Oil IS Organic

Oil is Organic

By Tim Castleman

Petroleum is organic. It is a naturally occurring substance found in concentrated deposits worldwide. 

Technology has found ways to extract and refine this natural substance into a safe, versatile and low cost energy carrier that works fantastic. The problem is the gluttonous consumption. The entire political discussion is always about how to use more rather than less of anything. This is the exact wrong direction to setting policy in.

We do not need more solar energy, we have more than we can ever use already.  

We do not need more wind energy; we don’t use a fraction of what is already there.

We do not need more of anything, what we need is to learn how to use less of everything, and the first step is to simply quit wasting it. The paradigm shift must punish those who ‘Waste to Impress’ and reward those who conserve resources.

To simply say some percentage of consumption needs to be this or that type of energy carrier while allowing consumption to grow is still just using more. Using more will not change the direction; only using less will have a real effect. 

After years of study I have come to the conclusion that petroleum is not the problem, consumption is.  In fact, fossil fuel is really solar energy in a very concentrated form, and technology allows us to do amazing things with this abundant, organic substance. I have come away disgusted at the corruption and selfishness that seems to be a requirement for success in the halls of legislation and meeting rooms of business people.  Individuals are consistently offended by the prospect of personal responsibility and will eagerly band together to cast blame on some untouchable entity, thus seemingly absolving themselves. 

We don’t need more, we need less.