Crude Oil Crisis Essay example -- Essays Papers

Crude Oil Crisis The modern world survives on a steady diet of energy that is obtained from a wide variety of places and is used in an even wider variety of ways. The undeniable dependence of our modern culture on energy has both positive and negative effects on the world we live in. While our lives get more convenient, the environment is suffering. While technology is used to improve the quality of life, our non-renewable energy resources are depleting. The double edged sword that is our energy reliance is a constant compromise between what the world wants, and what the world has. While solutions to these problems are difficult to enact, the world must be wise in the way that it consumes and uses the energy resources it has. It is estimated that 98.16 quadrillion Btu of energy are used in the United States each year, the vast majority of which comes from non-renewable resources such as crude petroleum oil, coal, and natural gas (EIA, February 2005). This is particularly true in the United States where these three sources account for roughly 87% ...