Curse
The long-term effects of oil on communities make it a curse. Dembicki observes, “In reality, as thousands of the people in the Philippines would learn half a century later, was a curse.” People like Dochuk felt that the launch of oil mining in the oil sands in Alberta was like a prayer answered. However, the long-term utilization of oil contributed to catastrophes such as abnormal and deadly typhoons that countries such as the Philippines have been forced to confront. Mining oil is an activation of a climate curse.
Washing Machine
The churning waters of Typhoon Haiyan create an impact similar to a washing machine. Dembicki reports, “The water was churning so hard that Sustento felt as though she was in a washing machine.” The waters create a pandemonium that separates the family members. They are so powerful that they pull some of them. Tarin manages to float because she is donning a life jacket. Other members struggle against the suffocating waters, and breathing becomes problematic.
“Hellish Cloud”
Oil contributes to the life-threatening pollution of air in Los Angeles. The pollution is so extreme that “smog got so bad that people could only see three blocks ahead of them; many assumed that it was a chemical warfare attack by the Japanese.” The smog is attributed to the increasing number of vehicles on the city’s roads. The smog burns the residents' eyes to the degree that "One government report to the smog as a hellish cloud." The cloud is omnipresent because of the never-ending vehicles that depend on oil.
