Waste Oil
The chief executive of BP has released a Statistical Review for 2008. He says that in the last century, the world has used a trillion barrels of oil. He says that oil companies know about another trillion barrels of oil and could possibly find another trillion with better technology.
What strikes me about this is that we have lived through a very selfish century. Three generations have consumed a third of all the oil that exists on earth. One generation will consume the next third.
Oil has a tremendous range of uses. It is one of the most useful resources in the earth. Burning oil in cars is really poor use of such a precious resource, yet about half of that oil produced so far has been consumed in cars.
The strange thing is that most of this oil has been used up by countries with a strong Christian influence. Paul taught that people without faith live for the present. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die (1 Cor 15:33).
He expected Christians to be future orientated.
When it comes to oil, Christians have outdone the pagans of Paul’s time. Our philosophy seems to be, Drive and burn, because Jesus is returning next week.
Using up the total supply of oil on earth in the earth in one and a half centuries would be fine, if we are near the end of history. However, if life is going to go on for another couple of thousand years, as I expect it will, our descendents will look back and regret the way that we have wasted oil.
3 comments:
Ron, did you hear about the Japanese company that developed a car that runs on water? It somehow uses the electrons of the hydrogen molecules to create electricity. Very interesting invention. I wonder how it will play out.
Steve
I have not heard about this particular one. I know that there is a lot of research being done, but I expect that it will be a while before they are available on sufficient scale and affordable price to meet transport needs.
My concern is that oil is most valuable as a base for hundreds of chemical products, many of which have not been discovered yet. I am hoping that prices will stay up, so that some oil will be left for these uses by future generations.
The thing that concerns me most about oil is 'mankind's' complete dependence on it. Which of course as we are now seeing, like all false gods( money, cars, fashion etc), we begin by thinking that these are serving us and ending up enslaved to them and they are cruel masters.
"Their rock is not Our Rock"
"A wise man builds his house upon The Rock."
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