of the 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 (Oil and Gas Resources and their uses). Even though oil
is a very useful resource, it also has its drawbacks which is why, Oil also has multiple negative
effects that are cause by its use such as pollution, Non-sustainability, environmental
degradation. There is also a large number of people against using oil due to the negative effects
it has on the environment and stability.
People should stop using oil in general. This is 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 number of times it can be to used and the sustainability of oil (http://web.ebscohost.com).
The big argument against the use of oil is pollution. 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 caused 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 affects all types of animals
negatively. For example, oil can directly harm invertebrates 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 affected 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 argument against the continued use of crude oil. Most people
would not be aware of the direct effects of the use of crude oil. 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 endangering of many species
that cannot cope with the changes in their environment.
The second reason against the continued use of crude oil would have to be its
sustainability and usability as a resource. A large majority of people would believe that oil is
very sustainable due to the amount The U.S uses daily. In 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: over time the substances degrade and mix under the heat and 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 synthetic crude oil it
cannot be sustained. At some point there will not be enough crude oil to sustain our needs.
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.
Gasoline and other fuels are no different; they can be used only once and afterward 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 bio-diesel (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.
Works cited
1. BioFuels and the Environment, www.epa.gov
2. Effects of Oil Spills on Wildlife., Congressional Digest. Jun2010, Vol. 89 Issue 6, p170-192.
3p,
3. Electricity from Oil, www.epa.gov
4. Frequently Asked Questions), "U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA Independent Statistics and Analysis." U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). N.P., n.d.
Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://www.eia.gov/>.
5. "Gulf Spill Harmed Small Fish, Studies Indicate | Environment | Science News." Gulf Spill
Harmed Small Fish, Studies Indicate | Environment | Science News. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar.
2013.
6. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov
7. Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in vehicle routing problems with backhauling.
Pradenas, Lorena, Oportus , Boris, Parada, Victor, Expert Systems with Applications. Jun2013,
Vol. 40 Issue 8, p2985-2991. 7p.
8."Oil and Gas Resources and Their Uses." Http://teeic.anl.gov/. N.P., n.d. Web. 27 Mar.
2013. <.gov>.
9. Predictive Algorithm for Optimizing Power Flow in Hybrid Ultracapacitor/Battery Storage
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11. The World Factbook), "CIA." Www.cia.gov. N.P., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.cia.gov/>.
12. WHAT THE SPILL WILL KILL, Newsweek. 6/14/2010, Vol. 155 Issue 24, p24-28. 5p,
Begley,Sharon, Yareet,Ian, Stone, Daniel
13. Wider use of oxygenated gasoline ordered by E.P.A., Joseph ,F, Zimmerman, National
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