Kleen Impact

I recently watched CRUDE IMPACT, a documentary (currently available onDemand on the Sundance channel) which explores the interconnection between the human race’s thirst for consumption and the discovery and use of oil. It exposes our deep-rooted dependency on the availability of fossil fuel energy and examines the dire implications of the pending threat of global Peak Oil. It is a very interesting film and I recommend watching it at least for educational/informational purposes.

Early in the film, they examine the population growth of the human race and how it remained stagnant for thousands of years. With the introduction of farming and subsequently the ability to produce and provide food to the masses, there was a slight but steady population increase. Once we discovered oil and put it to use, the population of the world has grown exponentially decade after decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Obviously, I believe, there are a few other factors that contribute to this growth: Industrialization mainly, but start to imagine the different uses for oil and how that affected technology as well. Think of the term, “well oiled machine;” sure, the first Industrial Revolution started prior to the use of oil, but the second Industrial Revolution in part was fueled by petroleum based products, lubricants in particular. Once we started properly lubricating machines and parts with variations of oil, they could run 24 hours a day seven days a week; greatly increasing our ability to provide for the masses. Going back to food production, think of how directly linked it is to petroleum. Could we have operated farms, shipped, and packaged produce across the country and the world without the use of petroleum? Now you have an absolute link between oil and food production, the original catalyst for population growth.

So how is the ever increasing human population actually affecting us? The most troubling issue is not the growth itself, but the rate of consumption. The film mentions that the human race, as a whole, uses around 10 calories of energy to produce 1 calorie of food, mainly created from the farming, sorting, and transportation processes. To put that into perspective, if you were solely responsible for your food and you expended 10 calories for every 1 calorie you received…you would starve. Americans are the largest culprit of over consumption. America uses 25% of the world’s oil, yet we only amount for just over 4% of the population. If all Chinese consumed the way Americans do, we would need 6 planet Earths to support the global economy. Something has to change.

With our extreme use of oil and it’s very limited supply, not only will we inevitably run out, but the fight for the remaining oil reserves on Earth could turn catastrophic. In the 1950s, the United States had the largest oil reserve known to man. We reached our Peak Oil production in the early 1970s. Which basically means it’s all downhill from there. That’s just 20 years, just a minuscule fragment of our existence on Earth. Now, the US is expected to be forced to import about 90% of the oil we use by 2025; that figure also includes the oil we could get from drilling in ANWAR. If we make the decision to drill in ANWAR, we could produce 1.2 million barrels of oil a day; compare that to the expected 28 million barrels a day we will use in 2025. Not that big of a relief, is it?

The daunting fact is that the world as a whole is getting ever so close to Peak Oil production as well; if we haven’t reached it already. The unfortunate part is the members of OPEC report the size of their oil reserves themselves, not a unified third-party sanctioning body. This has created much speculation, especially after OPEC approved each member country to sell oil based on their current reserves; which means the more reserves you have, the more oil you can sell. Coincidentally, that same year the majority of members reserves nearly doubled. Hhhhmmm.

I believe the best thing to take from this film (and this blog) is to educate yourself and be aware of your impact on the world. It’s not just about gas and oil and the cars we drive: even if we find a limitless substitution for oil, there will be other limits; minerals, water, space, etc. Just be sure to keep this in mind while you’re consuming: humans are happy when a certain level of necessities are met, when you consume more than the essentials you are no happier. Watching this film has given me more affirmation that each and every one of us, one person at a time, can make an impact. Start with the simple things: think about how much energy you consume, help support your local farms, businesses, and economy, be conscious about the products you buy and how they impact your environment, and lastly – SPREAD THE WORD! Get your family, friends, and neighbors involved; after all, we are all in this together, and who wouldn’t want to help you out, right? (BB)