Making Crude Oil Useful: What are the potential environmental problems in using crude oil?
Transporting millions of gallons of an oily liquid that doesn't mix with water but floats on it, across the sea in steel containers with thin sides (called tankers) is at some point going to lead to problems.
Crude oil is gooey and sticks to birds feathers, other wildlife and rocks.
Then to clean up a spillage of crude oil means agencies using detergents which also damage wildlife.
here are some pictures of the kind of damage done:
And here is a recent video report from the BBC of an oil spill and fire in West Virginia USA.
Making Crude Oil Useful: What are the potential political problems in using crude oil?
What happens if the UK obtains its supply of crude oil or natural gas from a politically unstable country?
The issue of a politically stable supply is urgent today (February 2015) since some people see some oil supplying countries as either ungovernable (Libya or Iraq) or unfriendly towards the UK (Iran or Russia) or with governments that may change quickly (Nigeria or Venezuela).
It would be better if Britain was self-sufficient in crude oil and natural gas which is why so much money has been spent exploiting the resources of oil and gas under the North Sea.
But Britain has to take supply from politically unstable countries because the country is not self sufficient in oil.
The third risk is greater if the country is not a member of the oil cartel OPEC: the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Pages on the "Mole" and "Using the Mole" in chemical calculations are here
Transporting millions of gallons of an oily liquid that doesn't mix with water but floats on it, across the sea in steel containers with thin sides (called tankers) is at some point going to lead to problems.
Crude oil is gooey and sticks to birds feathers, other wildlife and rocks.
here are some pictures of the kind of damage done:
Making Crude Oil Useful: What are the potential political problems in using crude oil?
What happens if the UK obtains its supply of crude oil or natural gas from a politically unstable country?
The issue of a politically stable supply is urgent today (February 2015) since some people see some oil supplying countries as either ungovernable (Libya or Iraq) or unfriendly towards the UK (Iran or Russia) or with governments that may change quickly (Nigeria or Venezuela).
It would be better if Britain was self-sufficient in crude oil and natural gas which is why so much money has been spent exploiting the resources of oil and gas under the North Sea.
But Britain has to take supply from politically unstable countries because the country is not self sufficient in oil.
The risk Great Britain takes in being supplied with crude oil from a politically unstable country is
- they might not pay up
- their Government could fall and cut off the supply
- their Government could raise the price of oil
The third risk is greater if the country is not a member of the oil cartel OPEC: the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Pages on the "Mole" and "Using the Mole" in chemical calculations are here
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