The Oil Century

The Oil Century
South Belridge, California
Discovered in 1911, this field pumped on as cities were rebuilt for cars and as ancient petroleum molecules were spun into household products such as plastics, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. South Belridge today produces 32 million barrels a year—enough for nine hours of world demand. In this century the world's supply may plummet.


Are you at all disquieted by the notion that this Californian oil field, one of the oldest and most productive fields in the state, annually provides just enough oil as used by half the people of the world for half a day?