Made of Petroleum

Question: Which of the following consist of oil and natural gas derivatives?

gasoline
diesel
jet fuel
rocket fuel
heating/cooking fuel (oil and gas)
plastic
styrofoam
paint
solvents
soaps and detergents
dye
synthetic fabrics (acrylic, nylon, polyester . . .)
adhesives (including resins used to make paper)
insulation
ink
toiletries and cosmetics
artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and food coloring
preservatives
synthetic vitamins
tires
asphalt
electronic components
paraffin
pharmaceuticals
herbicides
pesticides
ammonium nitrate (fertilizer, explosives)

Answer: All of the above.

Addictive substances work by mimicking or overriding certain biochemical processes, suppressing and sometimes permanently disrupting normal physiological function until the addict requires for sustenance the very thing causing the degenerative disease. This is exactly what has happened with our society and petroleum. We have forgotten how to live without it, and what we don’t know might kill us. The withdrawal on this one is going to make kicking heroin look easy.

Peak oil will soon be as much of a household term as global warming. The petroleum supply is effectively half gone; projections for the halfway point range from 2005-2030, with general consensus falling closer to 2010. Roughly half of what has been extracted thus far we’ve consumed in the past 20 years. To put that in perspective, petroleum entered the industrial scene in noteworthy quantities around 1900. Demand is increasing exponentially, the supply has just about hit a plateau, and since naturally the oil industry has gone after the good stuff first, what is left will only get harder (more expensive, less energy-efficient, and more ecologically disruptive) to extract and refine. Higher gas mileage and biofuels ain’t gonna cut it, honey. If we distilled and burned the whole world’s food supply it wouldn’t cover even current U.S. demand for the first two things on this list.

That, and the manufacture, use, and disintegration of petroleum products continually release toxins and greenhouse gasses (some of them more potent heat insulators than CO2 by several hundred times per molecule) into the ecosphere. Many of those toxins end up in our bodies by ingestion, inhalation, or absorption, causing a myriad of physical and psychological malfunctions.

Your mission:

Start working on rehab strategies, posthaste. Collect the tools and learn the skills it takes to sustain human life without fossil fuels, giving up petroleum-based products and relying on renewable, non-toxic sources of water, food, clothing, shelter, and fuel. That (and nothing less) is the meaning of sustainable development.

For ideas on how to get started, look up ‘permaculture’. It’s the discipline of designing human habitat according to ecological principles to cut down on unsustainable energy use and waste.

Peace and courage to you, however you may find it. We are in for an interesting ride, to say the least. Carry on!

P.S. Yes, I recognize the irony of posting this on a computer, but I figure from a cost-benefit standpoint I might as well take advantage of the free media outlet while it lasts.