Monday, October 12, 2015

United States' Oil Addiction


As a society, we are oil addicts. Oil is in everything we use as a society. It powers our cars, planes, and trains. We use it to make plastic, rubber, carpets, and paint. It provides us with electricity, heat, and power. The U.S produces about 11.5 trillion barrels of oil per day, or roughly 506 trillion gallons of oil. As a country, we are the second largest producer of oil only behind Saudi Arabia. But this alone is not enough to feed our oil addiction. The U.S imports 8.53 million barrels of oil each day, roughly 372 million gallons of oil each day. Our oil addiction comes at a cost. Drilling for oil slowly degrades habitats and releases harmful gases into the ozone layer. Oil spills are killing our marine habitats and wildlife. And yet, Americans still do not admit to this harmful addiction and show no signs of changing our habits.  

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