The use of oil worldwide has spawned big concerns. Between the environmental issues of oil spills and global warming, and wars raging in areas such as Iraq, it is hard not to see the importance this thick black liquid plays in the lives of human kind. In this debate, many individuals, leaders and nations have begun to play the blame game. Whose fault is it that we have become so dependent on oil? And even more, whose responsibility is it to fix the problem?

Oil Statistics

Statistics collected by industry experts show a drastic difference between the oil usage of Industrialized nations and Third World nations. In 2001 alone, the world as a whole was using 77,040,000 barrels of oil per day, the breakdown of which is incredibly revealing. The United States averaged 19,650,000 barrels a day, which was approximately one fourth of the worldwide usage. Next on the list is the European Union with 14,540,000 barrels per day. Nations following include Japan, China, Germany, Russia, Canada, Brazil, India and so forth in that order. But what does this mean? Clearly, the United States consumes a huge amount of oil, and as China and India increase in industrialization and population, concerns are that the global use of oil will become uncontrollable.

American Oil Usage

In the oil debate, America’s usage of oil is definitely a cause for concern. The United States Department of Energy shows where the oil is going. The Energy Department’s statistics show that electric power constituted three percent of oil demand, roughly 535,000 barrels of oil per day while only 382,000 barrels, or two percent of the pie, went to commercial usage. Industrial and residential demands make up the next two pieces of the oil pie, with 25 percent and 4 percent, respectively. All of these pieces of the pie, however, do not constitute the enormous drain of oil that is used for transportation in the United States. Transportation demands for oil comprise 66 percent, a whopping 13,244,000 barrels of oil per day. It is clear that in the world of global gas-guzzlers, the United States reigns supreme.