Though wind and solar continue to carve out larger and larger shares of world energy supply, the modern world still runs on petroleum, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The world consumes over 100 million barrels of oil a day. As of 2023, oil was responsible for 30% of all energy use worldwide, higher than any other energy source (though its share has been gradually falling). In chemical manufacturing, petroleum is even more critical: an astounding 90% of chemical feedstocks are derived from oil or gas. Virtually all plastic comes from chemicals extracted from oil or gas, and petrochemicals are used to produce everything from lubricants to paint to plywood to synthetic fabrics to fertilizer. Our enormous consumption of petroleum is made possible by oil refineries. When oil comes out of the ground, it’s a complex mixture of thousands of different chemicals. Oil refineries take in this mixture and process it, turning it into chemicals we can actually use.…