Oil refinery

What Comes After Oil Culture?

Almost everything about our culture today is built on oil. Can we imagine a world built on a different energy infrastructure?
Photograph: A Mohammadan praying towards Mecca when the Miezzin calls from a nearby mosque, with a Butane Gas reservoir in the background. circa 1950

The Jim Crow Roots of the U.S.-Saudi Arabia Relationship

Americans started pouring into Saudi Arabia in the 1940s to develop the oil fields. They brought their ideas about segregation with them.
An illustration of the continent of Africa slowly being drained of oil

Is the “Resource Curse” a Myth?

Countries like Liberia and Chad have a lot of oil, and yet little of their wealth has translated into public welfare. Some blame the "resource curse."
Oil Rigs Fish

Can Oil Rigs Grow into Ocean Reefs?

Scientists suggest keeping old offshore oil platforms as productive fish habitats.
Russian oil

When Russia Conquered the World with White Oil

Russia was the first source of white oil, a Vaseline-like mix of hydrocarbons used in pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and plastics.

History Repeats Itself in a Santa Barbara Oil Spill

Two pieces look at a 1969 oil spill in California
Refueling Car With Gasoline Pump Nozzle, Selective Focus on pump nozzle

Falling Oil Prices are Worse for Conservation than You Think

It's not just falling oil prices but any price volatility that makes conservation a harder sell.