OilCrash, produced and directed by award-winning European journalists and filmmakers Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack, tells the story of how our civilization’s addiction to oil puts it on a collision course with geology. Compelling, intelligent, and highly entertaining, the film visits with the world’s top experts and comes to a startling, but logical conclusion – our industrial society, built on cheap and readily available oil, must be completely re-imagined and overhauled.
The idea that the world’s oil supplies have peaked, or will soon, is gaining mainstream currency. Robert B. Semple, Jr., associate editor of the New York Times editorial board, writes in the paper’s March 1, 2006, online edition:
“The Age of Oil — 100-plus years of astonishing economic growth made possible by cheap, abundant oil — could be ending without our really being aware of it. Oil is a finite commodity. At some point even the vast reservoirs of Saudi Arabia will run dry. But before that happens there will come a day when oil production ‘peaks,’ when demand overtakes supply (and never looks back), resulting in large and possibly catastrophic price increases that could make today’s $60-a-barrel oil look like chump change. Unless, of course, we begin to develop substitutes for oil. Or begin to live more abstemiously. Or both. The concept of peak oil has not been widely written about. But people are talking about it now. It deserves a careful look — largely because it is almost certainly correct.”
Semple concludes: “These [are] not doomsday scenarios from conspiracy theorists, but hard scientific facts backed by serious research.”
You needn’t be a conspiracy theorist to see a connection between America’s current obsessions with the Middle East and national security, and the world’s looming oil crisis. The frenzied search for alternative sources of energy now being pursued by the largest multinational energy corporations makes it clear they also believe a crisis is fast approaching. Each day’s headlines, whether the subject is Iraq or South America, sheds new light on the issue.” from http://www.oilcrashmovie.com/
This film sets out to answer the question: What happens when we run out of cheap oil? If the rate at which oil is used continues to skyrocket, there will not be very much cheap oil sooner than many expected. Therefore, we can say with assurance that unless something is done to discover many new oil fields, there must be something else done to stop the world from eventually running out of oil.
ReplyDeleteThe film suggests that the global decline will begin by 2020. Therefore, significant options of other usable sources of energy, other than oil, must begin now. The people in the documentary who literally stand there and profess their concerns about the significant decline that is about to come in cheap oil are doing nothing. It has already been noted that the decline is coming. These bystanders who invest so much time worrying about the crisis should involve themselves in research to try to contribute to find other options instead of oil.
We simply cannot wait until cheap oil is unavailable to integrate other options, because the world will not be able to function with such drastic change. Rather, we must continue to implement options of other functioning alternatives. If we are able to do so, not only will we avoid a world disaster from the extinction of cheap oil, but if other options are discovered now, maybe it will be in time to prevent the decline of cheap oil, and allow oil to continue to be a usable option (but not a necessary option) when 2020 rolls around.
Scientists must find numerous options of other sources besides oil before 2020, so that these options are tested and in full use before the extinction of cheap oil, so that maybe the extinction of oil could be delayed.
The focus of government on finding new oil fields must not be terminated but diverted so that some of the attention is not just on oil, but on a backup plan as well.
The determination of the government must be praised, but they must not put all of their eggs in one basket, and must do better planning for the future.
This film sets out to answer the question: What happens when we run out of cheap oil? If the rate at which oil is used continues to skyrocket, there will not be very much cheap oil sooner than many expected. Therefore, we can say with assurance that unless something is done to discover many new oil fields, there must be something else done to stop the world from eventually running out of oil.
ReplyDeleteThe film suggests that the global decline will begin by 2020. Therefore, significant options of other usable sources of energy, other than oil, must begin now. The people in the documentary who literally stand there and profess their concerns about the significant decline that is about to come in cheap oil are doing nothing. It has already been noted that the decline is coming. These bystanders who invest so much time worrying about the crisis should involve themselves in research to try to contribute to find other options instead of oil.
We simply cannot wait until cheap oil is unavailable to integrate other options, because the world will not be able to function with such drastic change. Rather, we must continue to implement options of other functioning alternatives. If we are able to do so, not only will we avoid a world disaster from the extinction of cheap oil, but if other options are discovered now, maybe it will be in time to prevent the decline of cheap oil, and allow oil to continue to be a usable option (but not a necessary option) when 2020 rolls around.
