Oil, Production of

Roger Brown

THE PRODUCTION AND consumption of oil are regarded as contributing to global warming and climate change. Associated greenhouse gas emissions and alteration of the landscape in some regions are the contributing factors. Exploration, production, and refining have some impact, but the consumption, through combustion, is occurring at a staggering rate. Air samples, covering many years, have been analyzed from Antarctic ice cores. These data provide a strong correlation between increasing greenhouse gases and increasing supply and demand for oil. Crude oil is a hydrocarbon fossil fuel also known as petroleum. It is a natural substance that requires millions of years to form or mature. Oddly enough, crude oil is organic, although many think of it as inorganic. It is not renewable, considering the millions of years necessary for it to mature. The maturation process is an environmentally-friendly process because the organic matter decays without releasing gases to the atmosphere. This ...

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