‘We lived our lives in the age of bitumen Camp. Tar and it’s many derivatives makes the world go around, from asphalt to tires, various forms of refined petrol to plastics and even textile fibres. It’s everywhere and in everything even in the table top and the engineered floors, in the plastic containers and the clothes we wear.’

‘You’re right of course. Even the bible mentions tar pits in the Valley of Siddim, near the Dead Sea, the area where Sodom and Gomorrah went up in flames.

‘From Sodom and Gomorrah to the Alberta tar sands. That’s modern human life in a nutshell. And the world is burning. Almost apocalyptic.’

            ‘The irony isn’t lost on me either. We’re living in a world that’s not just burning from the deliberate scorching of the Amazon jungle and rainforests to the brushfires of the tinder dry prairies in Canada and the steppes in Russia. On the other end of the spectrum, the urban centres from Mumbai to Phoenix, from Kinshasa to Mexico City are overheating., much of it a result of climate change. We’re in for a fiery future, accelerated by the fossil fuels we’re burning, spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, from cars to air conditioners to factories and generators;.’

‘I read that in Doha, near the Souq Waqif they painted the roads blue which reflects sunlight and is keeping the asphalt from melting.’

‘Meanwhile bombs are raining down on Iran and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, all of them propelled by rockets fuelled with hydrocarbons. All the war machinery is dependent on fuel, be it tanks or missiles, armoured vehicles and generators. We are caught in a never-ending loop of burning bitumen, one way or another, spewing it into the atmosphere.’

‘Yeah, prohibiting plastic bags and straws is definitely not the answer. And did you know Camp that cleaner air makes the atmosphere hotter due to removing reflective pollutants.’

            ‘Looks like we’re doomed if we do and doomed if we don’t. How cheerful a world we live in. And yet we’ve never had it so good and thanks to bitumen we’re living a comfy, modern life. We’re shuttling around the planet in planes, trains, cars, and boats, all propelled by you know what. Without oil we’d be pedalling or walking.’

            ‘I guess you’re right, Camp. Wind turbines and solar panels don’t fly planes or move cargo ships and even batteries depend on hydro carbons for mineral extraction, transportation and the multifaceted process from the mines to the assembly plants.’

            ‘Just try to move your car when it’s out of petrol or try to get rid of every item that is made out of hydro carbons from your home, your closet and your garage. You’d be surprised of what’s left. Some wood, stone, metal and glass.’

            ‘Even those lovely sailboats out there in our pristine harbour are mostly made from fiber glass which is a combination of silica for the glass fibres but petrochemicals for the resin that binds them together. We can’t get away from it.’

            ‘I’m glad that that beer is made from water, hops and malt. No oil by-products,’

            ‘Ready for another one, boys,’ Vicky asked. 

            We both looked at her.

            ‘Just kidding,’ she laughed.’