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When we hear that the price of oil has gone up, usually the first thing that we think about is having to pay more for gasoline. While a large percentage of oil does go towards making gasoline, it isn’t the only thing that oil is used for.
Chance are, right now you’re probably using many products that have derived from oil, and these everyday items are only going to get more expensive as the price for and demand of oil continues to increase.
Here’s a list of common household products that are derived from oil and that you probably use, or are the beneficiary of, each and every day:
- Plastics
- Fertilizer
- Ink
- Synthetic rubber
- Candle wax
- Make-up
- Polyester
- Soapless cleaners
Keep in mind, this is just the tip of the iceberg, especially when you consider how many of the above products go into making other items we consume or use on a daily basis.
Also, this doesn’t even factor in the increased shipping costs associated with higher prices. So, not only are these oil based products going to be more expensive, but since it’s going to cost more to get them to the stores where you buy them, the price is going to shoot up even higher!
So when you hear that the price of oil has increased, or that we’re going to start to run out of oil relatively soon, you shouldn’t just be worried about the price of gasoline increasing; you should probably be worried about the price of EVERYTHING increasing!
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shit yea, peak oil is gonna fuck a lotta shit up
this is also going to increase the economic disparity between the rich and the poor.
That’s the whole deal about our economy though. Since everything we touch, essentially, is made from a petroleum by-product i.e. our clothing, desks, chairs, cars, shampoo, cups, saucers, computers, then that leaves our entire society in a vulnerable position. We are spending petro-dollars. Everything in our society, as a whole, is based not on the old gold standard, not on our manufacturing prowess, not on our exports…. but on oil. We are totally dependent or foreign oil for everything we are and have become. It’s not nearly just about gas. It’s everything that is made from it – which is just about everything except cotton, wool and grains.
We’re screwed.
So, everything will have to change to be done more cleanly, intelligently, and with less waste.
As if change weren’t happening every day at a blazing pace already.
Here’s a short video I made about petroleum-based product, the decline in production and an emphasis on how it will impact our agriculture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjjo8d0F-4k
The oils that are used in most of these products can be produced from plants. Of course growing the raw materials will be much more expensive than just pumping oil out of the ground, but with serious recycling and less wasteful use of plastics, we will no need for society to go back to the 19th century. That being said, I imagine there are going to be some real nasty growing pains, as there is a lot of resistance to change.
Given a choice between changing their mind or changing the world, most people choose the world.