The debate: When and to what extent should America depend on alternative energy? This debate has been growing exponentially since global warming became a political issue during Richard Nixon’s presidency. Presently, the need for alternative energy is accepted by the general public as a necessary action. However, conservatives tend to lean towards the idea that abandoning oil to save the environment is not economically smart and will lead to an economic catastrophe and liberals tend to lean towards the idea that not abandoning oil will lead to an environmental catastrophe greater than anything that could be caused by economic failure. Conservatives and liberals have been butting heads over this matter for years and I believe that each party will continue to stand on complete opposite ends of the matter unless something drastic is implemented.
My theory is that more research about environmental and economic impacts is necessary to come to a consensus on this debate. No one knows exactly how much oil is left in the ground. No one knows the true effects of removing fossil fuels from today’s economy. No one knows exactly how much more carbon emissions the earth’s atmosphere can handle. The only thing concrete about this debate is that we have altered the environment and that our economy is primarily fueled by the production and consumption of fossil fuels. Once more research is completed and more factual data is obtained liberals and conservatives will be more inclined to reason with one another and reach a means of agreement on how much America needs to depend on alternative energy.
I completely agree with the fact that more research needs to be conducted on the energy crisis that our country is facing. Though I do agree with offshore drilling, I also believe there are other alternatives that could be presented to reduce the depletion of the ozone.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading your first paragraph, I was tending to side with the conservative opinion, but I would agree that the United States should do more research before making any major decisions. Now the only question is who should fund this research.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree. It would be very wise for more research to be conducted before the government makes any more concrete decisions on alternative energy. We definitely need to find and develop alternate forms of energy, and your post is very interesting, because i hadn't hear of the abandoning/not abandoning the use of oil all at once.
ReplyDeleteSome thing you may want to look into when speaking of future power is fresh water and not how it can be used as a way to generate power but in how much power it takes to get fresh water to U.S. citizens. As the worlds population continues to expand the essence of life, water, is predicted to become a hot commodity and with already huge amounts of energy allocated to processing and transporting water to heavily populated areas like LosVagas. Many experts are beginning to become concerned water could become blue gold and the power needed to redirect it will be key.
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