Impact Of Fossil Fuels On Our Planet

In this paper, we focus on using fossil fuels causing climate change. Fossil fuels are fuels formed natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, which are the most widely used fuel and industrial chemicals in the world. Since industrial revolution, fossil fuels bring a very great quantity convenience and technological products. So we can use cars, planes and all modern products. But fossil fuels cause climate change at the same time. Greenhouse gas, nitrous oxides and a great deal of harmful gas which are from fossil fuels are causing serious environmental problems. Therefore we need to be concerned about the problems caused by fossil fuels and the solutions.

Foreign oil dependency is a major topic that is hotly debated in US politics. The United States relies on imported oil for about 40% (in 2012) of petroleum consumed and is the world’s largest consumer of oil. About 53% of the foreign oil imported is from other Western nations such as Canada, Mexico and Brazil. 28% is from the Persian Gulf, 16% from Africa and the remaining from other areas of the world. Canada is currently the leading crude oil supplier to the US. Some believe that importing oil has benefits to our economy, while others believe it is a security threat.

Enbridge estimates that 99% of the crude oil from Alberta is transported to the United States. Currently though, America 's demand for imported oil is decreasing (AsiaPacific.ca/Canadian Oil), as oil-exploitation in the

Currently, the United States is the largest importer of crude oil in the world, while it is only the 3rd largest producer. In 2013, while we imported 7.7 million barrels of oil a day, we only produced 7.5 million (Dakota Access). It is critical that we produce more and import less so we can be more self-sufficient in energy production and focus on our country’s economy, to benefit the American people.

However, most of the oil imports to the U.S. come from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Nigeria. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC is part of where the Unites States imports their oil. OPEC countries only produce a small portion of American oil; the U.S. obtains most of its oil from Mexico and Canada. However, over the years Canadian oil production has risen while Mexico’s has fallen. It is obvious that it would be better to have a reliable, long-term supply of crude from Canada than rely on overseas suppliers, whether they are part of OPEC or not.

Canada became a net oil exporter in the early 1980s and has since grown to become the world’s fifth largest producer of crude oil (US Energy Information Adminstration 2015). In 1981 Canada’s net trade surplus in energy goods relative to its GDP sat at around 0.6 percent and by 2000 it had increased to 3.3 per cent (Stuber 2001). Canada produces about 4.4 per cent of the world’s oil; owns close to 10 percent of the world’s oil reserves and consumes roughly 2.5 per cent of the world’s oil (KPMG-SECOR November 2013). The US is currently Canada’s top importer of crude oil, importing close to 37 per cent of oil in 2014 (US Energy Information Adminstration 2015).

One of the United Stated main problems with oil is when the country has to burn fossil fuel to produce oil. Burning fossil fuels can contaminate the air and can hurt the individual's health. The US receive their oil from many different countries but, their most significant imports are Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Nigeria. The US averaged GDP is worth 6770.94 USD Billion from 1960 until 2016. The US generates their electric power by fossil fuels.

In the year 2013, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States consumed a staggering 6.89 billion barrels of oil (U.S.EIA). Which in fact, equates to 18.89 million barrels being consumed every single day. That is a vast amount of petroleum products being consumed on a daily national level. If the calculation is made, based on a barrel equaling forty two gallons, it would come out to 289,583,700,000 gallons per year, or 793,380,000 gallons per day. The amount is incredible, almost unbelievable. If the United States continues its use of oil at this rate, the supply will only last another forty years. With more and more cars being on the road and operating machinery performing tasks, the supply of petroleum will not be able to meet demand forever. As our use of fossil fuels increases, so does our need for a new source of renewable energy.

Crude oil is used for diesel and gasoline, heating, asphalt, lubricant and many more. In 2014 gas and oil combined value was close to $16 billion.

It is also used to make some chemical products, such as detergents and paints. Every country in the world uses oil, however, many countries do not produce it. The top Countries that produce a large quantity of oil in the world include China, Saudi Arabia, United Stated, and Russia, and the top countries that consume tons of oil every day include China, Russia, United States, Japan, and Germany. Some studies showed that by 2039, the world might face oil crisis due to the current rate of oil consumption (Oilprice, 2009).

