Oil dependence: facts and figures from "Set America Free"

How does foreign oil dependence impact our economy and security? Which sector of the economy consumes the most oil? How will China's growing oil dependence affect the U.S.? Click on the headlines below to learn more about the impact of foreign oil dependence on America and the rest of the world.

The Hidden Cost of Oil Brief by Milton Copulos presenting the cost dependence on foreign oil imposes that is not paid at the pump.

How oil money fuels terror It is no coincidence that so much of the cash filling terrorists' coffers come from the oil monarchies in the Persian Gulf. It is also no coincidence that those countries holding the world's largest oil reserves and those generating most of their income from oil exports, are also those with the strongest support for radical Islam. In fact, oil and terrorism are entangled. If not for the West's oil money, most Gulf states would not have had the wealth that allowed them to invest so much in arms procurement and sponsor terrorists organizations.

Threats to Oil Transport Getting oil from the well to the refinery and from there to the service station requires a complex transportation and storage system. Millions of barrels of oil are transported every day in tankers, pipelines and trucks. This transportation system has always been the Achilles heel of the oil industry but it has become even more so since the emergence of global terrorism.

The Future of Oil From now to 2020, world oil consumption will rise by about 60%. Transportation will be the fastest growing oil-consuming sector. The two countries with the highest rate of growth in oil use are China and India, whose combined populations account for a third of humanity. Where are the oil reserves? By 2020 83% of global oil reserves will be controlled by Middle Eastern regimes.

Fueling the dragon: China's race into the oil market With 1.3 billion people, the People's Republic of China is the world's most populous country and the second largest oil consumer. How does China's increasing oil dependence impact the global oil market and for U.S.-China relations?

The Oil Crisis' Impact on the Air Cargo Industry The air transport industry has been hit hard by increases in oil prices. What can be done to reduce the oil dependence of this sector or at least its vulnerability to oil price fluctuations?

Oil demand by sector Did you know that less than 3% of U.S. electricity is generated from oil and that transportation accounts for most of U.S. oil consumption? Click on the headline to look at a piechart.

The oil gap Take a look at the growing oil gap illustrated by this chart: on the one hand the U.S. has just 3% of world oil reserves (including ANWR), and on the other, efficiency is not a panacea

Fuel choice: shifting gears from foreign oil to domestic energy A quick look at how fuel choice can change the equation and profoundly reduce oil dependence.