Chapter 19: Transportation and Petroleum
What is the long emergency and what would happen in oil dramatically spiked in our community?
"The long emergency" = lacking cheap oil to transport goods, our economies decline and become localized
3 ways we acquire oil from Earth
- Drilling (traditional) - Oil Shale/Tar Sands - Deepwater extraction
What, when and where was the Deepwater Horizon Spill? Why was this such a disaster? What were some ecosystem services and industries that were lost (or severely damaged) in the Gulf Region?
- Explosion on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. 11 workers were killed and created a massive leak on the ocean floor. → Released nearly 5 billion barrels of crude oil. - Worst environmental accident: extensive damage to ecosystems and wildlife, fishing industry and tourism
Why is it so hard to quantify how much petroleum is left and how much we are using as consumers?
- Not all oil is marketable (also hard to determine oil locations) - Oil recovery is based largely on economics, not technology
What is the rebound effect and how does that relate to gasoline consumption?
As gas mileage improves, people drive more annually - stringent fuel economy standards will reduce per-mile driving costs and may raise vehicle miles traveled
The rebound effect
As vehicle mileage improves, drivers also increase their travel
How are fossil fuels formed?
Decayed remains of animals and plants are buried by sediments --> subjected to heat and pressure
Net energy
Energy returned - energy invested
EROI
Energy returned/energy invested
What are some pros and cons of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)? What is this pipeline designed to do?
Function: Proposed DAPL adjacent to Standing Rock Indian reservation Pros: transport oil to consumers/refineries, provide energy sources for the economy, provides jobs, boosts economy Cons: - Would destroy Sioux sacred grounds, potential spill could lead to jeopardy of freshwater,
Keystone XL pipeline: (pros and cons)/ what is this pipeline designed to do?
Function: proposed to connect Canadian oil sands to U.S. production facilities Pros: transport oil to consumers/refineries, provide energy sources for the economy, provides jobs, boosts economy Cons: Destruction of boreal forests in Canada, potential oil spill over Ogallala Aquifier
Why has the EROI of oil and natural gas gone from 30:1 in the 1950s to 11:1 or 3:1 currently?
High EROI means you get less oil (than previous years) for the same amount of investment - We have used all the easily accessible oil sources and it is now harder and more difficult to find oil
Years left of oil, natural gas and coal
Natural Gas = 64 years Coal = 112 years Oil = 54 years
What is peak oil and why should we care about it?
Peak oil (Hubbert) = we have reached our maximum discoverable oil, and now our sources are depleting slowly. We are using up more oil than we are discovering.
Petroleum/oil/gasoline
Petroleum is an oily, thick, liquid fossil fuel occurring in the earth's crust. (these 3 terms are interchangeable)
Peak oil
The hypothetical point in time when global production of oil reaches its maximum rate, after which production will gradually decline.
Why are U.S. cars so inefficient?
U.S. Gas prices are not that high compared to the rest of the world, therefore we are not motivated to increase efficiency
Household items that are petroleum based
Whoer curtain, most things plastic, plastic cups, containers, Blenders,
