R

E

A

D

 

T

H

I

N

K

 

C

R

E

A

T

E

 

clip_image001

 

 

                  

 

Energy and climate crisis and the crisis is closely linked to the cause and the solution to both. Deal with the emergency caused by the rapid accumulation of man-made carbon dioxide planet (carbon dioxide), the earth's atmosphere, should be resolved as soon as possible, the main reason - and this is, Of course, the tragedy of our civilization excessive reliance on large-scale carbon combustion - based fuel. There is, in fact, several reasons, the United States is a strategic task to carry out large-scale climate crisis and the dependence on fossil fuel to the impact of the crisis at the same time. They are the same crisis. The fact that we still have, in my mind, in the sand, the example is the best way, perhaps the reason is that we are decreasing the shutter of the public discourse, we have our own interests.

 

clip_image002

 

 

clip_image003

 

 

Oil Dependency

 

 

Our policies on the climate crisis and our overdependence on fossil fuels—especially foreign oil—illustrate what can happen to a great nation when reason is replaced by the influence of wealth and power…

 

The energy crisis and the climate crisis are inextricably linked—both in their causes and in their solutions. In order to deal with the planetary emergency caused by the rapid accumulation of man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth's atmosphere, we must quickly address its principal cause—which is, of course, our civilization's tragic overdependence on burning massive quantities of carbon-based fuels.

 

There are, in fact, multiple reasons why the United States should undertake a massive strategic effort to solve the climate crisis and the fossil fuel dependency crisis simultaneously. They are the same crisis. And the fact that we still have our heads in the sand is perhaps the single best example of how the decline of reason in our national discourse blinds us to our own self-interest.

 

Coal and oil are especially harmful on the earth's climate because of high carbon content relative to each unit of energy derived from them. The CO2 produced as waste in the burning of fossil fuels—seventy million tons of it every day—traps part of the infrared energy reradiated by the earth into space.

 

And coal is much worse than oil. Moreover, the other dirty carbon-based fuels found in large quantities in North America—tar sands and oil shale—are the worst of all. Any significant use of these CO2-laden deposits would make the climate crisis infinitely more difficult to solve...

 

In the case of oil, the concentration of the largest source of cheaply recoverable reserves in what is arguably the least stable region of the world—the Persian Gulf—has led a growing number of Americans to the conclusion that renewable sources of energy should be developed quickly in order to avoid the disruptive consequences of suddenly losing access to affordable oil supplies.

 

Actually, the largest supplier of oil to the United States is now Canada, and our second largest supplier is Mexico. Saudi Arabia is only our third largest supplier. (The fourth largest is Venezuela.) But the Persian Gulf still dominates the top of the list of world suppliers—and since the market for oil is largely integrated globally, any disruption of oil supplies or prices originating in the Persian Gulf would quickly have a cascading impact on the world market for oil—and on the U.S. economy.

 

By keeping world oil prices high, our steadily increasing consumption of oil also ensures the continued flow of petrodollars into the coffers of states like Iran, which are hostile to our interests, and Saudi Arabia, where significant sums have apparently been diverted to train and support terrorists.

 

Our current excessive dependence on oil endangers not only our national security and the earth's environment, but also our economic security. Anyone who believes that the international market for oil is a "free market" is seriously deluded. It does have many characteristics of a free market, but it is also subject to periodic manipulation by the group of nations controlling the largest recoverable reserves (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC) —sometimes in concert with the small group of companies that dominate the global production, refining, and distribution network.

 

It is extremely important for us to be clear among ourselves that these episodic manipulations have not one objective, but two. First of all, these producing nations naturally seek to maximize profits. But more significant, they also seek to manipulate our political will. And for the last thirty years, they have paid careful attention to the need for price reductions every time the West comes close to recognizing the wisdom of developing adequate supplies of our own independent sources of renewable fuels.

 

We need to face the fact that our dangerous and unsustainable consumption of oil from a highly unstable part of the world is similar in its consequences to other forms of self-destructive behavior. The longer it continues, the greater the harm and the more serious the risk.

 

 

 

 

— Al Gore, The Assault on Reason, Chapter 7 – The Carbon Crisis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indexes/19

 

 

clip_image004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 comments:

Sprit O said...

Must be the fact that we face a dangerous and unsustainable consumption of oil from the elevation of the world's unstable parts are similar, and the results to other forms of self-destruction behaviour. Outlast the damage to the more serious risk.

O truth of the earth,
O truth of things,
I am determined to press my way toward you;
Sound your voice!

I scale mountains,
or dive in the sea after you.

Walt Whitman
po.t-pog.com - the text-only version of this site for quick browsing and better search results.

onwardpress.wordpress.com – text-only wordpress version