Fossil fuel energy: the past

The US has subsidies for fossil fuels, subsidies for nuclear power, subsidies for wind and solar, but fossil fuel energys are still the most used and most common.
The energy goals of the US would improve their energy policy and it's long-term effects would 
play an important role the climate change issue.

The use of fossil fuel energys are bad for the environment and the natural resources are finite. Fossil fuels are oil, coal and natural gas.
Seeking the cheapest price for energy with the implication that environmental consequences shouldn't be part of the costs. Completing a transition to renewable energy as quickly as possible, while drastically reducing the burning of fossil fuels. The replacement of all fossil fuel energys with nuclear power and developing all sources of energy to make sure they have enough reasonable prices. 
However, the fossil fuel industry would say that the United States shouldn’t undergo this energy transition alone because it will be put at a competitive disadvantage on world markets. 
Perhaps the simplest way to manage the energy transition would be to make a high and ever rising tax on carbon. Such a tax would not favor one particular solution to carbon-free energy. But, it would move people to conserve and to switch from carbon fuels. It would also provide inventors and businesses with the incentive needed to work out the quickest, most economical path to a renewable energy economy.

The time has come to replace fossil fuel energys with something more environmetally freindly,
because it's already too late. One of the biggest invention of the last decade is hydrogen power.
Unfortunately it's not getting enough space and attention, because the oil rich countires, which are hardly dependant on their number one income, oil, don't let these invetions to develop.

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0406/How-US-energy-policy-fails-to-address-climate-change

V.J.

Romania loses its forests day by day

Two ha/hour. With this unbelievable rhythm Romanian forests were cut during the last twenty years.

During the last years forests were cut every day in Romania. The Romanian Authority doesn't even know how many forests are not administrated at the moment. On surfaces of around 3-500 000 ha, forests do not exist anymore.
Trees are cut by unconscious people, without taking care about the rules or laws. Nobody took serious regulations or sanctions last years, so locals kept on cutting and destroying their only source of oxygen.
The police says that it is very difficult to find those thieves because the area is enormous and complicated to reach; however a journalist with his filming team who were there to film a documentary about it found some of them. There is a complete indifference from the part of the authorities and local police.
Romania is a well known country for its beautiful plains, mountains and ecological areas. Statistics show that Romania is the last European Country in terms of forests.

C.C.

Renewable energy in the European Union

The European Union has many programs which include the use of more renewable energies, European energy recovery program, energy progress program and others. All this programs are made in order to fight against global warming and pollution. The use of renewable energies, such as wind, solar or hydro-electric power will reduce one state’s dependence on other state and the import of energies such as petroleum. Also, the renewable industry could also reduce the level of unemployment in Europe.

In March, 2013, the European Commission published its first Renewable Energy Progress report. The majority of the State members increased their renewable energy consumption during the last years, which is a good sign for the European Commission. A proposal for limiting land conversion for bio fuel production was published as well, and eventually the use of food based bio fuels was reduced from 10% to 5%.

The EU aims to reach 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020 and 10% specifically in the transport sector.

 

To read more information about the European Commission renewable energy progress report please visit:

http://eurlex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52013DC0175:EN:NOT

 

Therefore we can say that we are a part of the EU’s projects and we all have to contribute in a way to increase the renewable energy consumption. As Al Gore said it is better to make a durable investment in solar energy sources or other kind of renewable energy sources than in some others which pollute a lot our environment.

C.C.

America: Towards a more energy independent future.

