Burning hydrocarbon is doubly sinful. First, it destroys a precious resource that we ought to be saving for future generations and Second, the carbon dioxide produced is warming the planet and acidifying the oceans. We all know by now about the catastrophic buildup of CO2, but have you ever thought about the wastefulness of burning the wonderful stuff. See below the fold how vital to our way of life are the products derived from hydrocarbons? Even if we manage to stave off the looming environmental disaster, the day will come when our descendants will curse us for wasting the earths supply. They may ask "What were they thinking?"
Look around you and see if you can see anything that is not, coated at least, with a hydrocarbon derivative. Almost all paints and varnishes these days are hydrocarbon based. Even if our clothing is 100% cotton, it is sewn together with polyester thread. Most fabrics are blends. Packaging is just about all petroleum based plastic of one kind or another. By the way, it is just as bad to burn these recyclable derivatives as the raw hydrocarbon.
Then there are adhesives. Almost everything is glued together these days, houses, automobiles, even mobile phones. I believe we should put a planet-wide moratorium on drilling. There are sufficient producing wells to supply fuel while we transition away from automobiles etc. to a "green" economy. In fact, a moratorium may be the only kick in the pants that will get us there.