Society as a whole has exponentially been depleting non-renewable resources since the Industrial Revolution in the 1700’s. These non-renewable resources are commonly referred to as fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas). Today, fossil fuels make up a little over 85 percent of the United States energy consumption. Now, energy is a positive element to society, it allows today’s world to function. However, the way we presently capture energy (offshore drilling, mining, and burning) is correlated with many negative externalities. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and therefore they increase in price as supply decreases. The rising prices of fossil fuels are negative for our economy because money spent on energy will be taken away from money spent on other goods and services. Also, fossil fuels pollute the environment by emitting harmful greenhouse gases into the earth's atmosphere. Basically, people are consuming energy but the negative effects of this energy consumption are not only felt by the consumers; they are felt by every living person on the planet.
The use of fossil fuels isn’t perceived fully as a negative process. This is why Republicans want to continue offshore drilling. “There are 47 million gallons of crude oil that seep into US waters annually from the ocean floor;” a quote that a conservative article bases its view upon. The article questions: Why not be able to capture that oil instead of letting it flow freely into the ocean? Humans would be collecting oil that is harming the environment naturally and putting it to use. Also, the fossil fuel industry is the largest industry in today’s market. It provides millions of people with jobs, money, and financial security. Without oil and other fossil fuels our economy would be extremely limited. These are just some of the positives correlated with fossil fuels.
Right now I think that Americans should start slowly transforming into a greener nation. The complete removal of fossil fuels from our economy in a short amount of time would be detrimental. Instead, Americans need to slowly switch to alternative energy sources. Our economy needs time to adjust to a different stimulus other than these non-renewable resources. In a march White House Press Briefing, offshore drilling politics were discussed. Obama and his administration want to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and increase research in alternative energy fields to provide more jobs. Obama and his administration believe that the country leading in greener energy technology will be the superpower of the next century.
Obama’s opposing party begs to differ. Republicans believe that since we are starting to halt our offshore drilling practices other countries will soon pass us in strength. Europe and China have no intentions on stopping their expanding offshore oil market. In fact, China is negotiating with Cuba to have rights to drill near the cost of Florida. Republicans ask why not drill if other countries are doing it? Especially if they are drilling off our coast lines.
In June 2009, “The American Clean Energy Act” was passed as a means of decreasing carbon emissions and eventually eliminating our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. Primarily supported by liberals, this bill’s strategy was to use cap-and-trade methods to break our dependence. The cap-and-trade goal is to protect the environment without restricting economic growth. Conservative Americans doubt the productiveness of this Act. Republicans believe that this cap-and-trade move will restrict economic growth because of the extreme prices the bill forces onto energy. All conservatives believe that cap-and-trade will do is cut off “Americas Ingenuity and innovation”.
Yes, going green is everything but inexpensive. Recently I was helping my father install energy efficient spotlights around our house. These spot lights were nearly 3 times as expensive as the traditional spotlight. These “going green” acts will continue to be expensive for quite some time, at least until the majority of the public decides to go green. It’s all about the law of supply and demand. If demand for something is low then the supply is low and the product is relatively expensive, but if the demand for something is high then the supply is high and the product is relatively inexpensive. However, changing something as big as the consumption of fossil fuels will be no easy task, especially for America. “As of 2008, the average American household had 2.28 vehicles.” This change would involve switching a vast amount of gas-guzzling vehicles to an alternative vehicle that uses a different kind of energy.
One thing I believe is that hybrid cars should become more widely used. They use a lot less gasoline, but still use it. Therefore, over time the demand for gasoline will go down and the demand for cleaner alternative energy sources will go up. The oil industry is the largest industry in the world and it cannot be abandoned all at once. It will take years to transform the market to not depend on fossil fuels. Long run benefits would, however, be greater than the short run costs and oil will not be as necessary for our economy.
I like this. You effecitvely showed both sides and effectively argued your side. It was very informative and offered a lot of support for your information. I like the personal experience of installing the spotlights. You offer a suggestion on how to move away from fossil fuels without crippling the economy. I do not readily detect any bias, but I did notice your opinion and you argued it well.
ReplyDeleteTechspekk, You clearly focused on where the issue is today and on what grounds we both should and should not argue how to move forward and secure an energy rich future. I thought that the breakdown of the political situation was effective, as was the personal story near the end.
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