That is a problem. It is going to be very hard to continue hogging this much of the world's energy, with the rest of the world's countries modernizing (and requiring more energy themselves each year). But it is not the only problem. The other problem rests in where we get that energy we use. Renewable energy sources make up about 8.2% of usage, and nuclear energy makes up about 8.6%. That means the fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) still provide 83.2% of all the energy used in the United States.
Some people seem to think that the supply of oil is endless, and all we have to do is increase drilling and that will solve all our problems. That is both a short-sighted and ridiculous view. Most energy experts realize that the point of "peak oil" is fast approaching (if we have not already reached it). "Peak oil" is the point at which production starts to drop, no matter how much drilling is done. Like it or not, all of the fossil fuels exist in a finite quantity -- which means they will all run out eventually.
The most plentiful of the fossil fuels, especially in this country, is coal. It has been said that we have hundreds of years of coal. But coal will also run out eventually -- and coal is the dirtiest of the fossil fuels. We hear about "clean coal" these days, but that is just propaganda put out by the coal producers. There is no such thing as clean coal -- and probably never will be. Increasing (or even just maintaining) the usage of coal energy will do nothing except hasten global climate change (an impending disaster regardless of what Republican politicians say).
The hard truth is that the United States needs to change its energy ways -- and it needs to do it pretty fast. We need to cut our use of fossil fuels drastically (all of them), increase the percentage of renewable energy used, and vastly increase the efficiency with which we use available energy. This can be done, but it will require some political will, and it will require Americans to change.
We must invest more money in renewable energy, and do it now. And we must increase the efficiency of our transportation and homes. There must be more public transportation. And vehicles must be made much more efficient. One of the biggest wasters of energy in the U.S. is in the kind of homes we build. They are incredibly inefficient and waste large amounts of energy. The technology already exists to make more efficient homes. We are just not using it, and that must change.
Americans have a decision to make. Are we more interested in a few more years of comfort and resistance to change, or are we going to pass on a better world to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren? There's not a lot of time. What will we choose?
People, and especially Americans, are resistant to change even if it will ultimately benefit them, their children and their grandchildren. Before I had a child, I was aware of the dangers of our choice and use of fossil fuels. That was 45 years ago when I was a student at the University of Texas. Even back then, scientists warned of "running out of oil" and others were experimenting with alternative fuels (including Nuclear, ugh). Rachel Carson had written a book in 1962 called "Silent Spring" about our use of pesticides and the damage they presented to all species. Most pesticides back then were petroleum based. Many fabrics from that era were made from petroleum like Polyester. We have been dependent on oil and petroleum for so many things for so long that it will take some real "intestinal fortitude" to come down off of our "petroleum based high", not to mention changing the focus and business model of the oil companies. Here is a site with a partial listing of things made from petroleum, http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm. It gives a really good picture of why we cling so hard to the status quo. We are ADDICTED and global warming may be the intervention, but it could also be the end of "our species"!
ReplyDeleteYour next to last paragraph is well thought and makes a better point than is usually made in these discussions. I would say we need to go even further. We need to look at how our planet is going to handle a larger population thatn it was designed to accommodate. We need to redesign our cities and the way we transport materials between and within them. We need to fundamentally rethink the way we use water and what we do with our waste.
ReplyDeleteWe are talking about better mileage for cars, when we need to be thinking several orders of magnitude bigger than that.
I agree with your thought Jayhawk. But the population problem was addressed in China by the government with the one child solution and people went ballistic. Our lawmakers here are going ballistic against contraception for women and abstinence is about as effective as self-deportation. We need to think long-term which means that nothing will get done because no one cares about the time beyond their own lifetimes. If we leave it up to business and the oil companies, in about another 100 years life on earth will resemble life in the dystopic film "Mad Max" (with Mel Gibson). Oh well, I guess I don't have to worry either, I will be gone in another 20 or 30 years and everyone else can deal with it then...
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