Since the beginning of all recorded history, humans have depended on Mother Earth to meet our needs. We have cultivated land for agricultural production and domesticated animals to better meet our needs; for work and even for food itself. Sustainability was never in question and land, crops and animals were always in abundance when taken into account. A simpler life where survival through food, shelter, water and reproduction was all that mattered. However, over time things have changed. From hunter-gatherer sects to agricultural communities; from small towns to booming civilizations; perhaps the most important thing was the change in ideology. We as a society have gone from a simple nature of self-support to a society of greed. Greed depicted in the form of money, power, land and politics. The effects of this greed are devastating for the environment. Since sustainability is not necessarily part of the ideology of those who are greedy, it has been put aside. This has led to exploitation, theft of the Earth's resources and, in some cases, even bloodshed; these things only lead to people being able to line their pockets more deeply. One of the main culprits of these “crimes” is the oil industry. The oil industry has been around since the early 1800s. As The History Channel's website states, it has been "an illuminant for medicine and as a grease for wagons and implements." The first turning point for the oil industry was with the discovery of kerosene. John Austin, a New York merchant, had observed a cheap and efficient oil lamp in his travels. Upon returning home he then manufactured them for use on kerosene. Shortly thereafter the US oil business exploded with whale... middle of paper... and environmental destruction. On the other hand, ironically, the industry can also provide a drastic increase in the quality of life, agricultural capabilities, and finally oil has brought the United States and other rich and established countries to where we are now. In my opinion there are two serious problems facing our civilization and the oil industry. The first is that we have no other backup plan once the oil runs out. Second, and morally overriding, is the fact that some of these smaller countries can be completely ruined (socially and environmentally) by oil companies simply because of the lack of international law. Just as the government will sell just about anything to get rich. What our future holds in this field is murky. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next hundred years.