What are pros and cons of petroleum?

Answer 1

Petroleum probably has more cons than pros, but it has ample supply of both. Here are some of the most basic ones:

Pros

• It is easy to use, both privately and in power plants
• For the moment, it is attainable
• It is a cornerstone of the economies of some nations, namely in the Middle East
• It fortifies international relations between nations that mine petroleum and nations that use it
• It may be used both as a source of energy and as a simple source of heat, for things like heaters and stoves

Cons

• Mining it is destructive to the environment, and in the event of a spill, devastating
• Combustion of petroleum produces exhausts that are toxic to animal life, and which cause extremification of surface temperatures (global climate change)
• Petroleum is coveted, and is often associated with greed, dishonesty, and even violence
• Combustion of petroleum is a relatively inefficient source of energy
• Petroleum is nonrenewable, so once we've depleted our supplies of it, it'll be gone
• Petroleum is highly combustible, and is thus a hazard for dangerous accidents
• Fumes from petroleum (not combustion, but vapor) are potentially carcinogenic (cancer-causing)
• Use of petroleum, or mining of it, may lead to economic dependence thereupon, and basing an entire economy off of a rapidly-depleting resource is dangerous