Scientists must find numerous options of other sources besides oil before 2020, so that these options are tested and in full use before the extinction of cheap oil, so that maybe the extinction of oil could be delayed.
The focus of government on finding new oil fields must not be terminated but diverted so that some of the attention is not just on oil, but on a backup plan as well.
The determination of the government must be praised, but they must not put all of their eggs in one basket, and must do better planning for the future.
The corruption and problems with the middle-eastern oil industry is shocking. I find it scary that the US once was the biggest oil producer in the world, and that we simply ran out. How no one can be worried that eventually the middle east will peak as well I find surprising. It seems like an alternative energy source needs to be seriously worked on in the next several decades, otherwise we could be in serious trouble.
ReplyDeletePeople complain about the prices of gasoline everyday. It has significantly rose since the late nineties and given the amount fossil fuels remaining for energy this increase does not appear to be slowing down. Oil runs the world, one analyst described oil as a god for the people. Oil can be given the credit for much of the United States industrial and economic growth. The machinery, factories, and transportation all depend greatly on oil to function properly. This is what makes oil so desirable and necessary. There are numerous factors that make the oil industry a very complicated industry.
ReplyDeleteIt would appear to be a simple producer consumer market, where the supplier must meet the demand. The only difference is the fact that this specific product, oil, is non-renewable and will eventually run out. An expert in his field, Dr. MK Hubbert predicted that the US would reach its oil peak in 1970 after over 100 years of being the world’s highest oil producer for 100 years. Sure enough, in 1970 it did and it’s been a steady decrease ever since. Today, the United States consumes 25% of the world’s supply of oil, while producing less than 2% of it. This strikes me as disproportional. Clearly, the United States had to turn to foreign sources for oil.
Numerous analysts pointed out the supply of oil has already reached its peak in all areas of the world except for the Middle East. This allows the Middle East to drive up prices and make significant profit as it only costs approximately one dollar to pull a barrel of oil out of the ground. Although gas prices have rose over the past ten years, sitting at approximately $3.50 a gallon, gas is not particularly expensive. There is a lot more than dollars at stake when America went to the Middle East for oil resources.
The world has now seen multiple wars started over Middle-Eastern oil. The first militaristic action that we can point to oil as the motive was when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait over an oil field. However, one of these examples hits closer to home. Many opinions say oil was a factor in George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Instituting democracy in nation of Iraq will certainly not lead to cheaper or lesser oil prices and is not worth risking American lives. However, serious and drastic decisions have been made such as these by Hussein and Bush which proves the necessity of oil. Countries around the world have realized an abundance of these fossil fuels will create serious problems in the economy that will not allow the people to maintain a lifestyle close to what we are living now.
So people will ask, what is the answer? Some will say technology. Some will say conservation. Some will say a combination of both. The United States are experimenting with both, but not taking an immediate urgent approach. Being the consumer of so much oil the U.S. needs to be the leader in movements to conserve energy. Windmills are a decent option but, they will never be the answer as the energy produced is not very effective. A more effective option is solar power but, it is very costly. Electric or energy efficient cars have been produced the past few years but are not popular. The supply is running low and it is leaving us with few options as consumers. We can either try to be more efficient consumers and conserve our resources or the government will take it in their own hands and essentially go into the Middle East and extract it for as long as they can until it runs out. The latter plan will surely create conflict in the Middle East and require military action. So the question remains to be: Will we conserve our resources or are we looking at wars that will last generations?
Without having seen this documentary, I feel that the point was more likely that America’s dependency on oil is the problem, rather than a dependency on foreign oil. Yes we do need to try to end fueling the economy of many nations with which we are at odds with (Venezuela for example), but more oil drilling would not fix our energy problems. It is merely a near sighted solution with many long term problems. Looking into green energy solutions could create a new job market for Americans, as well as securing environmental stability for future generations.
