The Implications of Ignorance

High oil and gas prices have undoubtedly accelerated the quest for renewable energy. These prices may carry economic consequences if renewable energy is left relatively undeveloped, but more dangerous, possibly permanent, effects may accompany those consequences. Currently, as I noted in "The Earth, Energy, and Politics," most energy demand is satisfied by fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are limited, as well as virtually non-renewable, allowing the fuel to be depleted. A depletion of fossil fuels would have several harmful effects, such as the elimination of conveniences such as the computer and television. These two technologies are completely integrated into the foundation of society, and suddenly removing those technologies would shatter the social network.

The shattering of society, however, is pale in comparison to the potentially massive effects of global warming, resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels. Because of the resulting temperature increase, the polar ice caps, which support many lifeforms, will likely melt. The new lack of ice, supposedly, would allow the Earth to absorb more sunlight, further increasing the Earth's temperature. In addition to the harm this melting would inflict on species depending on polar regions, global warming can also impact humanity as well, but those effects are not as clear. As an illustration, global warming could increase the risk of catching various diseases. However, even with global warming, puzzlingly, the number of heat-related deaths has declined. Similarly, global warming can dehydrate some crops, but can also extend the growing season for some regions. Since biofuels, which I elaborated on earlier, are plant-based, global warming would impact the resource. In fact, other renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power, could also be impacted by changes in cloud cover and wind speed, respectively.

These theories may be true or false, but very few of these theories provide any scientific data, aside from carbon dioxide and temperature measurements. Without any data, the effects of global warming remain unforeseen, but these effects will certainly be enormous. Combined with the consequences of the depletion of fossil fuels, not pursuing renewable energy would carry extreme risks. The world understands these risks, but because of partisan bickering, the world has stalled in its work to explore renewable energy. If humanity does not unite on this issue, then, in the future, the Earth may be vastly altered, and humanity may never recover.