Climate Change versus Fossil Fuel



Climate Change versus Fossil Fuel


The 2019 Democratic Climate Change Debate session scheduled for 7-hours have produced some of the most ridiculous concocted statements from some of the left’s leading candidates for the 2020 Presidential Election against the reelection of President Donald Trump. I have tried to stay clear of the rhetoric and focus on other things – life, liberty and the pursuit of my happiness.


Today I asked myself “What is Climate Change” and this paragraph from NASA provides a very reasonable and down to earth definition:


What Is Climate Change? | NASA

Climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a place. This could be a change in how much rain a place usually gets in a year. Or it could be a change in a place’s usual temperature for a month or season. Climate change is also a change in Earth’s climate. This could be a change in Earth’s usual temperature.


Next I wanted to know what exactly is fossil fuel? All the Democratic candidates seem to be dead set on getting rid of them and this American Heritage Dictionary provides a very good definition:


Fossil Fuel


A hydrocarbon-based fuel, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, derived from living matter of a previous geologic time.




fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth’s crust with high carbon and hydrogen content.

(From The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.)


So if fossil fuel is bad and causes climate change it only makes sense to get rid of them and do what we did before using fossil fuel. There are lots of ways fossil fuel is being used besides heating homes in certain areas and yes that produces air pollution and that is bad.


But however so is smoking right? Cigars and Cigarettes cause air pollution, lung cancer and lots of nasty problems within the human body. Why is nobody talking about banning Smoking EVERYWHERE AND ALL THE TIME? Because somebody invented Vaping! Vaping is one of those little eCigs that are the rage with kids and adults everywhere. It allows them to puff away without creating all that smoke, smell and causes no cancer to the lungs. There is a small drawback, vaping causes popcorn lung which causes the lung to sort of collapse within itself and makes it rather impossible to breath.


Let’s move on to something else that is directly related to fossil fuels, what kinds of products would we have to give up if we simply banned fossil fuels all together?

According to this US Energy Information Administration (EIA), this is a partial list of petroleum products and their share of total US petroleum consumption back in 2013.

Gasoline 46%

Heating Oil / Diesel Fuel 20%

Jet Fuel (kerosene) 8%

Propane / Propylene 7%

NGL / LRG 6%

Still Gas 4%

Petrochemical Feedstocks 2%

Petroleum Coke 2%

Residual / Heavy Fuel Oil 2%

Asphalt / Road Oil 2%

Lubricants 1%

Miscellaneous Products / Special Naphthas 0.4%

Other Liquids 1%

Aviation Gasoline 0.1%

Waxes 0.04%

Kerosene 0.02%


Of course these consumption rates have increased over time since then, don’t you think? Well I was thinking more about giving up fossil fuels and wind turbines and electric cars and stuff that operate on electricity would simply take up the slack as we phased out the petroleum product portions of fossil fuels. I found this partial list of products made from petroleum, but since inventors invent and consumers consume there seems to be that thing called supply and demand that overrides cutting back on many of the things we take for granted.


Here is a partial list of products made from petroleum?

Here is a quite large partial list of products made from petroleum. This list is constantly growing as new inventions are created. Here are some of the items which are made from petroleum.


So which ones are YOU willing to go without?


Solvents Diesel fuel Motor Oil Bearing Grease
Ink Floor Wax Ballpoint Pens Football Cleats
Upholstery Sweaters Boats Insecticides
Bicycle Tires Sports Car Bodies Nail Polish Fishing lures
Dresses Tires Golf Bags Perfumes
Cassettes Dishwasher parts Tool Boxes Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet Caulking Petroleum Jelly Transparent Tape
CD Player Faucet Washers Antiseptics Clothesline
Curtains Food Preservatives Basketballs Soap
Vitamin Capsules Antihistamines Purses Shoes
Dashboards Cortisone Deodorant Footballs
Putty Dyes Panty Hose Refrigerant
Percolators Life Jackets Rubbing Alcohol Linings
Skis TV Cabinets Shag Rugs Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks Car Battery Cases Epoxy Paint
Mops Slacks Insect Repellent Oil Filters
Umbrellas Yarn Fertilizers Hair Coloring
Roofing Toilet Seats Fishing Rods Lipstick
Denture Adhesive Linoleum Ice Cube Trays Synthetic Rubber
Speakers Plastic Wood Electric Blankets Glycerin
Tennis Rackets Rubber Cement Fishing Boots Dice
Nylon Rope Candles Trash Bags House Paint
Water Pipes Hand Lotion Roller Skates Surf Boards
Shampoo Wheels Paint Rollers Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings Luggage Aspirin Safety Glasses
Antifreeze Football Helmets Awnings Eyeglasses
Clothes Toothbrushes Ice Chests Footballs
Combs CD’s & DVD’s Paint Brushes Detergents
Vaporizers Balloons Sun Glasses Tents
Heart Valves Crayons Parachutes Telephones
Enamel Pillows Dishes Cameras
Anesthetics Artificial Turf Artificial limbs Bandages
Dentures Model Cars Folding Doors Hair Curlers
Cold cream Movie film Soft Contact lenses Drinking Cups
Fan Belts Car Enamel Shaving Cream Ammonia
Refrigerators Golf Balls Toothpaste (Yuck) Gasoline


While there will be a number of industries that benefit from lower oil prices, it isn’t usually an immediate effect. It takes time for input prices to filter through the corporate supply chain and the economy.


Given the large drop in oil prices, this should give you some ideas about areas that could benefit from these lower prices. Investing in the oil sector may require some caution. My thought is to be careful of catching a falling knife on oil prices. There will eventually be some great bargains in the oil and gas energy sector, but patience is always a virtue. Look elsewhere to related industries. (2015)


I’ve come to the conclusion that the climate always has and always will change over time. That’s the way God created it. Man has made great strides to use the resources available to him, and the overriding factor that “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (from the bible) holds true. Money may not literally make the world go round (God created it to spin on its axis), but money makes man better able to control others, buy expensive toys and even try to shame those who either can’t afford or choose not to indulge in all the bells and whistles that are being touted as something we all must have to exist. I don’t know how much Americans can take from radicals and liberals on either wing because like it or not it’s all the same bird. One last thought before I close – It’s hard to soar with eagles when you surround yourself with turkeys! – I am the Real Truckmaster!


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