ReplyDeleteStudent Responses
ReplyDeleteAfter reading my classmates opinions on A Crude Awakening it seems to me the film took on a bit of an alarmist perspective predicting an apocalypse like crumbling of modern day society should oil cease to be available. I agree if one day we literally went from having abundant oil to having none society would come grinding to a halt and we would be in serious trouble, but in the real world this scenario is unlikely. The notion that we have so little an idea of the amount of oil existing that it will eventually run out without warning is ridiculous. Oil prices, like all commodity pricing, is determined based on the amount of said commodity available, even if OPEC is skewing the numbers as to how much oil remains they could not do it to the point that prices wouldn't rise dramatically a few years before the oil ran out. It would only take this nation a few years to make use of existing alternative energy technologies to run our economy. Yes, it would be unfathomably expensive in the short term and painful for everyone involved, however it would not lead to a hollywood style apocalypse.
Oil is undoubtedly one of the most valuable and important substances known to man. It is used to make plastic, powers our vehicles, heats our homes, and has lead to the growth and prosperity of various oil-rich locations. The documentary A Crude Awakening highlights the importance of oil in our lives by playing commercials and parts of oil-related documentaries throughout the years showing all of the day-to-day products that use oil in some way, such as clothing, milk cartons, and computers. Juxtaposing footage of Texas, Venezuela, and Azerbaijan in their oil heyday with barren wastelands that they are less than a century later presents the chilling focal point of the documentary: the world’s dwindling oil resources and peak oil. It’s rather interesting to note that although the Middle East is the current hot spot for oil, the United States was the oil producing equivalent of the Middle East for a century. To be able to go from oil-rich to oil-dependent in a relatively short amount of time is perhaps more telling than any number of statistics.
ReplyDeleteWith the sheer amount of then and now comparisons shown throughout the video, I find this to be the most effective documentary out of the ones I have seen. “Effective”, in this case meaning a balance between known and unknown history, visual and factual juxtapositions (such as the previously mentioned Texas, Venezuela, and Azerbaijan examples), and overall ability to combine these aspects into a shock and awe cinematic campaign that leaves a burning impression on the viewer of just what peak oil is and whether or not it has been hit yet. My only major gripe with the documentary is the imbalance of time split between explaining the status and history of peak oil and offering good alternatives or countermeasures to future collapse. Before the documentary even reaches the halfway mark, viewers are aware of the oil issue, but it is not until well past that point that solutions or alternatives are offered. If the average viewer knows just how to spend their money towards oil consumption and what good alternatives ought to be purchased, I believe such a lengthy explanation of the problem will become frivolous.
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash
ReplyDeleteDr. Hubbert predicted exactly when the United States would reach their peak in oil discoveries and therefore we started relying on foreign oil. Dr. Hubbert’s theory is so successful that it can be used worldwide to determine the approximate end to discovering oil. Globally we are basically at our peak with oil primarily coming out of the Middle East.
However, with an increase and a peak, there is always a downfall in discoveries and production. Unfortunately, our society is geared around oil that such a drastic fall in production would require a new social structure. Cities that rely on commuters would have to find other means of transportation, the process for manufacturing products would have to change, and people would need to find other sources of energy for heat. The lack of oil is a drastic change because we have been so reliant on oil and never expected it to run out. Oil has also been the fuel for war between countries because they want to control oil fields for their profit. For example, a lot of the conflict in the Middle East is caused because everyone wants cheap oil. On an economic scale, the reduction in oil production could cause another depression that is possibly even worse than the great depression.
Hubbert’s theory is beneficial because it gives us an idea of how much longer we have until we reach our peak. We need to prepare for the results of our constant use of a non-renewable resource.
Student Response
ReplyDeleteThe responses to this film are awakening, because it makes us think past oil the thing that has fueled many things including wars. The future of what the world uses instead of oil is fascinating and that the people in this world are trying to fight over the little that is left rather than come up with a solution together is beyond me.
RESPONSE:
ReplyDeleteMy opinion about this film about peak oil is that peak oil should not be allowed to happen. I think that we should do everything in our power to expedite the development of alternative energy. I realize that the US and other countries are entrenched in oil and fossil fuels and a transition would be difficult but such a transition is absolutely necessary. I want to hear solutions to the energy crisis. I do not want to hear stories similar to that of the electric car during the mid 90s. I think so highly of alternative energy, that I love high gas prices, because I hope that that specific stress will motivate change.
