Lines at the pump have sprung up overnight in the wake of the multi-state gasoline shortage due to the gas spill in Alabama. A price bump followed and within 12 hours of the story hitting the news, gas stations all across the southern states were out of fuel. The panic that ensued was reminiscent of the oil crisis of '73 and '79, with comparisons being drawn between them (so say the people old enough to remember. Alas, I am not one of those).
Everyone I know is talking about this gas shortage now though. Fresh-faced 18 year-old kids in my Economics classes are talking about how it took them 45 minutes to find gas on their way to school. My 56 year-old professor gave us a take-home quiz in case we didn't have enough gas to make it to class one day last week.
In spite of all the talk of the pipeline leak, I have yet to hear is a single person bring up the environmental effects of the oil spill, or a solution so that this never happens again.
While the impeded transportation is inconvenient, the environmental effect is disastrous. The spill in Shelby County, Alabama risks the safety of several endangered species, and threatens wildlife inhabitants of the nearby Cahaba River and surrounding areas. We've all likely seen the disturbing photos of animals affected by the Deep Water Horizon catastrophe; birds covered head to tail in slick oil, dead fish floating up on shore by the hundreds. It's a sickening fate for the innocent creatures affected and the clean-up takes time -- lots of it. Four years after the disaster, the United States Coast Guard said there was still work to be done to repair the damage done. Who can say how many plants and animals will be destroyed when all is said and done?
It's time for America to start seriously exploring alternative to fossil fuels. With technological advances on the rise, and other countries already utilizing clean energy sources such as solar, geothermal, and wind, we need to step up and start taking better care of the earth for future generations. With countries like Sweden and Costa Rica leading the charge, our future energy consumption can look very different. Sweden has extended a challenge to other countries to be the first country to be powered by 100% renewable energy. This is an inspirational goal, and America needs to get on board with it. Even if we never get to 100% renewable energy sources, why not do like Nicaragua and aim for a more gradual goal at first, like their goal of 90% by 2020?
Not only is our demand for fossil fuels perpetrating our reliance on Middle-Eastern countries, it not a viably sustainable option for the future. Oil will eventually run out and if we don't have an already proven alternative, we will fall into an economic break-down such as seen in popular dystopian films.
While a clean-energy-powered America may be a few years in the future, you can take steps today to help move us toward a sustainable future. Start by making your home more energy efficient. If your house is powered by a power station (which it probably is), that energy is likely coming from coal. Use less of it. Turn lights off in rooms you aren't in, and monitor your thermostat based on when you are home or away. Maybe install energy efficient washers and dryers or windows, if you are planning on getting new ones.
And be sure and contact your local congressmen and women and let them know that you support the move to renewable energy, and you would like them to put their support behind it as well.
Fossil fuels are a dinosaur in the age of modern energy options. It's time to move on.