The well-being of the American economy is dependent on how well it gets its energy. Whenever there is an energy crisis, the economy hesitates and there is uncertainty for Americans. A recent example was when a Colonial gas pipeline ruptured in Alabama. The pipeline was crucial in supplying gas to the surrounding states like Georgia and Tennessee. This rupture led to a gas shortage and caused gas prices to hike. Price hikes on gas detrimental for the American economy. This is due to the fact that gas is a basic necessity for most Americans. Without gas, goods cannot be transported and people cannot get to work.
The example explained above is small scale. America is dependent on oil. The fuel for most cars in America is gas derived from oil. Without it, the American transportation system shuts down. The big issue is that America imports most of its oil from countries in the Middle East and Canada. When these countries are in conflict or not negotiating with America, the oil supply to America suffers and causes the economy to struggle. Hence, America is forced to stay in good terms with these countries. This leads to conflicts of interest for America and as seen in the Middle East, it sometimes leads to war.
Drilling for oil is hazardous for the surrounding environment. The Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez oil spills are two prime examples. They demonstrate how dangerous drilling and transporting oil can be. In both situations, the environment was devastated. The oil damaged the ecosystems in both areas. Damaging ecosystems as severe as these disasters did, takes lifetimes to fix. At times, this damage is permanent. Local communities and fishers suffered as well because the local fish populations either died off or were contaminated by the oil.
America does not go fully independent when it comes to oil because it fears the environmental consequences and whether it reach its own demands. Oil is a nonrenewable energy resources. Once the world runs out of oil, everything that is dependent of oil becomes obsolete. America runs the risk of becoming obsolete if it does not figure out another way to fulfill its energy needs.
The solutions to America’s, or even the world’s, energy crisis is to invest into renewable energy resources. There are resources like wind, solar, and wave energy which can help the energy crisis on hand.
To begin, these renewable sources are cleaner than oil and coal. They do not present any potential harm to the environment. Most of the time, they are non-evasive. Oil and coal require drilling and excavating to actually get to the resources. Renewable resources can be easily implemented into the environment without damaging its surroundings. As stated in the name, renewable resources are renewable and unlike coal and oil, the world will never run out of them. This would allow America to become energy independent. This would decrease conflict with the country it gets oil from.
