by Peter Holland

illustration by Rostislav Kotil

illustration colors by Peter Holland   

Name: Crude Oil
Born: Millions of years ago
Profession: Lifeblood of modern civilization.
Accomplishment: See above.

Nationality: Winter home in Alaska, summer home in Dubai.

→ Philanthropy: 8/10
Freed mankind from our dependency on the annual budget of energy we get from the Sun. It’s the Earth’s ‘savings’ of energy, and we’ve been spending like there’s no tomorrow.
Almost every aspect of modern life is shaped by crude oil. It’s why global politics and power are the way they are. It fuels exponential population growth, global warming, cheap travel, plastics, fertilizers, and squat party generators. When it’s gone, we’ll miss it dearly.  

→ Extremism: 9/10
A super energy source, champion at what it does. Even a tiny blip in production can make the world unstable.

→ Guilt Factor: 7/10
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It’s behind wars, superpowers, and empires. Most politics is just froth on top of the real power issue – control of energy, and therefore oil.

→ Mythology / Mythbuster: 9/10
It’s called black gold for a reason. Everyone knows about oil. Even if you live under a rock. You might find some if you look under a rock. Not for long... (it’s running out don’t you know?).

→ Inspiration to Others: 5/10
The oil industry isn’t keen to see a replacement and most alternatives have been fairly lame in comparison. Oil has also allowed many lofty dreams to take flight, ultimately even trips to the Moon. Unfortunately, the pursuit of a sustainable alternative remains elusive. 

Average user rating

   (0 vote)