Greta Thunberg Is Poster Girl For Ignorance Of Elites Who Are Using Products They Want To Ban – OpEd

Nobody ever uses “raw crude oil”, thus without people demanding PRODUCTS and FUELS made from crude oil, there would be no need for oil! 

Recently, Ms. Greta Thunberg, the Swedish environmental activist, scolded the world’s leaders by exclaiming “How dare you?” in reference to their perceived indifference and inaction to the climate crisis. More accurately, Ms. Thunberg’s question should have been “How dare ME for demanding the products and fuels manufactured from crude oil, that makes MY life more comfortable?”

Looking back at the history of the petroleum industry, it illustrates that the black cruddy looking crude oil was virtually useless, unless it could be manufactured (refineries) into oil derivatives that are now the basis of the oil derivatives used to manufacture products, such as medications, waxes, asphalt, lubricating oil, various plastics, solvents, and transportation fuels, that are essential for supporting modern lifestyles. 

Policymakers are unaware that crude oil is not used in its natural, unrefined state. Crude oil is extracted from the earth and later refined into various fuels and oil derivatives that are the basis of products such as waxes, asphalt, lubricating oil, various plastics, transportation fuels, and a wide variety of other consumer goods.

Realistically it’s a continuing increase in demand by the public for the PRODUCTS and FUELS manufactured from oil that is causing an increase in oil demand.

The more than 6,000 products  in today’s society that did not exist before the 1800’s are based on the oil derivatives manufactured from raw crude oil are being used for the health and well-being of humanity, and for the generation of electricity.

Interestingly, ALL the electrical generation from hydro, coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, and solar, are ALL built with the products, components, and equipment that are made from those same oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil. Electricity came AFTER humanity discovered how to extract usable derivatives from that raw crude oil to make things. Before oil, we’re back to the pre-1800’s.

Energy literacy starts with the knowledge that crude oil is the basis of our materialistic society. Conversations are needed to discuss the difference between just “ELECTRICITY” from wind turbines and solar panels that don’t work most of the time, and the “PRODUCTS” that are the basis of society’s materialistic world. Wind turbines and solar panels are themselves MADE from oil derivatives, and only generate occasional electricity but manufacture NOTHING for society.

World leaders have little comprehension that ridding the world of crude oil, without a replacement in mind, would be immoral and evil, as extreme shortages of the products now manufactured from fossil fuels will result in billions of fatalities from diseases, malnutrition, and weather-related deaths, and could be the greatest threat to the world’s population of 8 billion.

In the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis in 1977, the Department of Energy was established to lessen our dependence on foreign oil but today, with its 14,000 employees and a $48 billion dollar budget the D.O.E. continues to remain dead silent and has allowed California, the 4^th largest economy in the world to increase imported crude oil from 5 percent in 1992 to almost 60 percent today of total consumption. 

• California is home to 9 International airports, 41 Military airports, and 3 of the largest shipping ports in America. California’s growing dependency on other nations for crude oil is a serious national security risk for America!

In addition, the Department of Energy has remained silent while electric vehicle policies have made America increasingly dependent on rare earth minerals and metals mined for those batteries under atrocious slave labor and environmental conditions in other countries that the DOE and bureaucrats ignore.

• China controls a stranglehold 80% of the global supply monopoly on rare earth minerals and metals, with the Congo in Africa a 90% source of vital cobalt.

In addition to life longevity increasing with the support of the products in our materialistic world, and weather-related fatalities almost nonexistent, all because the different fuels for planes, ships, trucks, cars, militaries, and the space programs, and all the PRODUCTS and that did not exist before the 1800’s.

The more than 6,000 products  in today’s societies that were not around 200 years ago are based on crude oil, now supports: 

• Reliable supplies of continuous electricity that are being generated by hydro, nuclear, coal, and natural gas.
• Unreliable supplies of intermittent electricity from wind turbines and solar panels.
• Airports that accommodate the 20,000 commercial aircraft, and more than 50,000 military aircraft.
• Shipping terminals that accommodate 50,000 merchant ships.  
• Hospitals.
• Communications.
• Electronics
• Data Centers 
• Mining for industrial and precious metals.
• More than 1.4 billion vehicles in the world
• Almost 300 million trucks in the world
• Each year, approximately 2.5 billion tires are produced globally

We’re a materialistic society and need to replace oil to maintain that supply chain of PRODUCTS and FUELS. NONE of the 6 ways to generate ELECTRICITY (hydro, nuclear, coal, natural gas, wind, and solar) can make PRODUCTS for society, thus ELECTRICITY is not a source to support the supply chain of products and fuels.

I personally am NOT pro-fossil fuels, but I am pro for the products we get from fossil fuels.  Ridding the world of crude oil, without a “replacement” that can continue to support the supply chain of the more than 6,000 products now demanded by the 8 billion on this planet could result in the loss of billions from starvation, diseases, and weather-related fatalities.

So, before we jump out of the airplane without a parachute, and revert to the pre-1800’s, let’s identify the back-up “source” that can continue to support the supply chain for making of more than 6,000 products and the various fuels for the materialistic society of the 8 billion on this planet.