The practice of falsifying oil data by many members of O.P.E.C. is both morally and economically reprehensible. Their failure to tell the truth to the world market and consumers could cause a future economic, social, and technological meltdown of proportions not seen since the Great Depression. Without a truthful account of how much oil is under the ground the public will be unable to prepare for the lack of oil. The leadership will be unable to convince people that oil is running out, as even they believe that there is still an abundant supply for their country to live on, meaning that there will be no calls for the preparation necessary for a non fossil-fuels dependent US. This means that at any time oil could run out, and the world would be put in shock, having depended on a lie, just as the misplaced trust of the banking industry caused shock in financial markets within the last few years. In utilizing this strategy, these nations benefit by being able to by-pass rules that limit the amount of oil that is allowed to be pumped. This allows them to meet demand and ensure the continued investment by countries who buy oil, countries who should, perhaps, be investing those same funds in alternative energy generation. This is a short-sighted plan which allows the oil-producing nations to continue to sell their product and generate investment income, essentially producing short-term gains. For the unsuspecting consumer, it appears that all is well with the availability of oil, and in fact the lower prices resulting from this practice ensure that consumers will also attempt to get their leadership to support the ongoing growth of the industry. In the short-term, the companies are better able to make strong economic deals for themselves and their share-holders. In the short-term this is the best possible way for these companies to stay on top, and in the long term it may even mean that they will be able to assist their nations in diversification but at the expense of currently developed nations that depend upon them. By the end of the movie it becomes apparent that the world is potentially approaching the largest economic and political meltdown in history. If the illegal and inherently wrong actions of the oil monopoly do not change, the entire world will pay in the resultant maelstrom.
ReplyDeleteStudent Response:
ReplyDeleteThis whole idea that oil is not an endless resource and that it will run out someday is true of course, but I don't think it's something to have a hernia over. Oil will run out and when it does we will find another source of fuel. We might as well keep using it as we are and attempt to find an alterinative fuel source in the mean time. Once our backs are against the wall I'm sure human kind will find a solution. Changing from oil to an alternative source will no doubt cause huge repercussions within the world economy, but sometimes a cleansing is necessary in order to bring in a new age.
An interesting business concept in A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash that relates to the oil industry is the idea of a Hubbert’s Peak. This business concept refers to the discovery and the subsequent production of the discovered oil. These two graphs end up in the shape of 2 bell curves with the graph of discovery before that of use. The controversy associated with this radical comment is that it came at a time where it was thought that oil sources were infinite. Oil flowed at millions of barrels a day, and as such, people did not want to think the golden age of oil would ever run out. However, much to peoples’ dismay, Hubbert was right.
ReplyDeleteThe reason that I find his idea so intriguing is because it was so radical. He held this belief while people considered him ludicrous. I respect his refusal to yield and steadfastness in response to public opinion as well as his ability to foresee the flaws of an ever growing oil industry. As a result of the discovery of Hubbert’s Peak, the economy was greatly influenced. Oil is a worldwide market, and if it’s value or supply diminishes in any way, then the rest of business will lose value too. This is simply because everything is based on the need of oil! For example, oil is drilled. Then, a manufacturer needs the oil to make a plastic product. Next, after production, it takes oil to deliver the product to retail stores. Finally, the buyer needs oil to drive from their house to the store to buy the product. The whole chain of business is dependent on the oil being there. If it suddenly is gone, then how can business operate? Similarly, as we have reached our peak of oil discovery, the supply can only go down for oil. Because of the decrease in supply and such a high demand, prices will only go up and like the movie stated, years from now, only one-one thousandth of the wealthiest one percent will be able to have the luxuries that we have like flying on an airplane. Oil will soon become a luxury and when it isn’t readily available, the world will be in shock.