Under the present Oboma administration according to the white house official website, the United States of America have been gradually moving to a more self substaining energy production future. The United States under the present Obama administration according to them, domestic oil production has been increasing eevery year, and in 2011 the United States of America crude oil production reached its highest peak level since 2003, increasing oil production by an estimated 120,000 barrels per day over 2010 levels to 5.6 million barrells per day. In adition to this the U.S natural gass production also grew by more than 7 percent in 2011 yeilding the largest ever volumetric increase in history and easily beating the previous record set in 1973. This also  brought about a reduction in the imports of foreign oil to the country from 11 million barrels of oil been imported daily to 8.4 million barrels per day which is a 2.6million barrels difference which speakes allot about the increase in her level of independence.
Many reforms have been put forward by the Obama administration to ensure that oils on public lands and offshore are utilized gracefully, and also that tax payers receive fair market value for both onshore and offshore resources, so therefore have provisions for additional impetus to invest in leases that are likely to be developed. The Obama administration as alsoraised the bar of safety by setting reforms in the offshore oil and gas sectore which covers matters from normal safety issues to clean up programmes which can be said to have been influenced by the BP oil spil. The Obama administration not only made reform to help in managing the production sectors, reforms were also made to benefit every one down to the average everyday consumer. Although i would not like to speculate much due to lack of other external sourxce to back uop my point beyond the white house website.
For more reading on a more recently updated source, visit the white house official website with link below
K.M-J
http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/securing-american-energy#energy-menu

Increasing American Energy Independence

America's Energy Independence was seemed in the past like a dreamy campaign as the country's needs for energy sources are extremely high. This impression has been changed since President Obama has been in office.  Of course America still has to import sources from other countries , but in fewer quantities. As I don't want to make a monologue supporting Obama's energy policy without evidence let me present you the most important facts that make his policy precious.

Oil production has been increased by Obama's presidency with 5.6 million   barrels to be produced per day in contrast to 120,000 barrels by 2003 until 2009. By this fact oil imports has been reduced with the statistics to refer that U.S has purchased by imports less than half of all oil that consumed. Obama's government didn't stop here; by steady efforts is trying to maintain U.S as the world leading producer of Natural Gas. An agreement has been signed with Mexico's government on the exploration and development of oil and Natural Gas along U.S and Mexico's boundaries and 1.5 million acres are going to be more accessible for exploration and production activities.

 I believe that by these facts the dream of Americas Energy Independence it seems more feasible.

N.G

White House Energy Policy

In the most recent White House Energy Report, there was a lot of weight put on the increase of the America's energy independence. Big part of this increase is the fact that U.S. is becoming the world leader in the natural gas production. New techniques and technology is being used to increase this gas production. White House stated in this report that the increase in natural gas production has been 7%, the highest year-to-year increase in history. One of the causes for this is the $45 million in interagency R&D budget. Large amount of this money goes to development of "fracking" techniques, a way of extracting shale gas from the soil. One thing that is not mentioned in the report, is that "fracking" is one of the techniques with the worst effects on environment.

The problems with "fracking" are many. First of all, amazing quantities of water are needed for the process: 1-8 million gallons per one "fracking" job. In addition to this, around 600 chemicals are being mixed with this water, many of which are know toxins and carcinogens. This mixture is then put in the soil to break the shale and release the gas. This process contaminates underground water and soil, and has serious health effects on the people living around the shale gas wells. In overall, there is lot about energy production increase in the report, but very little about the environmental degradation in the process. 

For all who are interested to learn more about "fracking" and its dangers, watch the well know documentary Gasland, in addition to going to the link about "fracking" in this blog.

BT

Greening Obama

The Obama Administration intensively engaged by the question of how to reduce energy independence and how to reduce air pollution. According to the reading, numbers are very convincing. Nevertheless the main point is that the Obama Administration is at least concerned with the problem. Let's see what happens on the other political side and those facts that make Obama's energy policy more valuable.

PPP’s latest national poll finds that, 58% of Republican voters agree that global warming is a hoax and a liberal conspiracy theory. If that is not enough, Mitt Romney, during his campaign often pointed out that we can not know what really causes the global warming. He also declared that it is not the right solution to spend thousands of billions of dollars trying reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Another important aspect why the Administration has to reduce energy independence is America's unstable relation with the Arab countries. Depending on those countries could be very dangerous.

In the light of these facts Obama's goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, is welcomed. 

B.J.