Interesting topic Bigpimpin (way cool screen name, btw) ?
I agree with Manitou Dan that this energy supply problem is much more complicated than just our U.S. political parties, and there is plenty of blame to go around.
Sorry folks, I looked up a little info, and I'm about to go all Al Gore with it, lol. ?Feel free to skip over the lecture below, it will not be on the test. ?
As we all know, the overwhelming majority of the world's energy supply is from fossil fuels (they are called fossil fuels because they are formed from the fossilized remains of dead plants and animals).
Examples of these fuels are methane, liquid petroleum and anthracite coal----and these are non-renewable resources precisely because they take millions of years to form.
Here's a breakdown of worldwide energy production I found (yes, I know it doesn't total up to exactly 100 ? ;D), and I think it's criminal:
86% ?= ?burning fossil fuels
6.3% = ?hydroelectric
6.0% = ?nuclear
0.9% = ?geothermal/solar/wind/burning waste
I guess one way to think of the situation is to compare the country to a sinking boat. ?The water's getting higher, we're sinking faster but we keep trying to bail it out with the same old rusty pails we've used for over a century. ?
The Middle Eastern countries have a few more buckets, but it's gonna cost you an arm and a leg and the blood of many soldiers.?:'( ? ?There are some buckets in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, but we've got to tear another hole in the boat to get at them. ?:-/
Why are we still using century old ideas and resources when we could save ourselves, patch the holes in the bow or
even build a newer, better ship with new technology and run it with less costly,
renewable resources??? ? ?I'll tell you why---it's because it has not been in the interests of big business.
As soon as the big oil guys figure out a way to charge you for sunlight, wind and photosynthesis---I can guarantee our dependence on fossil fuels will end. ?
(btw---just paid $4.00/gal last night) ?:'(