However, there is still hope. Scientists need to continue to work to find a new source of energy, either renewable or as powerful as that of oil. The new idea is to use the power of hydrogen to power cars, as well as wind and solar energy to power everyday objects. We need to be able to effectively and efficiently use these sources to replace oil. Otherwise, the economic effects are inevitable. Without oil, business and industry as a whole will fail. As a result, millions of people will be out of work and the economy will therefore collapse. Drastic measures need to be taken in order to avoid disaster. Oil has been a staple in peoples’ lives and remaining ignorant to the fact that the amount of oil is depleting only has fatal consequences. This is a worldwide issue and some people need to take the initiative to resolve it. A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash has shown me how important oil is not only to individual people, but to the worldwide economy as well. Unless giant steps are taken to avoid disaster, prosperity will be short-lived.
“A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash”
ReplyDeleteThis film seems very interesting after having read the remarks by other students. This film notes how much oil we use in our every day lives, it highlights the products around us which contain oil, and how we use it. It is interesting to read about the future predictions of running out of oil, and switching powerhouse oil producing countries because natural resources are simply depleted. I would definitely like to watch this documentary in the future because oil is a big part of my life, I use it every day, and would like to see where the oil is coming from, and how it is affecting everybody’s lives.
Crude Awakening
ReplyDeleteIn the documentary A Crude Awaking: The Oil Crash, we are given a view into the state of the world’s oil supplies and its effect upon the world’s economics. It showed that, due to the seismic changes oil has brought to the quality of living and the expected quality of living and the subsequent increase in demand for oil product, how extremely the world would be, or rather will be, affected with the inevitable depletion of the energy source.
Though there were very few specific persons mentioned throughout, M. King Hubbert was spoken about. Hubbert was the first to predict that our supply of oil was small and that we would soon run out of this essential energy source. He stated that the discovery and production of oil would reach a peak; called Hubbert’s Peak, which we would soon be at, and the production of oil would then recede on a downward slope, whose steepness was still unforeseen. At the time of his discoveries, Hubbert was thought to be out of his mind with his ideas. However, in reality, if his ideas would have been taken seriously, it could have saved the world from the potential mess we will be in when our oil supplies run out and there is no suitable energy source to replace it. I liked Hubbert for the risk he took in declaring his discoveries and his attempts to create desire for different energy, seen in his advertising solar power.
The documentary leaves the viewer with the ominous question on how man-kind will be able to handle the issue it has in energy, and, like most things, that remains to be seen.
Jared,
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with you on most observations you made of A Crude Awakening, there are two points I respectfully wish to clarify. To begin, you claim that the U.S. consuming 25% of the world's oil is “ridiculous”. It is important, however, to remember that the United States is the third most populous country in the world and therefore must be expected to consume a vast quantity. My second clarification: the overall impression I receive of your resposne is that America is addicted to oil. I believe that America is addicted to cheap energy, which is currently in the form of oil. Once the supply of oil becomes more scarce, prices will rise and demand will drop. Solar, wind, and thermal energy are environmentally healthy alternatives, but I do not believe they will become mainstream until they are cheaper than oil.
I found this documentary to be very interesting because it provided a solid amount of information about how oil works in our economy. Honestly, one of the more interesting things that I took from this documentary was the mere fact that a single barrel of gas is 42 gallons of refined oil. A single barrel of oil currently sells at around ninety United States’ dollars. This amount of oil is about the amount of oil that it takes two fill up two Toyota Camry’s, which is a below average sized car here in the United States. The documentary states the money that comes out of a single barrel of oil is equal to the amount needed to pay for the annual salaries of 12 oil workers over seas. In other words, the amount of gas that it takes for me to fill up the Toyota Camry that I drive is equal to an amount of money that is enough to pay six oil workers for an entire year. To me, it is amazing that oil workers are able to work for that cheap. Moreover, It amazes me to think of the profits that oil companies are able to make, having workers that are willing to work for such small amounts of money.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that it was really interesting to learn that the United States used to be the worlds largest oil producing nation, but that it peaked out. The documentary seems to make the point that the only place in the world that has not peaked in oil production is the Middle East. I really don’t know what to think about this. I feel like the Middle Eastern countries that produce a ton of oil, like Saudi Arabia will continue to get richer, especially as they are able to do business amongst the emerging markets. At the same time, I think that the United States should begin to produce more oil, because we have plenty of oil. I really feel that we should produce more oil for domestic use, because I feel like it would lower the oil price in the United States. I also think that we should produce some oil and sell it to countries that are emerging, like China and India. I think that this would be a great way for us to make money, as long as production does not spike.
