Think, Baby, Think
The calamitous failure of BP's oil extraction equipment in the Gulf gives pause to consider not only the dangerous environmental realities of offshore drilling, but profound implications for America's energy future.
In the nationÕs economic and environmental interests, it is imperative that we pursue clean and renewable energy as rapidly as possible. The November 2009 Scientific American cover article presents a convincing and compelling proposal for the complete transition of our domestic energy economy to the use of wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal sources by 2030.
American energy independence can only be achieved through this or a very similar renewable energy strategy, and the technology needed to realize it already exists.
Conversion to these renewable forms of energy is taking place at a phenomenal rate in northern Europe, where just in the past decade some of the worldÕs most technologically advanced countries have implemented solar, wind, and geothermal sources to the point where they now generate 20% or more of their domestic needs. The U.S. lags way behind.
Oil companies propose that the latest seismic technology promises some indeterminate prospect of discovering previously unknown sources of offshore oil and/or natural gas. It is not clear what the probability of such an outcome would be, nor are the environmental costs in achieving them fully understood, though clearly the ecological risks are serious and well substantiated by recent events.
Unless vast new sources are discovered, which is very unlikely according to past offshore geological assessments, there is no possibility that U.S. oil reserves will be sufficient enough to affect the world supply or consumer price at the pump.
By pursuing the exploration and development of offshore oil and gas, the public is being misled to mistakenly believe that America is justified in continuing to cultivate this polluting, costly form of energy and can afford delaying conversion to renewable sources. The best informed analysts believe that the fossil-fuel path is a wasteful, dangerous distraction from the urgent need to make the quickest possible transition to a clean energy economy.
There are uncertain but highly dubious benefits and serious dangers in pursuing offshore development of fossil fuels. Moreover, by perpetuating the false promise of offshore fossil fuels, this course also creates an untimely distraction from implementing an urgently needed renewable energy strategy.
Thus, I am convinced that offshore exploration and development of oil and gas should be abandoned as part of our national energy strategy.
If the U.S. fails to play a leading role in the rapid transition to a renewable energy future, our nation will miss a critical opportunity to remain competitive in the global economy.
Energy independence and environmental responsibility demand that the U.S. give highest priority to implementing a renewable energy strategy. Pursuit of fossil fuel development will only serve to weaken the political support needed to take timely steps that are essential to our true national interest in the 21st century.
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Think, Baby, Think!
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