The Global Issues Lectures, Essay Example

United States

In any examination of how environmental concerns in the United States play into energy sources, it must be first understood that the nation cannot be isolated from the rest of the world in this regard. There is no individual “national environment”, and America’s being centered between two vast oceans in no way mitigates this reality: “Environmental issues cannot be contained within geographic borders. The pollution of oceans and poor air quality threaten…American citizens, as well as Canadian citizens to the north and Mexico to the south….” (Bailey, 2010, p.20).

That said, the United States must come to terms with how its demand for energy needs to be tempered by environmental responsibility. The history of the nation is characterized, for better or worse, by a spirit of entitlement; the most progressive and rapidly advancing power on the earth for centuries, Americans have long enjoyed the luxury of mass consumption with little in the way of repercussions. As, however, dependence on foreign oil as an energy source has in recent decades been highlighted by both extraordinary increases in costs and an association with terrorism emanating from oil-rich nations, the US has reversed its relaxed, consumerist stance and a determination to be as energy-independent as possible is the new American dream for the people as a whole. This attitude and effort bows as well to modern awareness of environmental factors and risks in energy production.

Given US demand, and especially in light of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, nuclear power remains the most viable option for safe energy to accommodate the population of the country. Yet even this, as with the oil crises, is undergoing severe difficulties, chiefly due to the Three Mile Island nuclear power accident in 1979 and the extreme protocols it generated. “Since 1996 not a single nuclear power plant has been constructed in the United States…”

(Sanchez, Knopp, Sanzari, 2010, p. 39). More so than ever, United States attentions must be turned to sensibly ensuring safety and environmental sustainability in establishing sufficient energy through nuclear power.

Global Concerns

“The global challenge of meeting expanding human needs in the face of dwindling resources and a changing world climate are major drivers of both design and engineering…”

(Sarte, 2010, p.xvii). This remark, while directed at lesser forms of energy usage, nonetheless accurately points to the enormity and complexity of how energy sources can be safely derived from, quite literally, a global environment.

Difficulties in safely extracting energy through coal, nuclear power, solar sources and other options are many and varied within individual nations, no matter the resources of them. When a world-wide perspective is taken, further complications ensue due to innate cultural contrasts, political differences, and opposing ideologies on what constitutes environmentally safe energy to begin with. China notoriously permits factories to pollute virtually without restriction, yet at what point is any other nation entitled to demand a reversal of their policies?

The only possible solution to eventually forging a global agreement regarding the environmentally safe trade and usage of energy resources lies in allied nations setting this as the priority it is, for all countries are vitally dependent upon a successful collaboration to achieve this end. “…Without swift, dramatic, and profound changes…including a fundamental reorientation from fossil-fuel-based energy and profit-driven economic capitalistic growth, the generation growing up today will be, in all likelihood, the last to know climate stability” (Williams, 2010, p.3).  The socialism element perhaps left aside, the reality expressed is one voiced by environmental experts around the world. No matter what final impetus draws nations together to address these issues, they demand a world-wide priority. We are all, in a very real sense, dependent upon what our neighbor does in regard to energy and sustainability.

References

Bailey, J.G., PhD. (2010.) The Global Issues Lectures. New York, NY: Xlibris Corporation.

Sanchez, N., Knopp, C., and Sanzari, F. (2010.) Destined for Failure: American Prosperity in the Age of Bailouts. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Sarte, S.B. (2010.) Sustainable Infrastructure: The Guide to Green Engineering and Design. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Williams, C. (2010.) Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis. Chicago, IL: Haymarket Books.