As far as what the documentary says about alternative energy, I both agree and disagree. It is definitely true that we will run out of oil at some point, but I really think that it is nothing to worry about for a long time. I feel like it is a good idea to start exploring other methods of energy, but from an investors standpoint, I do not think that it would be wise to invest in alternative energy just yet. I think that the smartest thing one can do right now, especially as an American is to accept the fact that oil prices are high, and to invest in an oil company that pays steep annual dividends, keeping in mind that the demand for oil will be high at least for several years, and try to make up their own oil expenses with the profits that will come with owning stock in an oil company. Overall, this documentary was one of my favorites, but I do think that the people that spoke in it seemed to be way too paranoid about running out of energy, which is disturbing because lack of oil will not become a problem for a long time.
Patrick,
ReplyDeleteGood insight. I agree that oil is a mixed blessing. While seemingly essential to our everyday lives, I agree that we must consider the cost we also incur by using oil as the useful product it is. Maybe alternative ways of producing energy and plastic-like materials will help this negative affect and find a healthy balance of our oil consumption. Because this is a scarce resource, we must find the most beneficial way to distribute and subsequently use oil. I think that viewing oil in the big picture will help us veer away from the image of it being a “God” or “black gold.”
In response to Jared Haite,
ReplyDeleteIt is hard for any world power, in my opinion, not to flock to another nation and fight tooth and nail for any commodity that would improve the quality and ease of life for its citizens. It seems the nation acts in the best interest of its citizens and economy when pursuing oil in foreign nations. In addition, it is not a first for the United States to take actions such as these. In history other world powers have clashed on foreign battlegrounds contending for luxuries such as textiles, gold, spices, and land. It is the same game with essentially the same objective, simply a different product for history tends to repeat itself. Besides, to use a rather cliche and vapid argument, if not us then someone else would just as likely do it.
In Response to Pat,
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the oil industry is no exception when it comes to underhanded business practices. Not only that, but unlike banking oil is a limited resource. I am interested to find out what precautions are being taken(if any) to prevent catastrophic fuel shortages in the future. The world, americans especially often rely on cars, and without cheap oil our common form of transportation could become a luxury. I agree that the oil business deserves some funding, but the focus should shift, slowly, to finding new sources of energy that we can rely on. A reliable energy source can only help our current economic situation as well as provide stability.
Student Response:
ReplyDeleteFrom reading the post about this film in seems that the main idea of the film is that eventually the oil that we all depend on so much will run out. This is not a ground breaking theory; all natural resources will one day be depleted. I think that it is always better to be well prepared so why would mankind not try to seek alternate forms of fuel? Even in the near future if another form of fuel that can be as reliable as oil it only makes sense to use that side by side with oil, because it would slow down the use of oil, but not completely remove it from use.
A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash
ReplyDeleteA Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash is really all about the imminent crisis from running out of oil that will hit us in the next decade or two. The economic practice featured is the consumption of oil. The consumption of oil is something to be loved and hated.
The consumption of oil is easy to love. A $100 barrel gives you 25,000 man hours, cheap effective, and easy to use. Oil can be made into so many different things that improve our lifestyle. I personally like to use it to power my truck, or fly to a faraway place using it. It is the cheapest liquid available in the US, a cup being a fourth of the price as a cup of coffee. It is the substance that helped create civilization as we know it. I like using oil because it gives me my comfortable lifestyle but I know it will not last. As much as I like it I know we must find a substitute or find a way to create oil.
Oil is a guilty pleasure for me. It has made my lifestyle possible, yet it has harsh consequences on the environment. It is also finite and will need to be regulated to some extent or disappear forever from the earth. I dislike is use because the by-products like plastic will not disappear for a 1000 years or like carbon dioxide will change the climate for years to come. Another reason for my dislike of oil is that it will cause resource wars in the near future. The fact that it is so vital to the US also allows speculators to drive the price up to ridiculous prices and people will still have to buy it.
