As you may recall, I am a big fan of Monty Python. One of their movies, “The Life of Brian” has a scene called “What have the Romans done for us?” You can watch it here first before reading on.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/ExWfh6sGyso]
So now that you have perspective, lets talk about the villain – hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbons are the chemical combinations that bring us oil and natural gas. But what has hydrocarbons ever done for us?
Gasoline
Plastics
Medicines
Fertilizer
Waxes
Solvents
Cosmetics
And so on and on…
My point is this – we vilify hydrocarbons today, but they are responsible for much of the industrial growth of the world and ability for mass food production. How we address the proper use of the remaining supplies for the truly important aspects is to be seen.
The chief complaint is the rapid release of CO2, Carbon Dioxide into our air and resulting climate change that greenhouse gases create. You should recall most of the CO2 had been trapped by vegetation millions of years ago by the natural process of photosynthesis. Also know that water vapor is the largest source of greenhouse gas. Photosynthesis is nature’s way of filtering our air. A plant takes in H2O and CO2 and release O2 (oxygen). So, you might want to get busy planting A LOT of vegetation.
And next time you get into a conversation about the petroleum industry, remember what it has done for you, and the world, and (sing and whistle along with me now) “always look on the bright side of life.”
[youtube=http://youtu.be/jHPOzQzk9Qo]
