News & Views

Even if you are one of the very few who don't agree with the many thousands of climate scientists who say we are on the brink of a disastrous change in world climate, there are still many other strong incentives for us to shift to clean and renewable energy sources.
 
For example, the instability of foreign oil supplies has caused our gasoline prices to virtually triple in the past 8 years. Oil is also the reason we are fighting and dying in a war to stabilize the middle east. We literally pay $700 billion per year to other countries to feed our oil addiction and that figure is growing quickly. In some cases we are giving money to governments who use it to fund armies who then shoot at us.

If we were energy independent, that would be $700 billion feeding into our own economy and $700 billion less pumped into the economies of countries who are quickly becoming global threats. Removing our dependence on unstable regions of the world would go a long way to stabilizing our economy. Pumping less money into their economies would also make it more difficult for them to build armies.

Another great reason to achieve energy independence using clean energy is that it will create a lot of "green collar" jobs. These are semi-skilled jobs created in the production, installation, and maintenance of renewable energy equipment. This would allow many of the folks displaced from assembly line or construction jobs to find new work with minimal training. It would be a boon to the lower and middle class. In fact, a massive shift toward wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal energy would likely create millions of new jobs that pay pretty well. High unemployment is one of many things contributing to our current financial crisis and green energy industries could help solve it.

Many ask, "If we are trying to break our addiction to oil, what will we use for our vehicles?" That's a great question. What if I told you we already have an abundant supply of a clean transportation fuel which costs about half as much as gasoline at the pump? I'm talking about compressed natural gas (CNG). A nationwide switch to CNG for transportation could break our addiction to oil very quickly. When I say quickly, I mean a matter of years, not decades.

Why CNG? We have a lot more domestic natural gas reserves than oil. It also works perfectly as a transportation fuel. In fact, 8 million vehicles already use it worldwide. It burns clean, so it is much better for the environment. You can convert existing vehicles to use it. The conversion cost would be low enough that the government could pay the vehicle conversion cost rather than sending us a $1500 check to buy our votes this year. It is even being used to generate electricity.

So why haven't we all switched to CNG already? Good question. Perhaps we should ask our leaders, the auto makers, and most importantly, the oil companies who also happen to own most of the natural gas reserves. All three are guilty to some extent, but the oil companies are the ones who control both the fuel supply and our leaders. It is the oil companies who spend many millions lobbying our leaders in order to influence legislation, regulations, and the adoption of clean air standards. It is the oil companies that keep our nation from following CO2 emission standards endorsed by most of the rest of the world. It is the oil companies who originated the "drill baby drill" chant.

If you think about it, "Big Oil" has become the "Big Tobacco" of this century. They know in their hearts they are killing our planet. We also know they are killing our planet. But just like the tobacco companies in the 80's and 90's, the general population hasn't tried to fight "Big Oil" because we have simply been too addicted to their products. It's high time for that to change. It's time to kick the oil habit. We have the alternatives available.

With all of the technological progress which has been made in the past 150 years, and our ever-increasing demand for energy, it is hard to believe that we are still using the same few fossil fuels we used at the beginning of the industrial revolution. Solar and wind technologies have existed for decades, yet we have put little money or effort into refining them. Geothermal and tidal forces still remain nearly untapped. We are generating our energy as if we still live in 1900.

The time for renewable, clean energy sources has arrived. Now is the time to put them all to use. Now is the time to bring our money home to rebuild our own future. Now is the time to stop letting the radical leaders of a few tiny nations dictate the future of the most powerful nation on Earth. Now is the time to create millions of new jobs while creating a brighter, cleaner future for our descendants. The stability of our economy and the future of our planet depend on making some significant changes in how we produce the energy we need. In short, it is time for an energy revolution.

Labels: Climage Change, Energy, Environment