The main usages of petroleum are bunker fuel, detergent, jet fuel, diesel fuel, heating oil, paint, photographic film, food additives, make up, medicine, and candles etc. Actually, the petroleum usages are very broad. If the country is experiencing oil shortage, everything must be very expensive. You may eat some food with food additives, which is a material from petroleum, in your stomach, even though you do not drive or travel around the world by airplanes. Moreover, petroleum has a lot of advantages to generate electricity. It is easy to transport and store because it is a liquid. Compared with natural gas, natural gas is hard to extract and store because it is gas. Natural gas requires higher technology to extract and store it. Moreover, the density of petroleum is higher than natural gas and coal. We can save more room to store petroleum. For government’s aspect, they may want to use some energy, which are stable and easy to store. Although the renewable energy is unlimited and eco-friendly, the costs of built and operate it are expensive. So, the fossil fuels are the best energy for us to use now. Peak oil crises affect our life, and we cannot find any energy to replace it.

In the United States, a sustainable society is desired by virtually every citizen, especially the ones informed of the consequences caused by our wanton use of fossil fuels and the detrimental methods used to extract them from the earth. Nevertheless, despite almost universal acceptance of the need to turn away from nonrenewable and polluting energy sources, there are forces preventing that switch. One of those forces is the megalith that is our current energy paradigm, or the existing energy production/consumption infrastructure that we’ve built which runs largely on nonrenewable resources. Yet, as daunting as a transition to a world run on renewable energies like solar, an energy source with significant growth-potential, may seem from a technological and logistical standpoint, it is eminently feasible. The most problematic hurdle the United States faces is, in truth, political stagnation. While intense lobbying efforts from the fossil fuel industry and public utilities don’t help, the gridlock caused by the inherent framework of the U.S. political system is principally to blame for governmental malaise when it comes to investing in green technology. However, with increasing concerns over environmental degradation and impending climate change, progress has been made. The U.S. Department of Energy (USDE) has appointed 25 cities across the country to be part of its “Solar America City” initiative, including Philadelphia. Philadelphia, which aims to become the leading city in

Gasoline is a flammable liquid that is made from the refinement of petroleum or better known as crude oil. It helps fuel cars, farm machinery, planes and other type of engines. What is petroleum? It’s a fossil fuel that supplies energy around the world than any other source out there. Petroleum, including gasoline is primarily a mixture between hydrocarbons and small amounts of other substances. In 1994, its known that the United States used up to 7,587,00 barrels of oil a day which concludes that America is the worlds largest consumer in oil. The majority of today’s crude oil is located along side the Persian Gulf Basin with some amounts in Alaska and in

Everyday in U.S., immense amount of fossil fuel is burned. Fossil fuels are fuel formed by natural processes, such as decomposition of buried dead organisms. Fossil fuel release carbon dioxide when they are burned which adds to the greenhouse effect and increases global warming. The way we can help the environment and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide is by replaying fossil fuels with solar and wind sources for electric power generations in the U.S.

We need oil because it burns to produce energy. We use it to run a vehicle, to heat a building, and to produce electric power in a generator. My family use it for our car which is important because our car gets us to school, my mother to work, and my sisters to their school activities. Oil is also used as a raw material to create products such as plastics, and hundreds of other intermediate goods. Those goods include; paint for houses, carpets, trash bags, and tool boxes. Some other materials that are made from oils are hair coloring, nail polish, shampoo, and vitamin capsules. One of the main types of oils we use everyday is gasoline. Gasoline is the main petroleum product consumed in the United States. Another type of oil consumed is distillate fuel oil, which includes diesel fuel and heating oil. Diesel fuel is used in the diesel engines of heavy construction equipment, trucks, buses, tractors, boats, trains, some automobiles, and electricity generators. Heating oil, also called fuel oil, is used in boilers and furnaces to heat homes and buildings, for industrial heating, and for producing electricity. Hydrocarbon gas