The obvious solution is to make the transition away from dependence on fossil fuels that has been debated for decades but never emphasized in a serious way by any U.S. administration. In principle, the future of this nation and of other nations will absolutely require development of sustainable, renewable energy sources instead of oil. In that regard, solar power has become one of the most realistic solutions and it is currently used successfully in several countries and in a more limited capacity in the U.S. with great success. Generally, solar power is based on photoelectric cells that capture sunlight and store its energy in usable forms that can be used to generate various forms of energy.
Electric power is another viable method of replacing fossil fuel energy sources, but there is significant controversy surrounding the most efficient way of producing it. Specifically, nuclear power plants are the cheapest ad most efficient method of supplying large regions with electric energy but they still suffer from a stigma that can be difficult to overcome for policy-makers....
In truth, there is absolutely no relation between civilian nuclear power and weaponized nuclear technology. Likewise, nuclear energy plants cannot be used as terrorist weapons. However, past experience in the U.S. And in the former Soviet Union suggest that nuclear energy production may be susceptible to the
consequences of human error that could trigger catastrophic contamination of local areas in the worst case scenario. As a result, it is difficult to promote nuclear energy even though it may be the most efficient long-term solution to the
energy crisis.
Sources Consulted
Attfield, R. (2003).
Environmental Ethics: An Overview for the Twenty-First Century.
Cambridge, UK: Polity.
Poiman, L.P. And Poiman, P. (2007). Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Application. Florence, KY: Wadsworth-Cengage.
Lavelle, M. (2007). "Power Revolution." U.S. News & World Report, November 5,
2007.
Sachs, J. (2008). "Ten Ideas That Are Changing The World." Time Magazine, March
24, 2008.
Zuckerman, M. (2007). "The Energy Emergency." U.S. News & World Report,
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