this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2025
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I mean... technically the oil could also be used for plastic in which case it wouldn't be burned.
Ignore that plastic may or may not be worse for the environment please.
Ackshoolly, only a small fraction (less than 10%) of oil extracted is made into plastic. One of the things lately is that they instead use ethane, an otherwise-useless byproduct of fracking, to make plastic. Unlike natural gas, ethane is heavier than air and since it's used to make plastic it can't have an odoriferous compound added for safety. So if an ethane pipeline leaks, the gas collects in low-lying areas undetected until a stray ignition source makes it explode. I happen to know this because I live a few miles from one of these pipelines and I cross it four times a day. Yay progress!
Also, a lot of burning stuff happens along the way during plastic manufacturing
Why did you change the subject plastics when the discussion is about climate issues? why should we ignore it? How about the ocean life destroying trash gyres? Sea- and bird-life choking plastics? Microplastics with as-yet not fully understood fallout? Chemicals from plastics and their manufacture leaking into water supplies?
Plastics are a generally a petroleum product, so regardless of whether the product from those drilling rigs makes plastic bottle tops or bunker fuel, it’s killing or hurting something for our convenience.
FWIW a lot of modern plastic is made from ethane, an otherwise-useless byproduct of fracking. This, of course, does not improve our situation.
because then my whole argument actually makes it worse.
Summed it up perfectly.
Still not putting a /j on my comment though.
I was gonna say cruise ships and coal power plants and airplanes