Based on the latest news, the so-called top kill/junk shot effort to stem the out of control oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has failed. More resent estimates of the oil gushing into the sea make clear that this is a disaster of historic proportions, and it far from over. The environmental impacts will undoubtedly be horrendous and long lasting. The toll in human terms is difficult to measure, but it will leave a supplicating wound on the nation. The shear scope of this tragedy has taken the wind out of the American public. Unlike the Exxon Valdez in the far off wilds of Alaska this horrific event is literally at the nation’s doorstep. It has shaken an almost childlike faith in technology and forced us to face the fact that life comes with limits.

Humans have used petroleum for thousands of years. Natural seeps were used by aboriginal peoples as glue for mounting stone arrow and spear heads. Oil pitch helped to waterproof the hulls of sailing vessels. It was even prescribed as a medicine in the treatment of various ailments. In the 1860s the first American commercial oil well was driven in Pennsylvania. It made the use of whale oil for oil lamps obsolete. The Age of Oil, however, really began slightly more than a century ago with the discovery of huge crude deposits in Texas. A virtual flood of cheap oil contributed to wide acceptance of liquid fuel driven engines in rapidly growing fleets of autos, ships and eventually airplanes. But this was only the beginning. The more oil that was used the more uses were found for this miraculous substance. Chemists and others found that oil could be transformed into a virtual cornucopia of products previously undreamed of by humans. It has been estimated that over 6000 manufactured products require oil as a base stock. These include antiseptics, art supplies, artificial limbs, aspirin, awnings, bandages, cleaning products, candles, carpets, clothing, computers, crayons, cosmetics, cutlery, dentures, data disks, disposal diapers, dyes, electronics, film, fishing line, glasses, glue, guitar strings, heart valves, ink, insulation, lubricants, medicine, nylon, paint, pesticides, petroleum jelly, plastics, refrigerant, roofing, shampoo, shoes, soap, solvents, sports equipment, tires, toys, umbrellas, vitamin capsules and wood preservatives. Even products that may not contain some form of oil almost certainly required oil in obtaining the necessary raw materials, processing, assembly and transportation required to make them available to consumers. It has been estimated that for each calorie of food that Americans consume ten calories of oil were required in the growing, harvesting, processing, transportation and marketing. The fact is that oil is so pervasive in every part of life that we are rarely aware of it beyond its role as a source of fuel. If all forms of oil suddenly disappeared modern civilization would collapse, and it would not be possible for seven billion people to occupy the earth at the same time.

Oil, of course, is not suddenly going to disappear. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to meet the demand for it. The enormous tragedy playing out in the Gulf of Mexico is a clear warning that we are in the waning days of the Age of Oil. The cost, both financial and environmental, is exceeding its benefits as well as its availability. Transitioning to renewable forms of energy and adapting to a less energy intensive way of life will take time, and it will require some difficult adjustments. However, we must be willing to make the transition before time runs out. In 2008, Dr. Faith Birol, Chief Economist for the International Energy Agency (IEA) was quoted, “ We are on the brink of a new energy order. Over the next few decades, our reserves of oil will start to run out, and it is imperative that governments in both producing and consuming nations prepare now for that time. We should not cling to crude down to the last drop - we should leave oil before it leaves us. That means new approaches must be found soon.” (www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/outside-view-we-cant-cling-to-crude-we-should-leave-oil-before-it-leaves-us-790178.html). Just as the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo was a turning point in history, the failure to quickly bring the rogue well in the Gulf of Mexico under control may go down as a pivotal point marking the beginning of the end of the Age of Oil.