By Gary M. Kaye, Publisher, Zero Energy News
The energy debate is really two debates. They overlap the way two circles overlap in a Venn diagram, For those who advocate the use of renewable energy it’s important to realize that these two debates are not entirely synonymous and some of the people who support the first, may not agree at all with the second. Unfortunately in the heat of the presidential debate the distinctions tend to get lost.
Energy Independence
The primary focus of the energy debate has been on the issues of energy independence and rapidly rising energy costs. We rely on imported oil for a major portion of our energy needs, not only for gasoline, but also for home heating oil and oil fired electric plants, especially in the Northeast. And the number is staggering, almost two-thirds (64.72%) of U.S. petroleum consumption in 2007 came from imported oil. The issue of independence relates both to economics, and to national security. Obviously, the more we pay for energy, whether it be in the form of electric bills or gasoline, the less we have available to spend on everything else. As the price of a gallon of gasoline rose from twenty something cents a gallon in the early 1970’s all the way up to two dollars plus, we were largely able to absorb the increases. But earlier this year, as those prices soared to more than four dollars a gallon, our budgets finally hollered, “No Mas”
The other side of that equation is where all that money is going. Oil Man turned Renewable Energy Man T. Boone Pickens calls it the biggest transfer of wealth in the history of the world. And the transfer is going to people who don’t like us, and who are more than happy to use their energy resources to threaten us. This includes places like Russia, Venezuela, and much of the Middle East. We are dependent on the very people whose policies are often in violent opposition to our own. Just this week Russia sent a 20 person delegation to OPEC to tell the cartel that it wants close cooperation. Russia produces 11 percent of the world’s oil exports and has proven it’s willing to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. If, heaven forbid, we land up in a shooting war with people who some of those nations support, the consequences could be horrendous. Four dollar a gallon gasoline would quickly become a fond memory. And how hard would it be to imagine the U.S. being pressured to change its policies to comply with the demands of people who keep our cars running? Talk about economic imperialism. It’s no wonder the American Jewish Committee has begun running a series of radio ads promoting energy independence. The AJC clearly understands the link between energy dependence and Middle East policy.
In and of itself, the need for us to become energy independent strongly argues in favor of developing alternative energy sources that can offset oil imports, especially for things like home heating oil and power plants. Replacing gasoline for our cars is a much tougher nut to crack.
Climate Change
The other debate is over climate change. There is overwhelming evidence that our use of fossil fuels contributes to the increase of greenhouse gases. No debate there. What could be debatable is the impact. Is this leading to global warming? There’s a lot of evidence supporting that position. So, here too, increased production of renewable energy means less use of fossil fuels. Using solar and wind do not generate any greenhouse gases. And here we can replace things like coal, a pretty dirty fossil fuel with things that have no emissions like wind and solar. By reducing our reliance on imports (the overlapping part of the Venn diagram) we improve our energy independence, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Many of those who squirm at $4.00 a gallon gasoline see the bottom line as the bottom line. They are willing to sacrifice long term goals for short term savings. This is a different debate. This is the ethanol, clean coal, natural gas, debate. It’s not the zero emissions debate.
The issues are largely separate, but the answers are similar. Increasing renewable energy sources like wind and solar help resolve both sets of issues. Using more coal and offshore drilling could help energy independence, but won’t save the planet. We need to make sure that when we debate we know the difference between apples, oranges, and fruit salad.
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