Woke this morning covered in oil. The sheets above and below me, cotton blended with polyester, are spun from oil. The elastic in their fitted corners is derived from it. The mattress foam springs from it.
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Stepped on bathroom mat threaded with synthetic fibres. Plastic toothbrush boasted bristles of nylon and a handle of polypropylene - polymers born out of the compressed remains of ancient marine life and Jurassic bones.
Squeezed toothpaste from plastic tube made from petrochemicals. Water spiralled down basin sealed with synthetic compounds bonded by the black blood of the earth.
Showered with body wash from high density polyethylene bottle, its colourful label coated with petrochemical laminate. Shaved with plastic razor, moulded handle and lubricating strip courtesy of petrochemistry.
Dried off with "100 per cent" cotton towel. Brief respite from oil-drenched world. Chose to forget about the diesel-powered machines that plant the cotton, the petrochemical-powered fertilisers and pesticides employed to grow it, the plastic piping irrigating it, the fuel that transports it to the mill, the dyes and softening agents used in its manufacturing, the plastic wrapping in which it is sold.
Opened wardrobe. Dressed in oil. Cotton-polyester T-shirt. Polyester underwear with nylon stitching (because I'm cheap). Shorts with elastane waistband. Socks that stretch thanks to petrochemistry. Shoes cushioned with ethylene-vinyl acetate. Soles composed of synthetic rubber.
The day's outfit, engineered for comfort with ancient carbon.
The kitchen was slick with oil. Took eggs out of refrigerator constructed from petroleum-based polymers, insulated with petrochemical foam, sealed with synthetic rubber. Dropped eggs into non-stick frying pan. Admired how they slid across smooth tetrafluoroethylene surface engineered from fossil fuels.
Milk from a plastic bottle. Coffee from a crude oil supply chain. Washed up with a polyurethane sponge and soapy liquid containing sodium lauryl sulphate and linear alkylbenzene sulphonate, delightfully scented with a petrochemical-generated fragrance.
Home office another shrine to petrochemistry. Laptop casing, keyboard and the resin in its circuit boards permeated by petrochemicals. Chair with nylon wheels, made comfortable thanks to fossil fuels. Ballpoint pen with oil-based ink. Dog at feet dozed on polypropylene-composed mat. Printer blinked nearby, its plastic ink cartridges running low on resin-based ink reserves.
Took dog for walk. Considered letting him run free because petroleum-engineered plastic microchip casing in his ear means he'll never get lost. Decided instead on nylon leash. Crossed bitumen road made out of refined crude oil residue. Ambled along energy-intensive concrete footpath. Arrived at park boasting patch of synthetic turf filled with plastic fibres and rubber crumb infill.
Suddenly required to employ biodegradable dog waste bag - environmentally friendly product containing petroleum-based polymers to help break it down.
As always, finished day awash in oil. Reached for plastic remote control and turned on the polycarbonate-encased TV with its acrylic light diffusers, synthetic polarising film, PVC-coated cables and plastic insulated wiring.
The newsreader's face was grim, her mouth pursed, her lips painted red with blend of petroleum distillate and synthetic polymers.
War had broken out in the Middle East again. The body count was rising but the markets were only concerned by the black blood that once coursed and now threatened to sputter through the veins of the global economy. Tankers in retreat from the Strait of Hormuz. Oil production stalling in Qatar and Iraq. Global oil prices and supply chain costs rising.
Imagined roomfuls of depressed futures traders reaching for headache pills in aluminium blister packs containing paracetamol synthesised from phenol produced by benzene, another petroleum refined product.
The newsreader, face moisturised by petrolatum, mineral oil and propylene glycol, warned of inflation's shadow looming over groceries and utility charges. Cut to: the US president, skin burnished orange by synthetic ingredients created by the petrochemical revolution, admitting costs might rise but insisting all he wants is regime change in Iran. Or something else. He'd figure it out.
Another war, another spasm of violence in the long global struggle involving oil and its overwhelming influence in our lives. There's no avoiding it. Even the giant wind turbines and solar panels meant to help us escape its clutches still rely on petrochemical resins and plastics.
No wonder it's hard to imagine the future when the primordial and prehistoric residue of the past still controls the present.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has signed Australia up to a powerful global alliance of critical minerals producers and urged the two countries to boost their co-operation on a range of fronts.
- Staunch opposition to controversial freedom of information law reforms that would have made accessing documents harder has forced Labor into an embarrassing backdown.
- Treasurer Jim Chalmers is warning service stations not to rip off drivers at the petrol pump by taking advantage of the widening conflict in the Middle East.
THEY SAID IT: "The oil can is mightier than the sword." - Everett Dirksen, US politician
YOU SAID IT: Making sense of the war in the Middle East is made difficult by conflicting statements about the reasons for it and a lack of verifiable information on the ground.
"I doubt the historians will ferret out the reasoning for this unnecessary, needless hegemonic war of the US and its boy toy Israel - or is it the other way around?" writes Adrian. "The truth or even fact in today's world is produced by dominant social, political, or institutional powers to shape what we accept as 'true'. In this modern world where the media grab and a soundbite reign supreme, truth appears to be built on the lie. We will never know the 'why'."
Arthur writes: "Anything Donald Trump says I consider a lie until there is evidence to the contrary. The attack on Iran will be seen as a turning point in history but we will have to wait to find out if it is for the better or worse. We can only hope it is for the better and would-be dictators will think twice before acting."
"I know it's a word which is pretty much guaranteed to get you cancelled, but it is all about the narrative," writes Murray. "The line, which must not be deviated from, is that Trump and Netanyahu are an evil axis that must be discredited at every opportunity. If Trump rescued a child from a shark attack the press would scream that he was starving sharks. So history will erase the horrors of Khamenei's rule, and focus on the US and Israel. Future generations will have little idea of what really happened."
Sue writes: "Truth is that even with the presence of foreign media in Iran, while there would be a clearer picture of what was happening, the decision making behind that would still be obscured by politicians. The greater truth is that politicians lie - um, sorry, is that support an alternative truth? Further, the most aggressive leaders (Trump, Netanyahu and Putin) are not being held accountable. I would like to blame it all on Trump but that is too simplistic a response, and truth is that history, as always, will be written by the winners."
"Also in doubt are the images purportedly from the Iran conflict, with many on social media being AI constructs according to a BBC report," writes Wendy. "Not only can we not believe anything we hear, now we can't even believe anything we see."