Oil is something to love but realize as A Crude Awakening points out that it will not last forever and will be a catalyst for future wars.
Oil can be used in the following analogy: Oil is to the World as Blood is to Humans. In other words oil basically keeps the world moving because oil makes up 98% of transport energy it is very essential to modern society. Oil is a nonrenewable resource that makes almost everything go. For instance a computer monitor uses about 10x its energy of crude oil when used. The main reason oil has become such a precious resource is because at the rate we are using our oil we will probably have enough to last us at most 1-2 centuries.
ReplyDeleteThis film indeed lived up to its title by presenting a myriad of statistics and interviews to supplement its point. Using hard logic and sound reasoning throughout, the filmmakers prove that oil takes millions of years to create naturally and that supplies are finite. Mathematically, it is shown that oil discovery will likely follow a bell curve and the peak indicates the midpoint. Predictions indicate that we should have reached the peak of oil discovery around this time and that only an inevitable decline lies ahead. However, the investigation into the practices of oil companies show that these business simply do not care or even acknowledge the present situation.
ReplyDeletePrecisely what practice I find fault with is difficult, rather I dislike the entire practice of overproduction and all that goes with it. Oil companies manipulate statistics that they report in order to earn extensions on production limits. This is wrong not simply because it is dishonest and illegal, but because of the impact it has on the international community of consumers. This fools consumers and experts alike into believing that ample reserves are present and that the supply of oil seems infinite. And because this practice expands production limits, these oil companies can now drill more oil out of the ground. This in turn accelerates the depletion of the limited amounts of oil. The abundance also lowers prices which drives up demand. Consequently, oil supplies are being consumed at a much higher and faster rate than normally.
This result causes numerous other setbacks. Primarily, it truncates the amount of time scientists have to develop better and more efficient methods of generating energy. As we turn to cleaner sources of fuel and even renewable sources, it takes years, maybe decades to properly devise of such technologies and make them efficient. When it comes to non-renewable energy sources such as oil, it is vital that more planning be done, more regulation and common sense be implemented, and a lot more consideration.
Jared, you made some solid points in this analysis of the film, but I wish to discuss one aspect of your response in more detail. You seem to portray the United States seeking oil out as a criminal behavior the likes of which the world has never seen. Oil, however, is just another resource, and the drive to find new resources was the way in which the new world was discovered was it not? While it is true the United States has done some horrible things in search of new resources (much like the colonists) the country has also instilled political stability to areas that, before our intervention, were some of the most volatile political areas on the planet.
ReplyDeleteThe video A Crude Awakening is a look back on the past 100 years or so of oil consumption and production. The general conclusion is that we as a population are consuming oil at a rate that in the future will not exist. Various researchers in the film explain that we are currently at the world’s peak of oil production, and there is a potentially very rocky road for us on the way down.
ReplyDeleteI believe at this point the majority of the population knows that oil will not last forever, whether or not they would like to acknowledge this is another story. The problem now is simply how dependant our population is on this source of energy. We are so heavily dependent on oil that it’s almost as if someone told us we were running out of oxygen. As stated in the video “We didn’t switch from horses to automobiles because we ran out of hay” the problem now is people don’t want to upgrade, people want to ignore the problem and stay comfortable, because as of right now they can. We need more people researching for the next step or else when the oil crisis hits we will be starting at square one. Although, politicians can outright say we have an oil problem because that’s not what the people want to hear. The truth is there’s not a bright future when it comes to energy and we do need to start working now because we have already fallen way behind.
Kevin your insights in A Crude Awakening are very eye-opening. I agree that the world has to slow the production of oil so that scientists can have more time to develop new forms of energy. I believe that the greed of oil companies to continue to overproduce oil in order to make money is a fixable problem to our energy problem. If these company owners realize the energy crisis that they are speeding the world towards and slow production it will give scientists time to create new energy forms. However, if these oil companies continue to rapidly produce oil scientists may not have enough time to develop new forms of energy, and there will be a global energy crisis.
