OIL: Root Cause of Endless War, Distinct Threat to Humanity
The need for oil has been and continues to be responsible for the destruction of nature and man. Are we so Are we so tunnel visioned? When will we stop and look at the destruction and do something about it?
Published: November 16, 2014 | Authors: Michael Payne | NationofChange | Op-Ed
Oil, that most precious resource, is like a double-edged sword. It’s the energy that fuels the engines of world commerce and contributes to the betterment of our lives in so many ways. But, conversely, it is also the root cause of endless resource wars that continue to bring destruction and suffering to nations and people who are caught in the middle of the struggle to control its primary sources and supply routes.
In recent years natural gas has been rapidly increasing as an alternate source of energy and its importance will markedly increase in the future. But since oil is still by far the most important of these two resources, in this article we’ll concentrate on the increasingly negative impact that oil has had and continues to have within this world; and, in particular, how it has also become a great threat to this planet’s ecosystem due to unrestricted amounts of CO2 emissions spewing into the atmosphere.
We need to consider this pertinent question: If it were not for the struggle over control of oil in the world would the following very destructive events in world history have ever happened?
*The establishment of a powerful U.S. military presence in the Middle East over many decades following World War II. Would monumental amounts of U.S. taxpayer dollars have been spent to control this otherwise insignificant region of the world if it did not offer something of great value to the U.S., namely oil?
*Operation Desert Storm that took place in Iraq in 1991 over Saddam Hussein’s attempt to take control of Kuwait’s oilfields; incidentally, Kuwait was a major supplier of oil to the U.S.
*The inhuman, unconscionable sanctions in the 1990’s, during the presidencies of Bush Sr. and Bill Clinton, by which more than 500,000 Iraqi children died from malnutrition and a lack of medical supplies.
*The 911 disaster when terrorists seeking revenge against the U.S. brought down the World Trade Center.
*The invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003. Bush/Cheney were well aware that Saddam Hussein possessed no weapons of mass destruction; they also knew that he had huge reserves of oil located in the heart of the oil-rich Middle East.
*The emergence and growth of Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists that are in the process of wreaking havoc and destruction in the Middle East. It’s ironic how ISIS is obtaining much of its funding by selling confiscated oil from oilfields in Iraq and Syria on the black market.
*The War on Terror, initiated by G.W. Bush and now being escalated by Barack Obama; the means by which the U.S. government attempts to justify its endless wars to control oil.
In the prelude to World War II would Japan have attacked Pearl Harbor if it were not for oil? Many Americans may not be aware that the U.S. was Japan’s principal supplier of oil at that time and, that in 1941, after Japan’s aggressive military moves in the Asian-Pacific region, the U.S. initiated an oil embargo against it. Japan then reacted to that move by launching the deadly attack on Pearl Harbor.
As the price of gasoline in America declines it’s noteworthy that Middle East experts are tying it to a plan by Saudi Arabia designed to cripple the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, president of Syria, and totally disrupt that nation’s close ties to Russia and Iran. This excellent article by F. William Engdahl indicates what exactly is happening as this latest scenario involving oil unfolds in the Middle East.
Yes, oil has, unquestionably, contributed directly to these wars and military conflicts that have brought immeasurable damage and suffering to the world but its effect becomes even worse when we consider the enormous threat that it now poses to this planet’s ecosystem.
The people of America tend to focus only the positive, beneficial side of oil; while they are somewhat aware of the endless wars that it has caused they seemingly have concluded that this is just something that must be done. And worse yet most of them are just beginning to become aware of the great threat that oil poses to this planet as a result of the deadly CO2 emissions that are being emitted into the atmosphere.
Most rational-minded Americans are beginning to accept the conclusions of 97% of climate scientists who are warning that, unless the nations of the world dramatically reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, and do it quickly, the future of this planet and its inhabitants is in great peril. We also know that the oceans, which cover over 70% of the earth, are being polluted by oil spills from ships, deliberate, illegal disposal of fuels, and natural seepage from sea sources.
As this planet continues to remain under siege from the harmful effects of emissions due to the use of oil, what is absolutely astounding is the fact that there is not a massive world program, with many nations involved, well underway to develop new sources of energy; and the fact that America and China, the leading users of oil, are not at the forefront of this effort.
We can’t turn back the clock but we can surely learn the lessons from these past failures. We need to listen to and pay attention to these climate scientists as they continue to sound the alarms and make the case that these massive emissions must be significantly scaled back. They continue to warn that, within a relatively few years, this condition will become irreversible; and yet, the leaders of the world are doing virtually nothing of substance to address this critically important issue. This must not be allowed to continue, change must come before it’s too late.
Two things must happen in dealing with this rapidly approaching catastrophe. First the U.S. government, no matter who is president in the years to come, must clearly accept the fact that these misguided resource wars must come to an end. These wars have done nothing but create thousands of new enemies; they feed upon themselves and cause never-ending chaos, destruction and untold suffering.
Secondly it’s time for the leaders of the advanced nations of the world to come together and create a permanent organization to establish specific objectives and guidelines for the development of new sources of energy, utilizing the best minds in the world of science and the business sector to work together to take this world in a new direction.
Dramatically reducing the world’s reliance on oil and ending the destructive perpetual wars by harnessing the power of the sun and developing other new sources of energy to restore the health of the world’s ecosystem; that’s a win-win situation for this planet and the future of humanity.
But time is running out; each and every day brings us ever closer to a planetary crisis which has the potential to eventually wipe out humanity. There is no time to waste; the point of no return is fast approaching.
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