Energy and Environment - Research Paper Example

Energy and Environment The United Nations’ conference on climate change is scheduled for Paris early December. The two-week conference has been organized to bring together more than 200 countries and formulate a pact that will help reduce global emissions of heat-trapping gasses. Climate change is an issue that has characterized the United States political landscape for a while now. The issue has attracted substantial partisan differences despite the fact that most Americans agree that there is evidence of continued global warming over the past decades. The United States is one of the countries that add a substantial amount of heat-trapping gasses to the atmosphere. The country must show its genuine commitment towards lowering carbon emissions so as to gain the credibility to coax other countries who are also major polluters to cut theirs. However, energy sufficiency and climate change have been emotive issues in the United States political landscape. More than two-thirds of Americans (67%) agree that there is solid evidence that the earth’s temperatures have been increasing over the last decades. Despite a majority of Americans acknowledging the existence of global warming phenomenon, substantial partisan differences over climate change generated along party lines exist. Eighty-four percent of Democrats believe that there is solid evidence of global warming compared with only 46% of Republicans. The Republicans are greatly divided over the issue than Democrats (Pew Research Center 1). Only 25% of Tea Party Republicans agree that there is solid evidence of global warming and only 61% of non-Tea Party Republicans. Among the adults who say that there is solid evidence of the earth warming, 44% intimate that global warming is caused by human activities, 18% believe that the phenomenon is due to natural patterns in the earth’s environment, and 4% do not know. The opinions of Republicans and Republican-leaning parties are divided into four roughly equal quadrants. Twenty-five percent see no solid evidence of global warming and hence are convinced that it just not happening; 23% agree that there is solid evidence of global warming, and it is caused by human activity while 19% say global warming is happening, and it is caused by natural activities in the earth’s environment; 20% believe there is no solid evidence of warming of earth due to possession of minimal knowledge (Pew Research Center 1). Democrats are less divided over global warming as compared to Republicans. There is the likelihood for liberal Democrats to believe that global warming is caused by human activity rather than natural patterns as compared conservatives and moderates. Also, the political views on climate change are shaped by the education levels of the lawmakers. Eighty-six percent of Democrats with college degrees agree that the earth is warming, and this phenomenon is caused by human activity. This is compared to only 57% of Democrats with less education. Elsewhere, only 28% of Republican with college degrees believes that global warming has been happening, and it is caused by human activity compared to 23% who do not have a college degree. The divergent political views on climate change influence legislation on this issue. Divergent political views influence legislation on climate change. Congress has opposed President Barack Obama’s environmental agenda, denying the country an updated legislation to guide the production and utilization of energy, and the management of the environment. The pursuit of energy sufficiency has been an influencing factor in legislations and executive orders that touch on energy and environment. The United States is the second-largest consumer of energy globally. China leads in global consumption of primary energy. Most of the energy used in the United States is from fossil fuels such petroleum, natural gas and coal. In 2014, 35.38% of the country’s total energy use was derived from petroleum, 28.07% from natural gas, 18.3% from coal, 8.5% from nuclear electric power, 4.8% from Biomass, 2.51% from hydroelectricity, 1.76% from wind, 0.44% from Solar, and 0.22% from geothermal sources (Eia.gov n.p). Energy consumption in the United States has surpassed domestic production over the decades. The surplus energy demand is being met through energy imports. In 2013, there was continued support for Keystone XL Pipeline project because of the potential it had in ensuring the country’s energy sufficiency. The Keystone XL pipeline was intended to be used in the transportation of crude oil from Alberta, Canada, to Gulf of Mexico, Texas, for refining. Building the Keystone XL pipeline has been the most politically contentious energy issue during Obama’s presidency. Another issue has been proposals to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. In a study conducted in September 2013, 82% of Republicans, 64% of Independents, and 51% of Democrats favored the building of the Keystone XL pipeline (Pew Research Center 1). The potential impact of the crude oil shipped in from Canada to the United States on the environment made environmental groups oppose the project. However, Republican Party lawmakers pressurized President Obama to approve the project. Fossil fuels that include petroleum, natural gas, and coal are the main sources of energy in the United States. Fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy which can be depleted. Also, the burning of fossil fuels adds large amounts of heat-trapping gasses into the atmosphere, and this contributes immensely to climate change. Because of the environmental impact of non-renewable sources of energy, there has been increased clamor for the development and adoption of alternative sources of energy. Renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydroelectricity are being promoted by pro-environment groups. The renewable energy sources are becoming more efficient but their capability to meet the country’s energy demands is far from being realized (Soytas 483). The Environmental Protection Agency indicated the country’s commitment to lowering greenhouse emissions by outlining proposals for new emission limits for new power plants. This is a step intended to address climate change. However, setting new emission limits on power plants has been punctuated with politics, with a part of the public favoring and another opposing. Before the proposals were announced by the Environmental Protection Agency, about two-thirds of Americans favored stricter emissions limits. Seventy-four percent of Democrats, 67% of Republicans, and 52% of Independents supported the proposals. The construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and proposals to limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants are issues that have generated support and opposition. The issues revolve around ensuring the country is energy sufficient while at the same time combating climate change. As political battles continue, the US’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions increased by 1% in 2014 (Eia.gov n.p). The one percent represented additional 406 metric tons of the greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere over the 2013 figures. The lack of commitment of lawmakers from both parties to pass legislations that will guide the battle against climate change has necessitated President Obama to use his executive powers to try rein in global warming. Climate change has been an important priority for President Obama’ second term. The Congress has continuously opposed his environmental agenda. Hence, he has opted to utilize the executive powers bestowed on the presidency to curve an environmental legacy. First, Obama approved the $90 billion contained in the stimulus bill to be poured into green energy investments. Increased investments in renewable sources of energy are bound to contribute to cutting the emission of greenhouse gasses. Second, President Obama has been steadfast on relying on existing environmental legislation to formulate proposals for new coal power plants to limit their emission levels. During Obama’s presidency, immense success has been realized in cutting emissions of heat-trapping gasses. According to the Energy Information Administration, the 2015 emissions were 10% less compared to the 2005 levels. Also, it is projected that by 2020, greenhouse gas emissions will be 17% below the 2005 levels. Furthermore, President Obama used his executive powers to oppose the construction of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline (Davenport n.p). The Keystone XL pipeline project had generated a lot of political heat for seven years. The president’s opposition to the project is seen to be in the interest of combating climate change and cementing his environmental legacy. The rejection is a win for environmental groups and lawmakers who believe human activity is responsible for global warming. Energy advocates such as the majority of Republican lawmakers consider the Executive’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline project as loss of a chance for the country to achieve energy sufficiency. Political battles on matters of energy and environment are bound to persist in the future. Works Cited Davenport, Coral. 'Citing Climate Change, Obama Rejects Construction Of Keystone XL Oil Pipeline.' Nytimes.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. Eia.gov, 'U.S. Energy-Related CO2 Emissions Up 1% In 2014 As Buildings, Transport Energy Use Rises - Today In Energy - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)'. N.p., 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 'GOP Deeply Divided Over Climate Change'. N.p., 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 'Continued Support For Keystone XL Pipeline.' N.p., 2013. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. Soytas, Ugur, Ramazan Sari, and Bradley T. Ewing. "Energy consumption, income, and carbon emissions in the United States." Ecological Economics 62.3 (2007): 482-489. Read More