Because it is polluting, the exhaust of just about every kind of engine that runs using petroleum-based fuel contains carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas), nitrogen oxides (causes acid rain, irritates body tissues, forms smog), sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide (causes acid rain) and soot.
And also it is a fossil fuel formed from the remains of organisms that lives millions of years ago, so it is finite. There is only a limited supply of oil in the world and it's going to run out some decades from now. Obviously we need to look for other sources of energy if we have to sustain the modern world.
With recent increases in fracking technology, the US now has hundreds of years of supply with KNOWN deposits. Alph is pretending all oil is 2 miles deep in the ocean. Is this what passes for science and knowledge with alarmists?
It's scare mongering. The oil companies are still finding huge supplies of oil and gas all over the world. Fracking has accelerated this and there is many centuries of oil supply to come. Oil is also being made synthetically.
Cost. We're already extracting oil from tar sands and in 2+ miles deep oceans. Anyone see how desperate and costly our addiction is getting?
EDIT JimZ.. typical denier tactic. Where did I even mention "all oil is 2 miles deep in the ocean"? Just examining my answer shows a reference to tarsands proves the point.
First it is too valuable for other uses to simply be burned as fuel when other sources of energy can be developed. Second burning it releases CO2 which causes global warming. Third, it releases other toxic substances which cause respiratory illnesses.
When burned, it produces toxic chemicals that harm the environment and we also only have a limited reserve of oil, so it will run out soon enough.
I already know that such large quantities cannot be provided for society, without causing problems, but are there any other reasons?
