Fossil Fuel Divestment : An Overview

As we continue to consume fossil fuels on a scale never seen in human history, we are faced with the nagging but not imminent question: what is going to happen when we run out? It’s the same question any addict asks themselves, and the way they respond can affect the rest of their life. It is impossible to forget 2008: gasoline rose to nearly $4 a gallon, the stock market plummeted, millions lost their jobs, and Americans and foreigners alike responded in a way that only the fear of spending more money can motivate.

Most people probably do not think about how much of their lives depend on oil. This profitable commodity is constantly being used around the world, twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. From the scented creams people use on their bodies, to the airline jets soaring above, oils are being used. Oil is one of three major forms of fossil fuels, coal and natural gas being the rest. Fossil fuels began forming millions of years ago in the Carboniferous Period when trees, plants, and small organisms died (DOE, 2015). Eventually the fossils sank to the bottom of many swamps and oceans forming layers of peat (a brown, soil-like, and spongy material). Over thousands of years, peat was covered by clay, sand, and other minerals which turned into a type of rock called sedimentary. Over thousands of years rocks piled on top of the peat creating more pressure. Eventually the pressure managed to squeeze water out of the peat and over millions of years, this mineral rich water turned into the three major fossil fuels that people know and use today (DOE, 2015). Regardless of its proficiency and success, the oil industry has become one of the most unethical businesses in the world. Their blatant disregard for the environment and its inhabitants have continuously put them in the crosshairs of many conservatives and concerned citizens. This paper primarily focuses on the ethical dilemmas that surround the oil industry.

The main idea of the article is that; Rebecca Solnit discusses about our dependency on fossil fuels which is hazardous for the planet. Rebecca Solnit starts off the article by examining a document which was created when French Revolution was coming to an end where the new fundamentals were set and new government was born. Human beings have the power to change anything in the society. When it comes to Americans, they think that they do not have the power to change a defect in the society but during the history, Americans are the ones that changed everything. The planet climate is changing due to the fossil fuels and it is people’s responsibility to request for a change. Politics is not inescapable. People have a right to question the government

Fossil fuels are used in the everyday lives of humankind, depending and relying on its purpose more than necessary. People focus on the positive effects it brings to their daily lifestyles, and overlooking the negative it delivers. The Keystone XL Pipeline has caused a lot of controversy due to what it brings to the people and the environment, what effects it causes to the world, and why so many people talk about it.

Fossil fuels are considered to be natural products that are made from the remains of organisms that were once living, and is a non-renewable resource (Yvonne, Locke, 1) that has a big impact on our earth, but now people are trying to find ways to lower the earth’s carbon footprint. The fossil fuel industry is one that has been around for a very long time and is something that contributes in our everyday living, but now fossil fuel is something that is being considered precious material, and the way that we as consumers use it will have a big impact on the shape of our future country (Fossil Fuels 1). With all of this oil being collected in Canada it has a big effect on the economic spectrum as well

I’m marching to embrace the idea that we can phase-out our use of fossil fuels. We no longer rely on burning dung, or wood, or whale oil. We can see the end of coal on the horizon. The next step in this historical progression is the elimination of all carbon-based fuels.

He points out that many cities have done such, and are successful, as we see through San Diego's plan for transforming into a 100 percent renewable city (32). Gupta gives us these examples to use them as we strive towards the larger goal. He says that while these things are highly important, the plans are only the beginning steps. There are several things he suggests we can do to assist in keeping fossil fuel users honest. Gupta suggests requiring energy companies to purchase certain bonds and making polluters pay for the environmental problems that they have created. Doing so would dissuade further usage of fossil fuels and reduce the number of issues that

ExxonMobil was fulfilling its philanthropic responsibility when it partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to save the world’s remaining

The environment is negatively affected be the burning of fossil fuels. The affects of the gases contribute to global warming, along with acid rain and polluted air. This pollution cuts short an estimated 30,000 American lives according to the Clean Air Task Force (Rich). The United States must stop using fossil fuels because the gases produce harm the environment we live causing harm to come all the citizens. “The future of energy production will

“The planet is going to be around for a long time. But, what is at stake now is civilization itself.” This powerful statement advocated by Lester Brown, a vehement environmental activist and the President of the Earth Policy Institute, is quite insightful for those who are unaware, or perhaps even ignorant, about the effects of burning fossil fuels and the effects it has on our beloved home planet. The documentary, “Do the Math”, provides the viewers with an intuitive look at what the fossil industry gets away with and how the harm the environment. The idea of earning a profit now overshadows the long-term negative affects that this “profit” is having on the Earth.

