Oil has been the under-pinning of industrial economies throughout the world for the last century and is a natural material produced under pressure and temperature deep within the earth. Some estimates suggest that time taken to form oil can be counted in millions of years.

Ancient pockets of oil are scattered across the Earth without respect to modern political boundaries. Access to oil to support the needs of life is considered existential for countries without a natural supply and some are willing to fight for it. Others see the control of this limited resource as wealth and power and for those reasons are also willing to fight for it. This tension has spawned wars in the past and provides a backdrop for our present war that has sent shock waves through every economy.

Oil, literally, is of the past. Conditions that gave rise to its formation no longer exist; thus, we have anchored our civilization to a defunct process. It is time to look to the future. Alternative sources of energy are available that do not require wars to acquire or defend; sunlight shines on every rooftop and open field.

Our reliance, and sometimes violent struggles for oil, have taken us to this future. If we seek a different future, we must stop looking over our shoulders to the past. Change can be challenging, but evolution to ensure a different future has always been a requirement to survive and thrive.

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Kevin Deeny

Note: Originally published in the Philadelphia Inquirer 4/9/26