What are the disadvantages of using petroleum?

Answer 1

There are a couple of disadvantages of Petroleum usage.

• First of all, as Humans, we should plan on the Earth lasting us for Millions of years in the future. It is our only home that we have that is able to support life as we know it. Other planets in our solar system may support Human life, but not like Earth. People are predicting not only catastrophic environmental changes in the next generation or so, but essentially permanently using up the World's total oil reserves in the next couple of generations. What are we going to leave our grandchildren? Our great grandchildren?
• Burning Petroleum essentially means adding CO2 to the atmosphere
• There is a lot of controversy about Greenhouse Gasses... but for the first time in the evolution of Humans, we can now make measurable changes in the Carbon Dioxide levels in the entire atmosphere of the earth. Now, the percentage is going from 0.03% to 0.04% or so, a 33% increase, but they are still small amounts. We'll likely run out of fossil fuels before we reach toxic levels of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere around 2%. But, should that be our goal?
• Information does, however, indicate that with the increasing CO2 levels, we are making permanent changes in our environment, changes that we have difficulty predicting the full ramifications of.
• Plastics, and many other things are made out of Petroleum Oils. Once it is gone, they will be gone for good.
• There are suggestions to fuel our appetite for Petroleum Fuels we should try sequestering Carbon Dioxide with Limestone, or other ways to re-inject it into the earth. Carbon Dioxide is essentially an ACID. I'm not sure I'm ready to start filling the earth under my home with ACIDS.
• Petroleum Fuels are dangerous to handle.
• Petroleum fuels produce some of the most noxious pollutants
• As far as socio-economic disadvantages, we are sending a LOT of US Money, labor, etc overseas to feed this need for oil. This money would be much better spent domestically. And, a huge part of our trade deficit boils down to petroleum.
• We've found a method to put ourselves at the mercy of people who don't like us.
• There are few monarchies left in the world. Right in the center of the richest oil in the world lies the most powerful Monarchy in the world. And, we just let them do whatever they want.
• Now, cutting global oil use to a fraction would devastate the Middle East... but, perhaps they need to look at changing their own economies too.