GLOBAL ISSUES &INST Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

GLOBAL ISSUES &INST - Essay Example If the U.S. leads the pack in hunting for cleaner energies then surely we would save face for our previous misdeeds. But global warming transcends merely saving face. The reality of the abnormal and harmful weather patterns is something we must live with today. Scientists have linked our current explosion of weather related tragedies to the global warming increase. Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and heat strokes have become a feature of summers are but to name a few of the extremes of weather. Statistically, the hottest years were experienced in the last decade (ESS, 2008). Other health risks have also been cited due to the continued depletion of O-zone, caused by global warming. Cancer of the skin caused by UV-radiations, cataracts and decreased immunity are some of the health risks you face as a result of depletion. The environment, especially animal live suffers from the same and this causes extinction of some species. Failure to recognize the role of organic fuels, chiefly oil, would lead to unprecedented weather and calamity increase, disease and massive financial strains in the efforts to repair (Jackson, 94). Another benefit of clean energy is the reduced dependency on foreign oil. The USA consumes the most amount of oil globally and is the biggest importer of the same. This has led to many problems including exploitation by the oil cartels, the biggest being OPEC. Oil has become an instrument of political and diplomatic exploitation, especially with matters concerning the Middle East. This has been so especially after the 6 Day War. A country bearing oil has become a major voice in international affairs as they can cause the destabilization of world markets practically overnight (Zycher, 2008). The last few weeks have borne witness to this fact where the impact of the oil fields of the remote Arabian deserts cause tremors at the very pinnacle of Wall Street. Reducing dependency has very obvious advantages in this light: it would reduce the bargaining power of these countries at the international and domestic front. Humanitarian issues such as modern day slavery, women emancipation and g ross abuse of democracy by these countries are very difficult to handle since they have oil power. They can refuse to sell if they perceive you as hostile causing an energy crisis of great magnitudes. Mr. Obama is on the long term strategy road to finally rid them of their bargaining platform and allow them to be subject to the rules of humanitarianism. The third benefit as cited by the President-elect is the revival of the economy. This statement seems like an oxymoron bearing in mind that clean energies require expensive infrastructure. Though this is true, the long term benefits of this investment would pay off. Imagine having hybrid automobiles that run on electricity and hydrogen drawn from water. The electricity would be generated from nuclear energy and other forms. We would use solar energy to light our houses. Create proper insulation so that we cut down on heating costs and harness wind energy for various other chores. This dream of an oil-free energy sector would result in the saving of billions of dollars incurred in buying and importing this resource. This would result in savings from government, household and business levels. These savings from the household could be channeled to increase domestic demand or saved. Both of these options are good for the economy. The