Richard Wood

00796185

Crude Impact

Crude Impact was basically facts that fell under two categories, the impact of oil on humanity, and the impact of oil on the environment. The movie began discussing humanity's dependence on oil and stressing the fact that we are putting ourselves in a dangerous situation. Many subjects of humanity and oil were covered and then the movie moved on to how our use of oil is destroying out environment. For example oil spills and ways of harvesting oil in South America have caused major problems with animals and plants. Also in South America improper disposal of oil waste has led to a problem with polluted drinking water for the locals.

The most obvious problem with our dependence on oil is that the oil will eventually run out and there is no avoiding that. Oil is a non renewable resource and the entire world economy runs off it. From our cars to our homes oil is necessary for the "American Lifestyle". Although America uses the most oil at the moment other countries such as China are quickly catching up. America still far outdistances China in oil usage when you compare their populations. The scariest and most serious issues will arise when America runs out of countries supply us with oil. As the worlds largest military power we will most likely resort to trying to hold the world at ransom for oil. This is when oil wars will begin and the US will most likely be suppressed by China and its allies. Major conflict will follow the shortage of oil.

The second less problematic issue for humans is our effect on the environment. The video put a lot of stress on this issue but oil wars will cause a lot more devastation than even the worst oil spill in history. Even so the effect we are having on the environment is not a positive one. With oil spills and the poisonous chemicals after the refinement of oil is slowly wearing away the most beautiful of areas. The improper disposal of refined wastes is a problem in many areas of the world and the worst part is these effects could have been avoided except for the fact that it costs money to get rid of these chemicals. Major companies like Exxon would rather throw their chemicals in a stream or ocean than put in a few thousand dollars to dispose of these chemicals properly.

The entire video was very enlightening although it repeated many points made in chapter 13. I thought some of the video was a bit redundant compared to the chapter but it was nice to have video cues because they make more of a mental impact. I feel like I can remember a lot more from the chapter after watching the video. Facts about the populations of different countries and such were repeated and their effects on the world. I have definitely always known that the planet was breaking down and we would eventually run out of oil but my timeline was a bit off. Major oil shortages by 2010 definitely wasn't something I was planning on. The video made me feel more helpless because I know that a few minor changes to our lifestyles could fix these problems but due to human greed and laziness these measures wont be taken until it is absolutely necessary. There is something pathetic to be said about the human race when they can not preemptively take measures to save themselves from a global disaster. The facts are there and the activity on the site proves that Americans are the most wasteful on the planet. Hopefully our government can make major changes in the future but I remain skeptical.