The Development of Sustainable Energy Sources in the United States - Essay Example

The Development of Sustainable Energy Sources in the United StatesThe writer of this article is definitely in support of President Barack Obama's agenda of freeing the United States from foreign oil dependency and favoring the development of sustainable energy sources. In the last few years, global warming-induced climate change has been progressing at a much faster rate than scientists once predicted. By now, the earth already has 385 ppm of carbon dioxide, which is way high to maintain the climate to which present life on is adapted to.

The effects of climate change are already too obvious to downplay the urgency of the issue. Glaciers have been melting and shrinking, weather patterns are changing, sea levels and rising, mosquitoes are spreading and corals are dying from the acidification and warming of the oceans and seas (Hansen et al., 2008, p16). According to Hansen et al. (2008), the world needs to lower the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere by 350 ppm or lower in order to avoid further- and possibly catastrophic effects of climate change (p16).

While other people may see such re-orientation of the power industry as an unnecessary and expensive push, I say that it is about time that the United States do its share in the global effort to mitigate climate change and its effects. In fact, such step is, from the global political perspective, long overdue. The United States has consistently avoided signing binding treaties on climate change mitigation. There is a certain level of global consensus, evident in the Kyoto Protocol, that developed nations must bear a heavier responsibility in reducing their green house gas emissions (GHGs) as a result of more than a century of industrial activity.

However, the United States (U.S.), as major world superpower refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement which which binded 37 industrialized countries and the European community in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2005. In the Copenhagen Accord, the U.S. only committed a 4% reduction of GHGs from 1990 levels by 2020 (Biello, 2010, paragraph 1) a target way below the commitment of other countries such as China, Brazil and the European Union (paragraph 3). From a business- and rational economic perspective, investing in the development of new energy sources and abandoning oil reserves in the Gulf Coast and in Alaska may easily be seen as wasteful, and even risky.

However, given the fact that fossil fuels are finite resources, the country has no choice but to develop renewable energy sources that could replace existing energy sources before the latter totally becomes depleted. Developing new energy sources now will give the country enough time to perfect its technologies and ensure the continuous running of its industries in the long run. In thinking about the position formulation for the topic above, the writer still carries the habit of stereotyping many U.S. politicians as people who put their business interests first before the people's interests and the environment no matter what facts say about the state of the environment.

There is still an observed tendency to react faster against politicians before hearing all of their points first. As a staunch environmentalist, the writer still suffers from the mine-is-better habit. Having read materials on the topic before, there is a tendency for the writer to assume that the views of others are not as critically studied. Both habits destroy objectivity and discourage a more open-minded approach in looking at things. There is the risk of hearing possibly insightful points from people.

To resolve this, there is a need to develop open-mindedness and to always remember that people are multi-faceted as they come from different backgrounds, experiences and personal development paths. By hearing other people first before making a judgment, opinion-making can be more well-thought of. Works CitedBiello, David. U.S. Commits to Greenhouse Gas Cuts under Copenhagen Climate Accord. Scientific American, 29 Jan 2010. Web. 2 Aug 2011. Hansen, J., et al. “Target Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity Aim?.” Open Atmos. Sci. J. 2 (2008): 217-231. Print.