Since crude oil was first discovered, its markets have evolved and been driven by for-profit interests. So, what would be the “highest and best use” of crude oil? Surely not commuting and maybe not even thundering through the sky at almost the speed of sound, considering there are other fuels and power sources now available. There are numerous other synthetic things manufactured by the petrochemical industries, but most of those are also most profitable as single-use throwaway products and some, from dangerous chemicals and plastic bits and pieces, are coming back to haunt all life on Earth.
The very first internal combustion engine built by M. Daimler burned hydrogen, and when the airship he installed it on crashed, he took that engine, mounted it on a bicycle and invented something we call the motorcycle. Internal combustion engine-driven motor vehicles have generated vast wealth and overtaken the world, as well as modern civilization. One problem is that their emissions are killing life on the planet. Fortunately, there are alternatives: wind, solar and geothermal-generated electricity and the truly clean hydrogen fuel that can be manufactured for aircraft, most specifically, as heavy batteries are fine for road vehicles.
But what if there is a wonderful and economic use for crude oil, and even if that application and economy are off a few centuries from now, it would be responsible for us to conserve that non-renewable resource for that future need?
Economists use a thought game to try to puzzle out complex issues. So, to use their favorite word, “assume”: Please assume that huge, miles-in-diameter pressurized petroleum plastic spaceships can voyage between Earth, Mars, the many moons and asteroids of this solar system and make an excellent profit for all, a self-sustaining economy that preserves living nature on Earth while providing professions, careers and new lifestyles.
Should this speculation come to pass, then every ton of crude we burn up and throw away is one less ton of economic power for those who follow us. About seven generations of drivers have thrilled at pushing the pedal to the metal. The Iroquois Confederacy required that consideration had to be given to the seventh generation far off in the future; current selfishness and greed do not serve them well.
— Thomas R. Wilson
Anchorage
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