Ebook Oil A Life Cycle Analysis Of Its Health And Environmental Impacts
When significant deposits of oil were discovered in the 19th Century, this fossil fuel appeared to offer a limitless source of energy to drive development. While oil and the energy it supplies provide multiple benefits to human society, every stage in the life cycle from exploration to use can have harmful effects on our health and the environment. This re p o rt examines the health and environmental impacts of oil exploration, drilling, extraction, transport, refining and combustion.
Drilling and extraction carry acute and chronic hazards, including fires and blowouts, occupational injury and disease, and can lead to long-term harm to plant and animal communities. Oil spills and leaks along coastlines pose risks for marine life and fisheries, and can threaten the livelihoods of human communities. Refining exposes workers and wildlife to petroleum, its by product sand the chemicals used in the refining process. At the pump, gasoline can be both toxic and carcinogenic.
Refining and combustion result in air pollution and acid rain. Pollutant chemicals can be toxic to humans, other animals and plants, while acid rain has impacts on terre s t r i a l , aquatic and marine coastal systems. Finally, the aggregate of gas and particulate emissions from burning oil have begun to alter the world’s climate system; with implications for human health, agricultural productivity,vulnerable ecosystems and societal infrastructure.
This report, while not exhaustive, is intended to provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating the true costs of our use of oil.The authors hope it will serve as a resource for further study.
Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Figure 1: Effcts of Oil Recovery by Stage
Figure 2:Global Distribution of Proven Oil Reserves at the end of 2000
Figure 3: Number of Global Oil
Drilling Sites
PART 1: RECOVERY OF OIL
I. EXPLORATION,DRILLING AND EXTRACTION
A. Scope
B. Technical process
C. Environmental impacts
D. Human health impacts
E. Spills,explosions, fires and blowouts
Case studies:
- Nigeria
Ecuador
Mexico
F. Human rights and environmental legal Implications
G. Chapter summary
II. POPULATION DISPLACEMENTS AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Case study:The Peruvian Amazon
• Other implications
III.TRANSPORT
A. Introduction
B.Oil spills
Figure 4:The Largest Oil Spills in History
C. Environmental impacts of oil spills
Case study: Nigeria revisited
IV. REFINING
A. Environmental pollution
B. Chronic occupational hazards
C.Accident potential
D. Environmental protection
Part 2. CONSUMPTION AND COMBUSTION
V. HEALTH EFFECTS OF GASOLINE
AND GASOLINE ADDITIVES
A. Exposures to gasoline
B.Acute toxicities
C. Chronic toxicities
VI.AIR POLLUTION
A.The pollutants
B. Environmental impact
C. Human health impacts
Figure 5:Average Monthly Asthma Compared with PM-10
Figure 6:Age and Gender-adjusted Asthma Hospitalization
VII.ACID RAIN
A.Terrestrial impacts
B.Aquatic impacts
C.The recovery process
VIII. GREENHOUSE GASES
A. Introduction
B.The greenhouse effect
Figure 7:The Greenhouse Effect
Figure 8: Global Warming Potentials Over 100 Years
C. Emissions
D.The changing climate
Figure 9: Global Temperature Changes
E. Health impacts
IX. OIL AND MACROECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Oil and security
Environmental justice
X.CONCLUSIONS
APPENDIX: CALIFORNIA
WILDLIFE STATISTICS FOR OIL SPILLS
REFERENCES
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