You hear about it in the news, it dominates conversation among certain circles, and it
seems like the whole world revolves around it.
Yep, I’m talking about oil, and not the cooking kind!
So have you ever wondered what would happen if we ran out of this crucial resource?
It’s no pretty picture, trust me!
But let me explain why I call it “crucial” in the first place.
Most people don't realize the real importance of oil.
Every year, the US alone uses a whopping 7.3 billion barrels-worth of oil products.
FYI, that’s around 20 million barrels a day!
And if you believe that all this oil is used to fuel your car and warm up your house, think
again!
You might be surprised to find out how many everyday objects wouldn't exist if there was
no oil!
- For example, every time you blow bubbles with your chewing gum, you should be grateful
that there’s oil on this planet.
You heard me right, the very flavory thing you toss into your mouth contains petroleum.
In fact, that's where its chewiness and softness comes from!
- Then there are all kinds of sports equipment.
Let's see: oil is used to make basketballs, footballs, golf balls and golf bags, skis,
soccer balls, cleats, tennis rackets, ok, I think you get the picture here.
- And what about your Grandpappy’s dentures?
Yep, modern varieties use certain carbon-based dyes for pigmentation.
And these dyes are produced with the use of petroleum, oil, and different vegetable resources.
But don't worry!
The dyes are FDA-approved and actually similar to the food colorants you probably have in
your kitchen right now.
Well, that’s reassuring.
Or not…
- You also smear oil on your face!
Wow, weirdo!
I’m kidding!
But if you use lipstick, you should know that a lot of them contain petroleum in the form
of paraffin wax.
It makes lipstick hold its shape and helps you apply this beauty product smoothly.
- Do you play the guitar?
Then you use petroleum regularly!
Most kinds of modern guitar strings are made from nylon.
And nylon, in turn, is made from (say it with me) petroleum!
Great job!
- And I bet you use toothpaste every day too.
Even twice a day if you’re diligent!
Yep, same story here: the colorants that make your toothpaste so pretty also contain petroleum.
- Perfumes and deodorants, contact lenses, fishing lures – you’re literally surrounded
by common objects made from oil.
But the most significant things produced with the help of oil are cars, kitchen appliances,
furniture, and clothing.
Ok, you get it, so what about the question at hand: what would happen to the world if
one day, all the oil on the planet ran out?
Well, you wouldn't notice any problems at first.
Normally, most countries have special reserves with enough oil to keep things running for
at least a couple months.
But imagine that this Plan B failed, and people didn't have access to these oil reserves.
How long could we hold on?
You can safely assume that, from Day 1, oil and gas prices would literally skyrocket.
People would be willing to pay any amount to fill their vehicles with the last remaining
drops of gasoline.
After several weeks (if not days), all private transport would stop running.
Drivers who normally commute long distances would have problems getting to work.
Public transportation like trains, buses, and planes would become useless as well.
As a result, millions of people would lose their jobs, and a lot of companies would have
to look for new employees.
Unfortunately, they’d likely fail to find highly qualified specialists on such short
notice.
Emergency services would keep running for some time, but pretty soon they’d falter
too.
One of the worst things about the absence of oil would be health risks for tons of hospital
patients.
The truth is that medicine relies on oil probably a bit too much nowadays.
Must-have items like syringes, gloves, sterile packaging, as well as serious high-tech equipment
such as MRI scanners, computers, and CT scanners are all produced using oil.
Plus, as you remember, there’d be no transport to deliver necessary medications from manufacturers
to pharmacies.
Another serious problem would be connected with food supply, especially in big cities.
Most of them rely on food imported from rural areas.
And look at what would happen: there’d be no transport to collect food from production
sites and bring it to grocery stores.
That's why many city dwellers would move to the countryside and try to grow food for themselves.
Phew, even if I tried, I don’t know if I’d be able to do it!
Do you think you could grow your own food and sustain yourself?
Let me know down below!
Anyway, after that initial rough patch, the situation would likely calm down, and people
would start to adapt.
But however well they work together, life still would never be the same.
There wouldn't be as much food variety as we enjoy now.
You’d have to do without chocolate, pizza, and other blessings of civilization.
But, hey, you might finally lose some of that winter weight!
In the northern regions, people would start chopping down forests to get at least some
source of energy and not freeze in the winter.
This would lead to severe deforestation, and the planet would suffer as much as its people.
Yikes, doom and gloom all around.
But let’s talk about the bright side already!
Oil is a serious source of pollution, and in the US alone, more than 9 million gallons
of this stuff have spilled from pipelines since 2010.
And if you consider the fact that this number means 1,300 oil spills, it's easy to calculate
that this problem occurs almost every other day!
This spilled oil pollutes croplands, contaminates water, and severely harms the environment
and wildlife.
On top of that, when people produce energy from oil, this process puts out sulfur dioxide
and carbon monoxide.
These gases are hazardous to your health, especially in large regular doses.
So, with the absence of oil, you, as well as the environment, are likely to become a
bit healthier.
On the other hand, it depends on which kind of alternative energy people would choose
to use instead of oil.
Let's have a look at our options!
There’s always nuclear power.
In fact, nuclear power reactors are already pretty common in a lot of countries.
For example, there are currently 98 of them in the US, and these power stations produce
20% of the country’s electricity.
Other nations rely on nuclear energy even more.
France, for instance, generates 80% of its electricity with the help of nuclear power.
On the one hand, the very idea of a nuclear power station makes people worry about their
safety.
On the other hand, though, nuclear energy is much cheaper and more efficient than other
sources like wind, hydropower, and solar energy.
Also, according to NASA, nuclear energy is one of the least harmful to the environment.
There's also wind and solar power.
The supporters of using these alternatives are sure that they don't have any adverse
effects on the environment.
Unfortunately, they aren't 100% right.
According to the Institute for Energy Research, modern wind- and solar-energy plants can't
work without a constant backup.
It kicks into action when the sun is covered by clouds or the wind isn’t strong enough.
Such backup energy sources include, let's say, electricity coming from the nearest coal
plant.
In any case, even if all the oil ran out one day, the world wouldn't come to a screeching
halt.
People would definitely figure out some way to deal with this problem, like finding and
developing new energy sources or simply changing their lifestyle.
That’s what’s cool about the human race – we can adapt to almost anything!
But one thing’s for sure: nothing would remain the same, and the world would be an
entirely different place altogether!
So, do you think running out of oil would cause a global disaster?
Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!
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to stay on the Bright Side of life!