The oil shock began on April 30, 2007. At this point we do not know how severe it will be. Students and teachers can help:

First, we need to gather reports so that everyone can see the extent of the problem. Teachers can help students document this new reality, as other citizens have done starting Week 1 at www.worldwithoutoil.org. Learn how to do this here.

Second, students can get up to speed on the role that oil plays in our society. By doing these activities and learning the background facts about oil, students will prepare themselves to develop creative, realistic solutions to the problems that the oil shock will be causing. Get your Crash Course on our oil situation here.

Our society depends on oil in many ways. Some of them are not apparent at first. We do not know exactly what will happen when there is not enough oil to supply our energy needs.

Since April 30, 2007, the oil shock is underway. It is affecting everyone in the country, but in different ways. As in any crisis, the first step is to gather good information about what is really happening, so that we can make good decisions about what to do in response.

Here's how you can help:

1. Go to Week 1 at www.worldwithoutoil.org. This is the situation at the beginning of the oil crisis. You will see the CURRENT COSTS for fuel in a white banner near the top. How do you think those costs compare to fuel prices before the shock began? Click the banner to see a graph.
2. The Situation Update is below the white price banner. Click on the headline to read the entire update.
3. In the orange column is a panel called "Exclusive Video" from Kalwithoutoil. Click on that to see Kal's first videoblog.
4. To the left of the orange column, there are the Stories about the crisis (the blocks labeled "w1"). Click on some of them to experience the stories. Do they give you a clear picture of what's going on? What could they do better?
5. Now go to Week 16 at www.worldwithoutoil.org. This is the situation after 15 weeks. Click on the white banner again. How has the price situation changed? Why?
6. Click again on the white Situation Update headline to read the entire update. At the bottom, click on "Previous" (or scroll down) to see earlier updates. Are there developments there that are surprising to you?
7. Again, click on "Exclusive Video" to watch Kal's continuing video reports.
8. Again to the far left of the Situation Update, there are current Stories about the crisis. How have they changed?
9. Below the Situation Update, there's a map. Find your location on the map and click it. How is your area doing? (Does it have a good Response Rank? Low is good.) What might affect the number of people in your area that are responding to the oil shock?
10. NOW, PREPARE YOUR REPORT.
    You've seen the prices, and the news reports, and other people's stories about their experiences of the new reality. Describe how the oil shortfall is affecting you, your family, and your school. Are there things that you are doing differently? Or can no longer do? What is happening to the quality of your life? How do you expect things to change in the future? What things can your class do as a group to help?
    
    Follow your teacher's instructions on how to prepare and submit your report. If you can, post your report online in a blog or MySpace page, or upload it to a phot service such as Flickr or a video service such as YouTube. The easiest way to prepare your report is to write an email.
11. TELL US ABOUT YOUR REPORT.
    Either you or your teacher can send your report (or its URL ) to us; use the address on our Contact page.
12. KEEP THOSE REPORTS COMING.Use the WWO Time Machine (top right corner) to go forward in time, to Week 21 or 26 or 30. Update your situation as you described it in your report.
13. ADVANCED STUDENTS / EXTRA CREDIT.
    Go to www.worldwithoutoil.org and scroll all the way down to the bottom, and click MANIFESTO. Read what the people who are running the WWO website have to say. Which viewpoints do you agree with?
    
    Click the WWO logo at the top left to return to the home page. Now find the TEAM BLOG link right above the map, and click it. Read about how the website people are faring during the crisis. How do you feel about their various situations? Which of their life decisions do you agree with?

Study carefully. If you learn these background facts about our oil situation, you'll be better equipped to help create solutions to the current oil crisis.

– Download Printable PDF –

HARD QUESTIONS

1. Where does oil come from? What are the two main theories on how it got there? (Why is it called a "fossil fuel"?)
   
   Oil (petroleum) comes out of the ground. The popular biogenic theory supposes that it is the remnant of marine life that sank to the bottom of ancient sea beds and has been transformed by heat and pressure in the earth into petroleum. The minority abiogenic theory supposes that its hydrocarbons are part of the earth itself. ("Fossil" refers to the biogenic theory.)
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum
2. Is oil a renewable or a non-renewable resource?
   
