Energy source
OIL
Classification / Oil is a non-renewable energy source because it is a fossil fuel
  • Formed when animals and sea plants die, buried under several feet of silt, sand or mud.
  • Taking a millions years to form.

Players /
  • 10 countries producing most oil: Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States, Iran, China, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Kuwait and Venezuela.
  • 10 countries consuming most oil: the United States, China, Japan, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Germany, Canada and South Korea.
  • 6 major oil companies called Big Oil: Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Chevron Corp., Conoco Phillips and Total S.A.


Availability /
  • Map of the proved reserves of oil at worldscale:

  • We can see that European countries produce very little oil (less than 5b. barrels) whereas countries in the Arabian Peninsula and Venezuela produce more than 200b..
  • Big Oil Companies:
  • We can see that ExxonMobil has the highest revenue, 383 billions of dollars and the biggest reserve size, 72 billions of barrels. ConocoPhillips, however, has the lowest revenue, 198 billions of dollars and the smallest reserve, 8.3 billions of barrels, and they are both based in the same state.
Name / Location / Revenue (Billions of Dollars) / Reserve Size in Billions of Barrels
ExxonMobil / Texas – United States / 383 / 72
Royal Dutch Shell / The Hague – Netherlands / 368 / 20
BP/Amoco / London – United Kingdom / 308 / 18
Total SA / Paris – France / 229 / 10.5
Chevron / California – United States / 204 / 10.5
ConocoPhillips / Texas – United States / 198 / 8.3
  • Top oil producing countries:
  • We can see that Saudi Arabia and Iraq produced a little more than 1 million barrel of oil per day, when the USSR produced 3 millions and the US 7 million and they were all increasing. During the late 1970’s, we can see a decrease for these 4 countries. During the 1990’s, production started increasing considerably for SA, Russia and Iraq.

Advantages / -Easy extraction: the technologies have been developed like pump jacks for drilling, in Texas for example, and oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico for example.
-Easy transportation: Its liquid form makes it easy for transportation in pipelines or in ships like the oil tanker.
-Broad area for application : it powers generators and vehicles which are nowadays an important part of our lives and helps oil countries get richer because of the enormous demand
-Most abundant energy resources: being present in many parts of the globe, from Venezuela to Kuwait, and in the oceans.
-Relatively cheap: costing more or less $50 per barrel
- -disadvantages-of-petroleum/
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Disadvantages / -Oil burning produces CO2, a greenhouse gas: which causes pollution and contributes to global warming and the rising sea level.
-Non-renewable: which means that its number is limited, and it is estimated to disappear in a few decades.
-Endangering the environment and the ecosystem: by releasing oil and heavy metals in the environment
-Oil spills: which damage considerably the environment, like the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico
-Dangerous for the workers: as drills can perforate pockets of pressurised gas, creating an explosion, and possibly hurting the workers. For example, in the example stated above, 11 workers died as a result of that explosion, that is called a ‘blowout’.
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We can see that the burning of fossil fuels cause the release of carbon dioxide which is one of the most important greenhouse gases and one of those causing global warming.