Oil and Gas: How They Influence our Daily Lives!
Thousands of products depend on or are made from materials that come from oil and natural gas. While the most common use of oil is for fuel, petroleum and natural gas are often utilized to generate electricity. The vast uses of oil in other industries are astonishing, in fact, without oil and gas during the pandemic, there wouldn’t have been medical personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizers or even computers for people to be able to work from home.
An Increased Demand for Oil
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that 98.3 million b/d of petroleum and liquid fuels was consumed globally in March 2022. This is an increase of 2.4 million b/d from March 2021. Furthermore, they predict that global consumption of petroleum and liquid fuels will average 99.8 million b/d for all of 2022, which is a 2.4 million b/d increase from 2021. Not only that, but they also forecast that global consumption of petroleum and liquid fuels will rise by 1.9 million b/d in 2023 to average 101.7 million b/d.
These increases in demand and consumption are a perfect indicator of how indispensable oil and gas are to our current lives. Despite the enormity of the oil and gas industry, many people are still unaware of how the industry serves their daily needs and wants. Thus, they believe that shifting to more sustainable alternatives will be done easily. However, here are some examples of how much oil and gas products are ingrained in so many industries and products that the average human worldwide consumes every day.
Beauty
Many beauty products are derived from petroleum. These inexpensive petroleum-based materials are generally used to soften products and make them easier to apply. For example, nail polishes, perfumes, some makeup, and hair dyes. Petroleum helps lock moisture, along with the scent, onto the skin in the case of perfumes. The petroleum-based propylene glycol can also be found in many other products like shampoo, deodorants and antiperspirants.
F&B
This might seem very surprising, but some food products include oil products. For example, gum! That’s why gum has a soft chewy quality- petroleum-based polymers. The gum base usually includes waxes, petroleum, stearic acid, glycerin, palm oil, lanolin, and other components. Furthermore, indirectly, oil is used to help heat, cool or transport food and of course in packaging as mentioned above.
Construction
Oil and gas also play an important role when it comes to the construction industry for materials such as paint, caulking, roofing shingles, asphalt, and pipes. On the other hand, petroleum derived products such as PPE increases the safety for workers in the industry through providing them with hard hats, safety goggles, and other equipment.
Plastics
Plastic might represent the most significant use of crude oil. Plastic is used in almost all types of packaging and as a part of many products. If a product isn’t made of plastic, then it is probably stored or packed in the oil-based polymer! Almost all industries include plastic one way or another and thus oil is part of these industries’ inputs directly or indirectly.
Agriculture
The agriculture industry relies on many fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides to further nurture and protect crops and plants. Thus, petrochemical fertilizers are used as they are the most common and cheapest types. These fertilizers are produced using large quantities of petroleum and other fossil fuels. Some examples are ammonium nitrate, super phosphate and potassium sulfate.
Medical
Many of the medical equipment used today, many of which are life- saving devices, is made from oil. Petroleum is one of the inputs that make heart valves and artificial limbs which have saved and enhanced the quality of life for a plethora of humans. Furthermore, petroleum is used to make the cleaning and safety products medical personnel use as well as personal protective equipment (PPE). In addition to that, aspirins, homeopathic products, vitamins, and other pharmaceuticals are derived from benzene which is a product of petroleum.
Entertainment
Even when it comes to entertainment, oil plays a significant part. Not only is it used in the inputs that make up the electronics we use to access TV shows, movies, sports games, etc. but in the making of the actual sport equipment. Modern golf balls, golf bags, footballs, football cleats, artificial turf, basketballs, tennis rackets, skis, soccer balls and more are all made, in part, with petroleum. In addition, even modern guitar strings are made of nylon which is made from petroleum.
Resources:
EIA.gov
OILPRICE.com
INSIGHTSS.co
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