Homework 1- 7/14/09

Just over a year ago, the price of gas was about $4.00 a gallon, there is no telling whether that will happen again. The energy dependency on fossil fuels has been a major problem in the United States for some time now, such as the gas crisis of the 1970's and as recently as of last year. Our problem has been that we now import more oil than we produce, and we import much of our oil from OPEC. Being dependent on another country for oil can be difficult, due to politcs. For instance if the counry does not like our political views they can set up quotas on the oil until we oblidge by their ways.
But aside from the whole price of gas, comes another major problem, our enviornment. Our planet has increased in temperature by 1.4 degrees F since 1880. Due to the negative effects of fossil fuels our planet is experiencing global warming. Polar ice caps are melting and our weather patterns are changing, and our ozone layer, in our atmosphere, is depleating. It seems that we, the people of the earth are destroying the equilibrium of the earth.
If we don't respond soon, we will run into many enviornmental problems that are irreversable, along with being dependent on foreign fuel. The simple solution is to find alternative energy. We have found alternative energy in flex fuel, hydrogen and bio diesel and electricity. But those alternatives are quite expensive and are not mass produced. We must write to our congressmen and tell them that there must be laws or incentives placed so that we can make the transition from fossil fuel to something more enviornmentally friendly, and that can be produced in our country. there is general though that this solution is based on theories, which they are, but they can be put into motion of the people and the government support the cause, then this solution will become practical and will be able to be practiced.