Two paradoxical facts regarding fossil fuels are widely known today. First, they are a limited resource, second, the world depends upon them. It seems patently absurd that despite knowing that fossil fuels will be depleted in approximately another hundred years, that we are not doing more to find a replacement. Imagine a world without fossil fuels. What would such a world look like? Well we know what it would look like because all we have to do is look back in time to the pre-industrial period which was one of disarray. And now is the time for us to take action to make sure that our children and grandchildren will not have to live in such a world.
There is a great deal of hype over the issue of renewable energy, but that does not mean that its importance is exaggerated. Look at the current figures. At present, eighty two percent of the world's power comes from non-renewable sources. This means that only 18% of the global energy that is being generated is renewable. These figures clearly reveal, that despite government declarations, we are not going to be independent of fossil fuels anytime soon. There are many reasons Why can't we free ourselves of dependency on this form of energy: greed, laziness, apathy, or the "eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" attitude. But basically the reason is unimportant, only the consequence, which is a lack of funds.
In the past certain governments, such as the Danish government, supported the development of alternative energy by giving economic "rewards" to those who practiced them, be they a large organization or a private individual. Unfortunately, in the past few years, these financial inducements have been reduced and the so-called commitment has followed suite. What this showed was that like the governments who lead them, the people are not truly dedicated to finding and using other sources of energy. In fact the shallowness with which the undertaking is adopted is exemplified in West Texas, U.S. where many of the people employed on running a wind power project drive large cars which use a great deal of gas. The irony of their vehicles is lost on them and shows that the need to change our way of thinking has not penetrated very deeply.
The amount that gas is taxed by is also reflective of the level of commitment by those in power. The discrepancy shown between three countries speaks for itself. In North America the car owner pays 12.5 cents tax on a liter of gas. The Canadian car owner pays almost double that with 24 cents tax on every liter. But these prices pale in comparison to those in Europe. In Germany the car owner pays four times as much tax. There is the regular tax which is already higher at 86 cents per liter, but then there are taxes on the taxes with a further 19% of Value Added Tax and then there is Fuel tax. All in all the German motorist pays approximately $3.8 per gallon for his gas.
The great advantage with high taxes is that people turn to public transport. Hence it is crucial that in countries where taxation is used as a disincentive that the public transport system is highly developed in that it is both efficient and cheaper than private transport. The fact is that in Germany public transport is excellent and provides a large source of income to various bodies, including the government, who spend more on developing renewable energy. The amount of renewable energy that was being used in America in 2009 was only 10% in contrast to 18 percent in Germany. And the sad fact is that this disparity is growing.
At present the German government is showing how seriously it is taking the situation and this attitude should be followed by other nations. And Germany realizes that its large stockpiles of coal do not solve the global problem or the future dilemmas they too will find themselves in. Hence instead of sitting back and relying on what they have at present they are investigating forms of renewable energy. Unfortunately while their efforts are admirable the global repercussions of such responsible behavior is being negated by other countries such as the US who use more fuel than any other country. If all the countries of the world who use large supplies do not turn their admirable words made at summits into positive actions, as the Germans are doing, then we will probably end up realizing too late that we have destroyed our way of life.
Academic Reading
There is a great deal of hype over the issue of renewable energy, but that does not mean that its importance is exaggerated. Look at the current figures. At present, eighty two percent of the world's power comes from non-renewable sources. This means that only 18% of the global energy that is being generated is renewable. These figures clearly reveal, that despite government declarations, we are not going to be independent of fossil fuels anytime soon. There are many reasons Why can't we free ourselves of dependency on this form of energy: greed, laziness, apathy, or the "eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" attitude. But basically the reason is unimportant, only the consequence, which is a lack of funds.
In the past certain governments, such as the Danish government, supported the development of alternative energy by giving economic "rewards" to those who practiced them, be they a large organization or a private individual. Unfortunately, in the past few years, these financial inducements have been reduced and the so-called commitment has followed suite. What this showed was that like the governments who lead them, the people are not truly dedicated to finding and using other sources of energy. In fact the shallowness with which the undertaking is adopted is exemplified in West Texas, U.S. where many of the people employed on running a wind power project drive large cars which use a great deal of gas. The irony of their vehicles is lost on them and shows that the need to change our way of thinking has not penetrated very deeply.
The amount that gas is taxed by is also reflective of the level of commitment by those in power. The discrepancy shown between three countries speaks for itself. In North America the car owner pays 12.5 cents tax on a liter of gas. The Canadian car owner pays almost double that with 24 cents tax on every liter. But these prices pale in comparison to those in Europe. In Germany the car owner pays four times as much tax. There is the regular tax which is already higher at 86 cents per liter, but then there are taxes on the taxes with a further 19% of Value Added Tax and then there is Fuel tax. All in all the German motorist pays approximately $3.8 per gallon for his gas.
The great advantage with high taxes is that people turn to public transport. Hence it is crucial that in countries where taxation is used as a disincentive that the public transport system is highly developed in that it is both efficient and cheaper than private transport. The fact is that in Germany public transport is excellent and provides a large source of income to various bodies, including the government, who spend more on developing renewable energy. The amount of renewable energy that was being used in America in 2009 was only 10% in contrast to 18 percent in Germany. And the sad fact is that this disparity is growing.
At present the German government is showing how seriously it is taking the situation and this attitude should be followed by other nations. And Germany realizes that its large stockpiles of coal do not solve the global problem or the future dilemmas they too will find themselves in. Hence instead of sitting back and relying on what they have at present they are investigating forms of renewable energy. Unfortunately while their efforts are admirable the global repercussions of such responsible behavior is being negated by other countries such as the US who use more fuel than any other country. If all the countries of the world who use large supplies do not turn their admirable words made at summits into positive actions, as the Germans are doing, then we will probably end up realizing too late that we have destroyed our way of life.
Academic Reading
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