Imagine the world we would live in if we all agreed to minimize our use of petroleum products. [View all]

I just watched a Netflix doc on how plastics (oil-based products) were reducing the fertility of ... well, everyone. They took a few couples who were trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant for anywhere from 2 years to 10 years, cut out as many oil-based products from their homes and clothing and work as they reasonably could, and showed how their health changed over a short period of time. By the end of the experiment, three of the couples were expecting or had a baby.

If we weren't oil dependent, would we go to war about? I'm sure we'd find reasons eventually, but the military industrial complex wouldn't know what to do with itself for a while.

The Middle East would have to figure it's shit out without all the money behind it now. People like MBS would be ruined.

A lot of that money that's corrupting our government would just go away. There would be fewer predatory billionaires to mess with the rest of us. Many of the most destructive legacy fortunes would dwindle.

And there's no reason we don't do it, other than the fact that oil is pushed so hard at us by those who profit from it. We have the technology to replace it in most uses. A scientist from the Netflix documentary said, "There's no reason why plastic has to be made from petroleum. It's absolutely possible to make it plant based." That would make it biodegradable. As it is we are knee deep in plastic garbage, and set to increase our consumption of it geometrically over the next few years.

Imagine what the world would be like.

Gotta go. I'm googling for a hairbrush made of wood and boar bristles.