ReplyDeleteCrude Awakening sounds very interesting. The idea that oil is such a crucial part of everyday life is one that I have never really considered. To think that our lives rely on something that is of a limited supply is also worrying. Does the movie mention any preferable means of creating energy?
ReplyDeleteA Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash, considers the tragedies that would surely ensue if alternative energy sources are not quickly discovered and developed. By many estimates, it will take 14 terawatts of energy, in the next thirty to fifty years, to power the United States of America. This documentary is very adept at an illustrative depiction of the multifaceted purposes of oil and the world’s demand for it. Everything from cosmetics to plastics employs one or more of the components of oil from the refining process. The problem, though, is that our dependence on this non-renewable, fossil fuel cannot be substantiated nor met over the long haul. We, as a country, and as a united people, must come to realize that at some point the reserves run dry, just as they did in McCamey, Texas and other places all over the world. In the light of these examples, it is easy to see that ingenuity and innovation will be necessary to open up new industries of diversified and alternative energy. Hindering innovation is a practice by OPEC, in which the actual amounts of oil in reserves are exaggerated, so that more oil can be produced.
ReplyDeleteOPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is the broad, umbrella organization that has taken part in an interesting business practice to produce more oil. At the start of the year, OPEC releases statistics, numbers, and information on the quantitative amount of oil in its reserves. By the end of the year, the same type of information is released on how much oil was produced. The problem being though, that the amount of oil in the reserves stayed the same. As posed by one of the speakers in the film, how can you produce oil for an entire year and still have the same amount of oil in the reserves? Well, quite obviously, the fact is that these numbers are simply inaccurate. OPEC exaggerates the numbers because it allows for a greater output of oil and, therefore, greater political clout. As stated in the film, maybe it is oil, and not money, that makes the world go round.
Although OPEC is drastically wrong in its dissemination of information, there are many thinkers and engineers who try to positively contribute whatever they can to the energy fields so that, hopefully, sometime soon, our reliance on oil will be done away with. Fuels and sources such as hydrogen and solar could be further explored so that America will not face financial and economic collapse after we reach our peak period. In line with this, politicians need to make the public aware of our energy circumstances and they need to begin to call for a rise in alternative energy research. Maybe the best place for a movement of that proportion to start is with us, the American people.
In "A Crude Awakening," the general practice of oil refineries is both extremely dangerous and detrimental to the earth and to society, as well as extremely necessary and unavoidable. The issue oil is one that is very difficult. Clearly, oil is an extremely valuable item in our society. Oil was even described as a “God.” Oil is important to most every part of our society. Oil runs everything, not just cars, trucks and other vehicles run on oil, but also things such as plastic come from the oil refining process. Oil plays an even larger role in society than we realize. It completely runs the world that we know, making it easier and more convenient to live in.
ReplyDeleteThere is of course, a downside to all of this convenience and efficiency that oil provides. Oil is a very scarce resource that we are using at an alarming rate. The oil, which is naturally provided to us is running out and we are soon not going to have any of the comforts that the oil provides because we will not have the oil. So we need to find some way to hinder the use of oil.
The oil refineries are without question, hurting the environment and wasting an extremely valuable, extremely limited resource. However, what they are doing is somewhat of a necessary evil. We need this oil to survive and the harm that they are doing is helping us in many ways, some of which we do not even realize. So the oil refineries are very damaging and yet also very helpful.
Response to A Crude Awakening (Kevin Dong)
ReplyDeleteAs you noted, an alternate energy source to oil may take several years to develop. This makes me wonder how, with our present abundance of drilled oil, it will be possible to bridge the gap to another fuel source without causing a peak in demand. In addition to the factors of scarcity of oil and scarcity of regulation, environmental issues play a large part in decisions regarding oil. Whether our planet could accept the increase in oil usage caused by regulated prices is an essential question to consider in moving forward. Unfortunately, the hole that oil producers have dug is nearly impossible to escape without massive ramifications. The current situation presents an overwhelming challenge, and hopefully we can resolve with better judgment than with which we caused it.
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