The United States is extremely dependent on coal and natural gas to the extent that it is one of the country's largest imports. Recent studies have shown that fossil fuel consumption is both inefficient and harmful to the environment. Over the timespan of the twenty first century, dependence on fossil fuels has increased dramatically. The human population is consuming fossil fuels at such a high rate that will leave the likely deplete the source by 2050. In order to address this issue, society needs to reduce their consumption on fossil fuels and shifts towards a cleaner and more efficient alternative.
If oil were left in the ground and never discovered, our society and environment would be drastically different. The lifestyles of many individuals would be changed and industries wouldn't be as prevalent. It's eyeopening to observe the effects of fossil fuels on the environment and imagine a world without the consumption of oil. Civilization would be more oriented on the environment and its resources rather than focused on money and GDP. Hopefully society can change its habits and realize that it is best to leave oil and natural gas untouched underground. This will force the population to pursue natural sources of energy.
In regards to the text, I believe the policy over energy efficiency and fossil fuel consumption is not a black or white issue. This scenario affects both the business aspect of society as well as the environmental side. In order to address the concerns over energy, a new system needs to be tested and slowly implemented to observe its effect on society and the surrounding environment. Although businesses account for the majority of energy consumption, the human population as a whole wastes copious amounts of energy through residential use. In order to initiate change, there needs to be participation among the entire population.
If coal is such an easy resource to replace, why haven't we done so already? The biggest obstacle for the energy industry is fear of change among the population. In terms of alternative energy, we should invest more time and money towards natural energy resources that will eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. The problem with alternative energy is funding and getting enough people to approve the implementation. Majority of people live by the saying, "If it's not broken don't fix it." This phrase cannot be used in comparison to sustainability because our current system may not be broken, but it sure isn't working effectively. There needs to be a way to rally up support for clean energy before its too late.
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