By almost any measure, the United States was the greatest economic success story of the 20th Century. The question, then, is, who will be the great economic success story of this new century?
Among the greatest challenges facing humanity right now are energy and pollution. The 20th Century saw a tremendous boom in the use of fossil fuels feeding rapid (if uneven) economic expansion. But fossil fuels don't burn cleanly. Never mind long-term risks like carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons; we are pumping lead, mercury, and other poisons into the air, water, and soil.
Finding an economically viable, renewable, ecologically sound source of energy to displace dead dinosaurs as our primary fuel is not going to be easy. "To-do List: pick up dry cleaning, mail credit card payment, invent new energy source, cure disease, solve the budget deficit, and, if there's still time at the end of the day, give the dog a bath." However, the need is pressing and the rewards will be enormous.
If the United States continues to rely on imported oil, our continued economic vitality will in turn rely on military intimidation. To put it more directly, Iraq won't be our last war for oil. On the other hand, if the United States leads the way to clean renewable energy, economic growth will be the natural by-product.
The United States today needs leadership from the top in committing to the goal of finding a new source of energy to replace imported oil within the next decade.
Are we going to run out of energy or choke to death on pollution tomorrow? No, of course not. Does that mean we can, or more to the point should, ignore the issues? The environmental issue is clear: burning fossil fuels releases massive amounts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Burning coal releases even worse pollutants, like mercury. Mercury may not kill the entire human species, but it will lead to much higher rates of birth defects. That's a higher price than we ought to pay for electricity.
ReplyDeleteAs for the energy crisis, sure, we are still able to import lots of oil -- from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Nigeria. Our dependence on foreign sources of oil is manifestly a threat to our national security.
Lastly, I didn't say that the government should take on the task of finding new sources of energy. I said that the President should commit the nation to the task. It's not a subtle distinction. Your arguments regarding the EPA and the environmental movement are nothing more than paranoid conspiracy nonsense.