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"Oil  consumption  is  hurtling  back...and  demand  for  coal,  the  dirtiest  of...fuels,  is  rising."

 Pollution 

flaring

Extraction

 "Nalleli Cobo was 9 years old when her nose started bleeding...then...headaches and heart palpitations." 

 Why?  An oil "drilling site just 300 feet from where she lived"? 

 In her teens she developed cancer, but as of 2021, she is cancer free

 "Certain chemical byproducts of oil extraction [include] benzene and hydrogen sulfide." 

 Excess gas is openly burned ("flaring") at drill sites and refineries. 

 Proposed EPA regulations "would still permit flaring of unwanted...gas from oil wells." 

 15%  of  fossil-fuel  GHG  pollution  occurs  when  the  material  is  taken  out  of  the  ground. 

 

Transporting (trucks, rail, ships, pipelines)  and  processing  create  additional  pollution. 

Transportation

Processing

 These  are  California's  “Most  frequent...routine  toxic...emissions  from...refineries:" 

  • ammonia

  • formaldehyde

  • methanol

  • sulfuric acid (see photo

  • hydrogen sulfide

  • toluene

  • xylene

  • benzene

  • hexane

  • hydrogen chloride

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 Petrochemical industry processes 

 

 produce plastics which "are responsible for 

 

 poisoning our bodies, reducing our fertility 

 

 rates, and destroying wildlife." 

Utilization

 When  the  product  is  used  in  a  car,  a  toxic  brew  of  chemicals  exit  tail  pipes 

 (benzene, sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde). 

 

 These  and  other  auto  pollutants - carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM (soot), 

 carbon dioxide - can  cause  pulmonary  and  cardiovascular  symptoms. 

 A  similar  chemical  cocktail  comes  out  of  jet  engines. 

Carbon Monoxide Pollution...June 28, 2011

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Abandonment

 When  gas&oil  wells 

 or  coal  mines 

 become  depleted 

 they  are  often 

 neglected - leading  to 

 

 additional  pollution

 "The  EPA  estimates...

 

 the  nation’s  

[abandoned] ... wells 

leaked  about 

 263,000  tons  of 

methane  in  2019." 

 "Methane is a super-pollutant.

 

 4 major sources of methane are: 

 

 - leaks (see house

 - flaring (see top of page

 - cattle/cows (see food

 - garbage dumps (see shopping

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  So  now  you  know  a  little  about  pollution   made  during:  

  - extraction  

  - transportation  

  - processing  

  - burning / utilization  

  - &  abandonment   

  But  do  you  know  future  pollution?

 "Trading  coal  plants  for  gas  plants...left...cumulative  future  pollution...virtually  unchanged."  

 Also  called  "stranded assets":  these  are  assets  that  have  been  claimed,  and  paid  for,  but  not  (yet)  taken.   

 

 This  invested  money  will  be lost  -  if  the  fossil-fuel  is  left  untouched.    See  Investments  and  Profits.

 More pollution:  USA pollution by city,  Cancer Alley Louisiana pollution

 synthetic chemical pollution,  categories of global pollution.  

 For  more  on  your  personal  contribution,  visit  the  pollution  calculators

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