   It is non-renewable. Oil wells do replenish themselves, but at a very slow rate, and sooner or later will stop doing that when the underground reservoir is completely exhausted. 
3. How long have humans been using oil for fuel?
   
   Oil has been known since ancient times. The modern history of oil as a fuel for internal combustion began in 1846.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum#History
4. How many gallons of gasoline or diesel does your family use every month?
   
   Write down your estimate, then use your family's fuel bill to figure out the true amount (hint: you can divide the monthly bill by the price of a gallon of fuel to get the number of gallons). How close was your estimate? Does the number surprise you? Does your number differ much from those of your friends?
5. If fuel is rationed and your family could only have 20 gallons a month, how would this change your lifestyle?
6. Name as many as you can of the top dozen oil-exporting countries of the world.
    
   1. Saudi Arabia
   2. Russia
   3. Norway
   4. United Arab Emirates
   5. Iran
   6. Venezuela
   7. Kuwait
   8. Nigeria (est)
   9. Mexico
   10. Canada
   11. Iraq
   12. United Kingdom
   
   https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2176rank.html

HARDER QUESTIONS

1. Oil is often associated with transportation. What else is it used for?
   
   Fuel oil to heat homes, source chemicals to make plastic, asphalt and fertilizer, and more.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum#Uses
2. Does the food you eat depend on oil? If oil were more expensive, would your food be more expensive?
   
   Yes. The low cost of food depends on large part on cheap oil to drive farm machinery, to produce and transport pesticides, and to process, package and transport food.
3. If there were an oil shortage, would there be a shortage of food? Why or why not?
   
   Very possibly. Our current food industry depends on oil to produce food at current levels. If forced to cut back, people might have to grow their own food to make up the shortfall.
4. Go through your refrigerator and pantry, and look at the labels of packaged foods. Can you figure out where each food came from? Plot the food sources on a map. What is the average number of miles the food has traveled to get to your home?
   
   Studies of "food miles" in the U.S. often produce results in the 1,000- to 2,000-mile range, even for produce.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_food
5. The U.S. has suffered oil shocks before. When did they happen? What caused them? What were the effects, and how long did they last?
   
   There were oil shocks in 1973, in 1979, in 1990 and in 2005. The causes are complicated, but relate to the Yom Kippur war and OPEC(1973) , the Iranian Revolution (1979), the First Gulf War (1990) and Hurricane Katrina (2005).
6. Do you think the availability of cheap oil has influenced the American lifestyle? If so, how?
   
   Possible positive answers include American Suburbia, highways, and the large American automobile.

HARDEST QUESTIONS

1. How much petroleum product do the citizens of the United States use every day? What percentage of this oil must be imported?
   
   The U.S. consumes over 20 million barrels of oil a day – one-quarter of all the world's production. Today, over 60% of the oil we consume must be imported. 
   http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/quickfacts/quickoil.html
2. How critical is oil to the continued production of electrical power in the U.S.?
   
   Oil produces a relatively small amount of power directly (in oil-fired power plants) but is vital for the continued operation of coal-fired plants, which produce most of the U.S. grid energy.  
   http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epates.html
3. What is the Hubbert Curve?
   
   M. King Hubbert used statistical modeling to arrive at a curve that is useful for understanding supply levels when humans exploit certain natural resources. The Hubbert Curve is most often associated with oil resources. http://wolf.readinglitho.co.uk/mainpages/hubbert.html
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubberts_peak
4. How much of the U.S. annual output of energy is lost to energy inefficiency, that is, it does no useful work?
   
   Over half.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:USEnFlow02-quads.gif
5. What is the relationship between oil use and climate change?
   
   Complicated. When burned, oil adds CO2 to the atmosphere, adding to climate change. Oil however can offset the use of fuels such as coal, which when burned adds even more CO2 to the atmosphere.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel
   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6505127.stm
6. Given the likelihood of oil shortages in the future, what might be good careers for young people making choices today?