Since, fossil fuels have been a part of our environment for some time now, they have been the main resource we’ve needed and used to keep our country running. The truth of the matter is, since we obtain fossil fuels from plants and animals that lived millions of years ago they will soon be gone. As indicated by Eric McLamb, founder, chief executive officer, and president of the ecology communications group, “The problem is fossil fuels are nonrenewable. They are limited in supply and will one day be depleted.” People realize that the crisis of running out of fossil fuels is upon us; however, these same people are timid about moving on to renewable energy. One main reason is because individuals do not believe renewable energy is cost efficient. For instance, solar energy is known to be fairly expensive, particularly more expensive than the conventional energy used now, which makes people uncertain about changing to renewable energy.

In today’s society fossil fuels are the primary source of energy for most of the industrialized world. Utilizing fossil fuels has been very important to the industrialization development throughout the world. Industrialization in many parts of the world, energy has been needed at a much higher density then before and fossil fuels have fulfilled that need. Coal, gas, and oil are the three major sources of fossil fuels in the world. Despite other means of energy such as wind power, hydroelectric power etc., fossil fuels are still the main source of energy across the continent. Fossils fuels are critical to the function of society. “Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) are the dominant source of energy today and will be for decades to come.” (Everett, B. October).

These fossil fuels serve to be very beneficial for our use and need for energy. The accessibility of these energy sources are relatively abundant in our environment. These sources of energy, specifically crude oil for example, are found in abundance underground in certain areas. For example, while there is not huge oil sources underground everywhere, there are large rigs in certain areas of the world that supply an astronomical amount of crude oil for our use. Places such as Saudi Arabia and Canada have been the 2 largest providers of non-renewable oil for the US. Similarly, there are many places in the US that non-renewable resources like oil and coal have been tapped into. These oil rigs and coal mines are being used at a rate that some worry is not sustainable, or responsible. The oil rigs, in particular, produce a real economic boom as well as the benefit to fulfill our energy needs. For example, back when gasoline was 4 dollars a gallon, it

The Constitution states that it is designed, “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries” (The Constitution). Simplified, this means that the government has the responsibility to promote the progress of science, such as discoveries about energy sources and preserving the environment. There are Supreme Court cases discussing whaling and emissions that are very similar to the topic of eliminating the use of fossil fuels. In a whaling case in late 2008, for example, the final ruling was that navy submarines can continue using sonar waves underwater, despite the harm these waves bring to underwater mammals (Top US Court). Environmentalists fought hard to make a law preventing these ships from using these harmful signals but were overruled by the “needs of the Navy to respond to threats” (Top US Court). This case is similar to energy sources because the harmful waves, like fossil fuels which are also damaging, are being permitted, just like fossil fuels are allowed today. Another case regarding concerns similar to renewable resources is the case on car emissions and whether they should be legal or not. Previously, the Environmental Protection Agency decided that regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from cars was not needed (US Supreme Court). However, in 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that this decision was “not in accordance with the law” (US

Fossil fuels are essential to life on earth as we know it today. Our world would certainly be much different if it weren’t for such seemingly simple things such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These basic elements of life on earth may not seem like a major concern to some people until we put into perspective how they have shaped our world today. Civilizations have been built, economies have risen and crumbled, and even wars have been fought over these precious fossil fuels. However, these fossil fuels serve us in ways we may never truly appreciate, as long as we use them as recklessly as we do now. The major entity about fossil fuels is concerning their longevity and permanence in our world, and we all know, they will be around forever.