America 's Dependence On Foreign Oil

Deciding to start a business is brave and adventurous. The first step to success is a brilliant, viable, profitable idea. Whether you have decided to do it on your own because you are tired of working for someone else, or you are laid off after many years in your organization, before you decide to invest your life savings and get buried in debt, consider the big picture, the current economy, your demographic target consumer and do your research. The idea of solar energy is one such brilliant, viable idea. True the demand is present for such energy, but before taking the leap, consider the market saturation, competition, governmental rules and regulations and other determent factor that will influence the success of your

Foreign oil dependency is a major topic that is hotly debated in US politics. The United States relies on imported oil for about 40% (in 2012) of petroleum consumed and is the world’s largest consumer of oil. About 53% of the foreign oil imported is from other Western nations such as Canada, Mexico and Brazil. 28% is from the Persian Gulf, 16% from Africa and the remaining from other areas of the world. Canada is currently the leading crude oil supplier to the US. Some believe that importing oil has benefits to our economy, while others believe it is a security threat.

The topic of this paper is America’s foreign oil dependency. The purpose of this paper is to suggest how might America completely destroy or at least greatly mitigate its dependency on crude oil to fuel Americans’ cars, especially foreign crude oil. Library literature, newspaper articles, encyclopedias, and the Internet were all sources used to compile this paper. The conclusion reached in this research topic is that America’s great foreign oil dependency is a crisis and other energy sources to fuel our cars need to be adopted and implemented before the people

In this modern fast paced world that we live in, there are many issues that are looked over, energy is one of these. As a world, we are dependant on dwindling fossil fuel supplies and take for granted electricity, oil, and gas. There are four completely renewable sources of energy around us that should be used and developed, they are: wind, growing plants, flowing water, and the sun. These sources of energy are the ones we should be tapping, because they are reliable and renewable. Harnessing the suns energy is the most certain and ultimate energy source. Looking at a brief history and some facts about solar energy, a glimpse of the future can be seen, a future not dependant on

America the beautiful, land of the greed and the home of oil. Along with being a major superpower comes an insurmountable thirst for fossil fuels. Imperialist ideals and the corporate oil empire can bring stability and jobs but heavy costs also arise. Numerous solutions have been tried, but without fixing the underlying problem more issues are inevitable. Our over-consumption has an incredible effect on our reliance on foreign oil. OPEC, the Organization of the Oil Producing Countries, has supplied Americans with a constant flow of both oil and jobs. Nevertheless, progression comes with high cost to our environment, in addition to pulling us into international involvements. Increasing the United States’ domestic oil production was just a

Oil towns started dying when the restaurants and stores have no more customers, because there was no money. This could start a “domino effect” and cause an economic meltdown in states like Texas, New Mexico, and North Dakota (Egan). This event was caused by the U.S.’s dependence on imported foreign oil, because when the U.S. imports more than half of the oil it uses on a daily basis, someone else has the control over the economy. Energy dependence is not a new problem but one that started in 1973 after the oil embargo. It was caused by the Arabian government cutting off the oil and gas supply as a protest against the U.S. support for the Israel in the war between Egypt and Syria (Myre). President Richard Nixon gave a speech claiming his plan called “Project Independence” could produce enough energy needed in America and stop importing oil and gas by 1980. Then in 1975, President Gerald Ford had a similar plan with a deadline of 1985, and this was the cycle that lasted eight presidents so far. The deadline has now been moved up to 2025, but now, the U.S. is in a hole more than ever before. In the 1970s, imports only accounted for about 30% of all oil consumed. In 2010, imports account for 60% to 70% of all oil consumed. This problem has accelerated almost to the point of no return (Gottesdiener).

“National Security Consequences of United States Oil Dependence” is an article created by an Independent Task Force which emphasizes how in the future the United States can experience severe consequences from using an abundant amount of oil. "For the United States, with 4.6 percent of the world's population using 25 percent of the world's oil, the transition would be especially disruptive" (Task Force 212). The transition they describe is to an economy that relies less on petroleum. This dependence on oil could possibly result in the United States to suffer with economic, and social downfall as the entire country depends on the oil we obtain. One alternative to this oil dependency is to explore all American territory for oil, which involves

When all of our natural fossil fuels are low or gone, solar energy will be one of the leading sources of energy that we will need in the future.

Claim: Solar power has the potential to become the United States main supply of energy and replace are needs for more conventional and harmful forms of power generation.

The Importance of Oil in U.S. Foreign Policy During the oil and energy crisis of the mid-1970s Americans became painfully aware of the consequences of the United States dependence on foreign sources of oil. Unfortunately, research and exploration for alternative sources of oil in North America has not been pursued vigorously enough to cease such foreign dependence. As a result, in the mid-1990s Americans find themselves in the same precarious position as they were during the 1970s. The Persian-Gulf War in 1991 was all the proof needed to convince the United States of how strongly oil still influences our foreign policy and international relations in general. Oil and U.S. Foreign Policy: Historical Issues The United

In contrast, some believe that renewable energy is a key factor involved in helping the economy to grow. Many jobs are created in the manufacturing and running of renewable energy plants. The renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies created 8.5 million new jobs and $970 billion in revenue in the year 2006 (Langwith, “Renewable Energy is Economically”). The American Solar Energy Society says by 2030 it could generate up to $4.5 trillion in revenue for the U.S and create 40 million new jobs. This would represent one in every four jobs (Langwith, “Renewable Energy is Economically”). This shows how vital it is to get renewable energy companies in the U.S. It is important to build a stable economy again and do it all while helping the environment.

In order for one to further understand the importance of solar energy, the problem of global warming must be explained. As defined by Webster’s Dictionary, “Global Warming” is an increase in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. With an average increase in atmospheric temperatures, our planet is slowly deteriorating. In order to stall or halt this global destruction, countries must turn to solar energy as a cleaner alternative to the depletion of fossil fuels. Solar energy creates a homeostasis for the climate. Due to its ability to decrease global climate changes, solar power can address global warming in several ways.

Solar energy is the most plentiful and purist renewable energy source available. Because it is completely natural, it is considered to be a clean energy source. It does not disrupt the environment or threaten the Eco-systems the way oil and some other energy sources tend to. Nor does it cause greenhouse gases, air or water pollution. Solar energy is an immensely important aspect of life and has been since the beginning of time. Increasingly, we are learning how to harness this important resource and use it to replace traditional energy sources. Modern technology can utilize this energy in a variety of ways, such as; generating electricity, providing light or a comfortable interior environment, and heating water for domestic, industrial, or commercial use. One day solar energy may well become our primary form of energy. This would lead to a clean environment, less money spent on utilities, and a healthier world. It is highly important because it has the potential to allow technology and nature to co-exist peacefully.

The total wind power capacity in the US is more than 65 GW, which is enough to power about 18 million average American homes []. The good news is that over the past five years the cost of the wind power has been dropped to 58%, according to the Lazard’s Levelized Cost of EnergyAnalysis1 report from September 2014 [global report 2014]. Gradually it is becoming one of reasonably priced sources of electricity in the USA.

Solar energy and its use isn’t new to the world. It has been used by various societies beginning from 7thCentury B.C, when the sun’s heat was concentrated by glass and mirrors to light fires. Today, we have everything from solar-powered buildings to solar-powered vehicles. By and large solar technology has some environmental, economic, psychological and ethical implications for our society. Actions taken by companies and individuals to increase the use of solar technology will create good local jobs, improve our environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil while doing what’s ethical and moral for our society.