If there is so much malevolence attached to fossil fuel reliance, why do we refuse to change? Why do we allow ourselves to be pigeon-holed, and even governed, by a resource - a thing we are supposed to control, but instead controls us? The simple explanation is greed and politics. There are many different forms of energy in the world and reliance on alternative fuels would bring about a lot of international stability, but people are afraid of some of these energies. One fifth of all nuclear reactors are located in areas of significant seismic activity.
Japan's nuclear reactors are all located in areas of great seismic activity and the nation is powered largely by nuclear energy. Currently 33% of the energy generated in Japan is nuclear and that number will be 40% within the next few years. Yet, the Japanese public is strongly opposed to nuclear power and even forced the closure of the country's newest and biggest nuclear plant on March 24th. Japan is not alone in its distrust of nuclear power although they do have more reason to fear nuclear power than anyone else since World War II.
The current global community is in the equivalent of an international holding pattern. This, in my opinion, is even worse than doing nothing because we know that, eventually, the oil will run out. We are like spectators waiting for the game to start. We need immediate and large-scale reforms. Oil at the Katrina-damaged facilities should not start pumping again. Instead we should take the money we would spend on rebuilding and apply it towards new energy efforts.
Where and how do we go about doing that? I believe a small step we could take would be to start converting our transportation fuels over to sugarcane ethanol. This is important because the US is currently resigning to the fact corn ethanol as the answer. The dirty truth about E85, which stands for 85% ethanol mixed with 15% petroleum, is that it takes more energy to produce the corn and convert it to alcohol the amount it produces after its transformation. Furthermore, this process releases even more pollution than simply burning oil once you have taken the steps required to make E85 into account.
The final blow to E85 is the tremendous damage corn causes to soil. We can regrow more sugarcane ethanol every year. It is far less polluting and much less volatile and it is cheaper as well. Biodiesel doesn't have to be sugarcane; biodiesel can also be produces out of many oils - including recycled Chinese restaurant vegetable oil. This is not a hard step to take. Everyone in the world can take this step with the only people losing out being despotic leaders and despotic businessmen sitting on the boards of Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, and Chevron.
Brazil, it appears, will be our new face for sustainable living. They stunned the world by claiming that they will be energy independent by next year. They accomplished this based on Getúlio Vargas's mid-1970s decision to subsidize ethanol production with government funds providing the framework for what is now a booming free trade market. Half the vehicles on the road in Brazil are powered by ethanol.
Japan's oil industry is starting to buy Brazilian bio-ethanol in large quantities. South Africa is starting to get into the act too. George Bush has thrown down the gauntlet to have, by 2020, 75% of America's vehicles running on ethanol, which is made from corn in America. Ethanol is inevitably the next step in automotive energy, but it is not the perfect solution. There is still gas in ethanol and ethanol will not provide a suitable energy solution for the world, especially not the supply produces from corn.
The world needs new ideologies, not new energy alternatives. If world governments started manufacturing their own supplies of energy, the benefits would be astounding. Economic growth and development would no longer be hindered by the laws of supply and demand. Electricity and running water would no longer be a privilege in third world countries, they would become the norm. There are numerous renewable energy resources in the world that it is unforgivable for us to continue to use nature to power our economy.
The effects of fossil fuels are extremely important to our international agenda. The climate model research shows that even slight changes in our eco system will be devastating to humanity due to the way mankind has set up its infrastructure.
These slight changes will destroy the bread-baskets the world relies on to feed itself. It is estimated that the world can currently hold a population of 8 billion. If a quick-freeze ice age were to occur, this number would reduce to 2 billion.
