You hear about it in the news, it dominates
conversation among certain circles, and it seems like the whole world revolves around
it. Yep, I’m talking about oil, and not the
cooking kind! So have you ever wondered what would happen
if we ran out of this crucial resource? It’s no pretty picture, trust me! But let me explain why I call it “crucial”
in the first place. Most people don't realize the real importance
of oil. Every year, the US alone uses a whopping 7.3
billion barrels-worth of oil products. FYI, that’s around 20 million barrels a
day! And if you believe that all this oil is used
to fuel your car and warm up your house, think again! You might be surprised to find out how many
everyday objects wouldn't exist if there was no oil! - For example, every time you blow bubbles
with your chewing gum, you should be grateful that there’s oil on this planet. You heard me right, the very flavory thing
you toss into your mouth contains petroleum. In fact, that's where its chewiness and softness
comes from! - Then there are all kinds of sports equipment. Let's see: oil is used to make basketballs,
footballs, golf balls and golf bags, skis, soccer balls, cleats, tennis rackets, ok,
I think you get the picture here. - And what about your Grandpappy’s dentures? Yep, modern varieties use certain carbon-based
dyes for pigmentation. And these dyes are produced with the use of
petroleum, oil, and different vegetable resources. But don't worry! The dyes are FDA-approved and actually similar
to the food colorants you probably have in your kitchen right now. Well, that’s reassuring. Or not… - You also smear oil on your face! Wow, weirdo! I’m kidding! But if you use lipstick, you should know that
a lot of them contain petroleum in the form of paraffin wax. It makes lipstick hold its shape and helps
you apply this beauty product smoothly. - Do you play the guitar? Then you use petroleum regularly! Most kinds of modern guitar strings are made
from nylon. And nylon, in turn, is made from (say it with
me) petroleum! Great job! - And I bet you use toothpaste every day too. Even twice a day if you’re diligent! Yep, same story here: the colorants that make
your toothpaste so pretty also contain petroleum. - Perfumes and deodorants, contact lenses,
fishing lures – you’re literally surrounded by common objects made from oil. But the most significant things produced with
the help of oil are cars, kitchen appliances, furniture, and clothing. Ok, you get it, so what about the question
at hand: what would happen to the world if one day, all the oil on the planet ran out? Well, you wouldn't notice any problems at
first. Normally, most countries have special reserves
with enough oil to keep things running for at least a couple months. But imagine that this Plan B failed, and people
didn't have access to these oil reserves. How long could we hold on? You can safely assume that, from Day 1, oil
and gas prices would literally skyrocket. People would be willing to pay any amount
to fill their vehicles with the last remaining drops of gasoline. After several weeks (if not days), all private
transport would stop running. Drivers who normally commute long distances
would have problems getting to work. Public transportation like trains, buses,
and planes would become useless as well. As a result, millions of people would lose
their jobs, and a lot of companies would have to look for new employees. Unfortunately, they’d likely fail to find
highly qualified specialists on such short notice. Emergency services would keep running for
some time, but pretty soon they’d falter too. One of the worst things about the absence
of oil would be health risks for tons of hospital patients. The truth is that medicine relies on oil probably
a bit too much nowadays. Must-have items like syringes, gloves, sterile
packaging, as well as serious high-tech equipment such as MRI scanners, computers, and CT scanners
are all produced using oil. Plus, as you remember, there’d be no transport
to deliver necessary medications from manufacturers to pharmacies. Another serious problem would be connected
with food supply, especially in big cities. Most of them rely on food imported from rural
areas. And look at what would happen: there’d be
no transport to collect food from production sites and bring it to grocery stores. That's why many city dwellers would move to
the countryside and try to grow food for themselves. Phew, even if I tried, I don’t know if I’d
be able to do it! Do you think you could grow your own food
and sustain yourself? Let me know down below! Anyway, after that initial rough patch, the
situation would likely calm down, and people would start to adapt. But however well they work together, life
still would never be the same. There wouldn't be as much food variety as
we enjoy now. You’d have to do without chocolate, pizza,
and other blessings of civilization. But, hey, you might finally lose some of that
winter weight! In the northern regions, people would start
chopping down forests to get at least some source of energy and not freeze in the winter. This would lead to severe deforestation, and
the planet would suffer as much as its people. Yikes, doom and gloom all around. But let’s talk about the bright side already! Oil is a serious source of pollution, and
in the US alone, more than 9 million gallons of this stuff have spilled from pipelines
since 2010. And if you consider the fact that this number
means 1,300 oil spills, it's easy to calculate that this problem occurs almost every other
day! This spilled oil pollutes croplands, contaminates
water, and severely harms the environment and wildlife. On top of that, when people produce energy
from oil, this process puts out sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. These gases are hazardous to your health,
especially in large regular doses. So, with the absence of oil, you, as well
as the environment, are likely to become a bit healthier. On the other hand, it depends on which kind
of alternative energy people would choose to use instead of oil. Let's have a look at our options! There’s always nuclear power. In fact, nuclear power reactors are already
pretty common in a lot of countries. For example, there are currently 98 of them
in the US, and these power stations produce 20% of the country’s electricity. Other nations rely on nuclear energy even
more. France, for instance, generates 80% of its
electricity with the help of nuclear power. On the one hand, the very idea of a nuclear
power station makes people worry about their safety. On the other hand, though, nuclear energy
is much cheaper and more efficient than other sources like wind, hydropower, and solar energy. Also, according to NASA, nuclear energy is
one of the least harmful to the environment. There's also wind and solar power. The supporters of using these alternatives
are sure that they don't have any adverse effects on the environment. Unfortunately, they aren't 100% right. According to the Institute for Energy Research,
modern wind- and solar-energy plants can't work without a constant backup. It kicks into action when the sun is covered
by clouds or the wind isn’t strong enough. Such backup energy sources include, let's
say, electricity coming from the nearest coal plant. In any case, even if all the oil ran out one
day, the world wouldn't come to a screeching halt. People would definitely figure out some way
to deal with this problem, like finding and developing new energy sources or simply changing
their lifestyle. That’s what’s cool about the human race
– we can adapt to almost anything! But one thing’s for sure: nothing would
remain the same, and the world would be an entirely different place altogether! So, do you think running out of oil would
cause a global disaster? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments! Remember to give this video a “like,”
share it with your friends, and click “subscribe” to stay on the Bright Side of life!
