PETROLEUM DEPENDENCE

(Redirected from Oil dependence)

Fossil energy sources includes coal, natural gas, and petroleum, out of which petroleum dependence poses the most immediate consequences due to limited supplies that may reach maximum production much sooner than other resources, see peak oil.
Petroleum dependence consists on the reliance of a nation or other entity upon the discovery, mass production, and distribution of fossil fuels and related products, frequently by another nation (i.e. OPEC) or monopolistic or oligolopolistic group, comparing petroleum extraction and refining to renewable energies, which originary sources (i.e. sun or wind) are more generally distributed on the world and for the citizens.
Political effects of oil dependence include monopolization, sociopolitical instability, geopolitical hegemony, dictatorship, terrorism and war (see U.S. Energy Independence). Economic effects include large foreign trade deficits, inflation and impacts to other areas of the economy during increasingly frequent periods of high oil prices (i.e. see 1973 oil crisis) ^[1] Health effects include asthma, lung cancer and other pollution-related diseases.
Reduction in oil dependence is impeded by financial incentives favorable to petroleum companies, large infrastructure investments, corruption and cultural inertia.
As an example, cars and vans consume 35% of Europe´s oil ^[2]. In the USA, automobiles are the single largest consumer of oil ^[3] (40%) and the source of 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. ^[4]

Contents

Alternatives

Nuclear

Renewable energies

See also

References

External links

Alternatives

Nuclear

Nuclear power currently has the ability to replace other forms of electricity generation, this does not include a large number of petroleum uses, though some new technology like hydrogen deal with the problem of allowing electricity production to replace petroleum uses in transportation. Since the beginning of the Anti-nuclear movement, however, there have been people who have claimed that the production of high level nuclear waste and damage done by Uranium mining is comparable to the environmental damage done by coal or petroleum.^[5].

Renewable energies

Due to the impact of oil on the environment limited supplies alternatives are considered; in the more or less long term, the replacement of this energy by another which is more sustainable.
Renewable energies are alternatives to fossil fuels in the production of electricity. Other technologies may allow them to replace petroleum in transportation.

See also

★ North American energy independence

★ U.S. Energy Independence

★ Alternative propulsion

★ Electric vehicle

★ Emission standard

★ Global warming

★ No-carbon renewable-energy economy (NCREE)
;Fossil fuels

★ Commission on Oil Independence

★ Non-renewable energy

★ World oil market

★ Oil phase-out in Sweden
;Peak Oil

★ Hubbert peak theory

★ Post carbon

References

1. http://serviciodeestudios.bbva.com/TLBB/fbin/EURO_070717_EconomicwatchEuropa_55_tcm208-102497.pdf
2. http://www.transportenvironment.org/docs/Press/2007/2007_02_12_te_letter_environment_council.pdf
3. http://jumpstartford.com/why_ford/
4. http://finance.senate.gov/hearings/testimony/2007test/050107testwm.pdf
5. http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/022607_energy.htm

External links

★ UN:World's Youth Demand a Nuclear and Fossil Fuel-Free Energy Future.

★ Dependence Reduction Through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy (DRIVE) Act in United States Senate Committee on Finance .

★ Carter urges oil independence

★ Energy Security Leadership Council.

★ http://www.americanenergyindependence.com/

★ http://www.energyindependencenow.org/

★ FOIL

★ The Short Path to Oil Independence.

★ Can oil independence be achieved?.

★ Oil Independence Day.

★ Freedom From Oil Campaign.

★ http://www.petitiononline.com/7554/petition.html