We depend on oil for many products and energy, but it is a finite resource that comes from decomposed plants and animals trapped underground millions of years ago. Oil is collected through drilling and pumping from oil fields below the surface. While the oil industry is important for energy and jobs, it also causes environmental problems like global warming, acid rain, and pollution from spills. We could reduce our dependence on oil by using less energy and developing cleaner energy sources like solar.

1. Finite Times
We live on a planet with finite resources.
How much do you know about oil?
Oil comes from beneath the ocean or under dry land.
People collect oil by using huge drills to dig holes then using larger pumps to get oil.
Oil is smelly, dark, slippery liquid. Millions of years ago, plants and animals died and went to the
bottom of the ocean. Then, they got buried by lots of sand and mud. The Earth heated everything up.
Over a long time, heat and pressure turned it into Crude Oil. Oil is also called black gold.
Scientists and engineers find out which parts of the earth have oil underneath by looking at rock
samples and using infrared pictures taken by airplanes and satellites to find oil. Places that have lot of
oil are called Oil Fields.
A Grade 4 Publication Summer 2013
How is oil collected & modified?

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A Grade 4 Publication
Why do we depend on the oil industry?
We use oil to make ink, plastic, create heat for houses and factories and eyeglasses... and we use crude
oil to make motor gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products. But we only can use crude oil when
crude oil is cleaned at a refinery (special factory). The gas to fuel cars and trucks comes from petroleum
oil. Lubricating oil makes machines work smoothly.
Communities depend on this industry because 40% energy comes from oil and it is important job for
many people. Person who make oil rigs are sometimes called roughnecks.
How could this resource be managed better?
What is the impact of this industry?
This industry also harms the environment because it can causes global
warming, make lot of sulfur and causes acid rain and causes oil pollution
by small oil spills and leaks from ships it can kills lot of animals and
make the ocean dirty. Also make carbon monoxide (poisonous to
human) and nitrogen oxides.
We could reduce our use of this resource by use less energy, try to drive less time car and not
wasting electricity.
Alternatively, we could use solar energy to make energy and we also can get oil in cleaner ways.
For example, after no more oil is left in oil well, it is plugged up. Some derricks in the ocean tipped
over and left at the bottom of the ocean. So ocean animals can use it for shelter.