Patriot Realm

Oil is synonymous with modern transportation. From the internal combustion engine's invention in the late 19th century to today's global logistics networks, oil has been the primary fuel making sure  that the rapid movement of people and goods keeps going. Except of course through the Red Sea.... .

I have a friend who has had a long and successful career in logistics. I remember him telling me that unless he could get what people wanted and needed delivered on time and on budget, he would not have had a business.  In other words, reliability, dependability and trust worthiness. Things that political and ideological terrorists have certainly stuffed up these days. But let's get back to the issue at hand.  

The rise of oil as a key resource for mobility began with the dawn of the car. The truck. The ute. The bus.  Although steam engines had already revolutionised transportation in the form of trains, they were impractical for personal vehicles. The invention of the internal combustion engine, which ran on petroleum-derived fuels like gasoline ( petrol for us down under  )  and diesel, opened new possibilities for smaller, more efficient vehicles.

 That was at about my level. 

In the early 1900s, oil-rich regions such as Texas, California, and the Middle East started to develop large-scale oil extraction industries. With the proliferation of automobiles.....thanks to pioneers like Henry Ford and the advent of mass production....the demand for petrol soared. Soon, oil became not just a commodity, but the lifeblood of the transportation sector.

Oil's importance to mobility didn’t stop with cars. The development of aviation during and after World War I rapidly expanded oil’s role in transportation. Aircraft engines were initially powered by gasoline, much like cars, and later by more specialised jet fuels derived from crude oil.

Similarly, the shipping industry became heavily reliant on oil after the advent of diesel engines. In the early 20th century, oil replaced coal as the preferred fuel for ships, due to its higher energy density, ease of handling, and greater efficiency. As global trade expanded, oil-fueled ships enabled the movement of goods across the globe, from agricultural products to industrial machinery.

As oil demand grew, so did the geopolitical importance of oil-rich regions. The discovery of vast reserves in the Middle East further shifted the balance of power in global energy markets. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait emerged as critical players in the global oil trade. The formation of OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) in 1960 allowed oil-producing nations to exert more control over oil prices, influencing global markets and energy security.

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By the mid-20th century, oil had become the world's most important commodity, fueling everything from personal vehicles to commercial airliners. Entire industries, economies, and military strategies became dependent on secure oil supplies, leading to conflicts, alliances, and major geopolitical shifts centered on this resource.

While oil powered mobility, coal became the driving force behind industrialisation. Since the late 18th century, coal has been a crucial energy source for heavy industries, powering factories, railways, and later, electricity generation.

The Industrial Revolution, which began in the late 1700s in Britain, was driven largely by coal. Before this era, most energy came from human labour.... animals, wind, and water. However, these energy sources had limitations in scale and consistency. Coal, abundant in Britain, offered a high-energy, consistent fuel that could power new machines and technologies.

One of the first major applications of coal was in the steam engine. Invented by James Watt, the steam engine used coal to heat water and produce steam, which in turn powered machinery. These engines were used in textile mills, iron foundries, and mining operations, dramatically increasing productivity and reducing labour costs. Coal-powered trains revolutionized transportation, moving raw materials to factories and finished goods to markets. ( More on this in other articles. )

Coal also played an essential role in steel production. The Bessemer process, developed in the mid-19th century, allowed for the mass production of steel using coal-derived coke as a key input. Steel, stronger and more flexible than iron, became the backbone of industrial construction, from railways to skyscrapers and bridges.

With the advent of electricity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, coal's importance only grew.

Next, we will look at what would happen without our twin pillars of modernity. And it is not pretty.