Energy and Oil

Although the use of oil energy can increase the productivity of every nation, it can also leave hazardous gases such as methane or carbon dioxide as its residue. Thus, the gases will trap the heat and pollute the air, causing problems such as global warming.

 The Oil Well Next Door: California’s Silent Health Hazard

Unlike other oil-producing states, much of the drilling in California takes place in residential neighborhoods, often in Spanish-speaking communities. Despite mounting complaints about pollution from the wells, the state has failed to take action to address this public health problem.

The Future of Oil

The world’s use of oil is approaching a tipping-point, writes Henry Tricks. But don’t expect it to end imminently.

Big Oil (Probably) Isn't Going Away Anytime Soon. But It's Definitely Changing

Big Oil is standing on the precipice of something. But no one can agree what it is. A long, slow decline? An abrupt collapse? A remarkable reinvention?

End fracking exemptions, a threat to maternal and public health

Fracking involves injecting pressurized water mixed with chemicals and sand into shale formations to break up bedrock and release the oil they hold. Environmental pollutants caused by fracking are known risk factors for congenital heart defects, hormonal disruption, maternal stress, and preterm birth.

Fracking pollution stays in waterways long after the fracking is done

When it comes to oil and gas waste water management, the impact to water quality and sediment quality can occur on a much larger scale than we had previously thought

How an Oil Spill Inspired the First Earth Day

Before Earth Day made a name for the environmental movement, a massive oil spill put a spotlight on the dangers of pollution.

How Does Oil Impact the Environment?

Even though petroleum products make life easier — finding, producing, moving, and using them can harm the environment through air and water pollution.

Not All Oil Is Created Equal When It Comes to Pollution

Experts develop a tool to distinguish emissions from different types of oil.

Oil and Gas May Be a Far Bigger Climate Threat Than We Knew

Atmospheric concentrations of methane have more than doubled from preindustrial times. A New York Times investigation into “super emitter” sites last year revealed vast quantities of methane being released from oil wells and other energy facilities instead of being captured.

Oil firms knew decades ago fossil fuels posed grave health risks, files reveal

This undermining of air-pollution science is likened by some researchers to efforts by tobacco companies to muddy the connection between cigarette smoking and cancer.

On climate change, oil and gas companies have a long way to go

A new report finds that all the new industry commitments don’t add up.

The Impacts of Oil

The United States uses a phenomenal amount of oil—with significant costs to our health, climate, and economy.

The Oil Industry Is Quietly Winning Local Climate Fights

In the past few years, the American Petroleum Institute and its allies have fought against climate-friendly policies in at least 16 different states.

The Oil Spill That Inspired Earth Day

The Santa Barbara oil spill occurred in January and February 1969 in the Santa Barbara Channel, near the city of Santa Barbara in Southern California. It was the largest oil spill in United States waters by that time, and it remains the largest oil spill to have occurred in the waters off California.

The truth about big oil and climate change

ExxonMobil shows that the market cannot solve climate change by itself. Muscular government action is needed.

The weird argument that offshore oil is good for the climate, debunked

Oil companies are blaming each other for climate pollution.

The world’s biggest farms pollute more than any oil company

The world’s biggest meat and dairy operations combined pump more greenhouse gas into Earth’s warming atmosphere than any one of the largest fossil-fuel giants.

What Is the Environmental Impact of Petroleum and Natural Gas?

Oil is a cleaner fuel than coal, but it still has many disadvantages...

Why More Climate Change Means More Oil Spills

Experts have long warned that offshore oil and gas infrastructure and ever-worsening storms amid climate change are a dangerous mix. Hurricanes are responsible for a growing number of chemical releases and spills compared to other natural hazards.