The United States of America is the largest consumer of oil in the world. Its total oil consumption accounts for a quarter of the world’s oil consumption (Zuckerman 323). Zuckerman further estimates that America consumes approximately twenty one million barrels of oil daily (323). Over the past few years, there has been a rise in the uses of energy in the United States.
This can be attributed to the sudden upsurge in the demand for energy across the nation, both domestically and industrially. The main factor that has led to this is the continuous establishment of factories and industries at an alarming rate. The invention of a wide range of electrical gadgets has also led to an increased consumption of energy in American homes.
This increase in the rate of energy consumption has necessitated the formulation of policies that will guarantee fuel efficiency in America for the next fifty years. This essay will look at some of these policies that the United States of America can adapt for the next fifty years in a bid to regulate energy consumption and attain energy conservation.
The government and other non-governmental organizations should join hands in implementing policies that will aim at reducing the current high rate of energy waste in homes and companies. Currently, the United States of America spends a lot of revenue on importing oil.
In fact, America only produces a mere third of the total oil it consumes. Energy conservation and efficiency policies will go a long way in allaying these costs. Al Gore (301) points out that the American economy is on the verge of collapsing if the country continues spending billions of dollars annually on oil imports.
In his article “Stop the Energy Insanity,” Zuckerman explains why it is high time that America started exploiting its own oil reserves (324). This would be the first step towards the revitalizing of the fuel efficiency of America. America’s oil reserves are estimated to be about a hundred billion barrels.
This large quantity of oil is enough to take the country for fifty years. The occurrence of these oil reserves is coupled with natural gas which is estimated to be about 420 trillion cubic feet.
The natural gas can be used to replace over 1400 coal-powered electric plants to reduce air pollution (Friedman 297). Furthermore, the exploration of domestic oil reserves by the U.S will encourage other oil-producing countries to expand their exploration leading to a global oil sufficiency (Task Force 314)
There is a dire need for the adoption of renewable sources of energy by the United States of America. Solar energy is the most preferred source of energy in this category. This is because this source of energy is environment friendly as it doesn’t lead to any type of pollution.
The United States should consider investing more on solar energy in order to cut down on oil imports and consequently conserve the environment. According to Friedman (297), a seven-hundred-fold increase of solar power will go a long way in saving the earth from pollution caused by coal-fired power.
The government can promote the popularity and use of solar energy by boosting the manufacture of solar panels and increased advertisement of the same. Many Americans have a personal bias against the use of solar energy. It is deemed to be highly inadequate and inefficient.
Solar energy is regarded as one which can’t support large factory and industrial operations that require a substantially large amount of energy. However, the truth is that solar energy can effectively support these operations.
This can be achieved if the production of this type of energy is carried out on large scale. A number of large solar panels have the capability to generate the same amount of energy as that generated by oil or other non-renewable sources.
Wind energy is yet another type of renewable sources of energy that can be included in the United States’ policy to curb energy consumption and wastage in the highly industrialized nation.
With the uncertainties in the oil market and the rapid deterioration of other sources of energy, it is time that the American government and other concerned organizations considered revolutionizing this source of energy in order to generate extra energy. Wind energy can help in reducing the polluting effect of coal-fired power if its use is increased fortyfold (Friedman 297).
Over seventy percent of total energy consumption in the United States of America is used in transportation, mostly by personal cars (Zuckerman 323). Policies to improve the fuel efficiency of a vehicle will therefore help to reduce this high consumption rate.
For instance, using modern aerodynamics increases the fuel efficiency of a vehicle by reducing the drag. Increased fuel efficiency of the vehicle will in turn save on the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle. The government should also allow only vehicles that are made of composite materials. This is because these vehicles are light and hence reduce the level of fuel consumption.
Another way to increase fuel efficiency in vehicles is by using wheels that have a reduced road to tire friction. The role of these wheels is to reduce the grip of the tires on the road. This enables the vehicle to move at a faster speed which then reduces the rate of fuel consumption per mile.
Other miscellaneous ways of improving the fuel efficiency of a vehicle is by inflating tires up to the most accurate pressure and replacing air filters that are clogged.
A policy should be put in place that advocates for the above changes to be made on all vehicles in the United States of America. If this policy is operational in this country for the next five decades, it is without no doubt that the overall impact that it will have on the fuel consumption of the country will be breathtaking.
The third policy that can be implemented by the United States of America to curb energy consumption majorly involves industries. In the production processes, most industries end up producing wastes that have the potential of being used to further yield other forms of energy.
Some of these forms include heat and steam. For example, a firm can generate electricity or steam using its waste products which can then be used as sources of energy in other activities that require the energy.
The electricity can be used to heat water in order to produce steam which can then be used in another operation such as heating. It is also recommended that the industries use modern technologically advanced boilers which use less fuel but sufficiently operate at high temperatures.
The government should formulate policies that oblige each and every single industry to recycle its waste products that can be converted into other forms of energy. By doing this, the industry will be diversifying its sources of energy.
This will then reduce the high demand of oil and lead to an efficient system of energy consumption in the country. Adoption of this policy for a span of fifty years or more will safeguard the United States against any energy uncertainties and contribute to the eradication of environmental pollution.
Simple initiatives taken by individual consumers of energy can also go a long way in increasing energy conservation and reducing energy wastage in the United States of America.
Some of these measures include using the power-saving mode in electrical gadgets such as computers, refrigerators among many others. In this mode, the machines are able to operate normally and efficiently but using less energy than when not in this mode.
Currently, such energy-saving practices are not common in America because of lack of knowledge and understanding about this particular issue among the citizens.
The government should come up with ways of educating the citizens about these energy conservation steps. If each and every single American citizen was to practise these simple but useful energy conservation measures for the next fifty or so years, the energy efficiency of the United States will be greatly improved.
Some steps to conserve energy may seem too simple and so unnecessary but their significance in contributing to energy conservation cannot be overlooked. For example, using compact and efficient fluorescent light bulbs conserves more energy than when using incandescent bulbs.
This is because the latter consume more energy. Fluorescent bulbs consume two thirds less energy than the incandescent bulbs. If every American energy consumer was to get rid of incandescent bulbs and turn to using fluorescent bulbs, the overall impact on energy conservation will be great.
The government and other authorized bodies should formulate policies that advocate for the use of fluorescent bulbs throughout the nation. This policy can go as far as banning the use of incandescent bulbs and allowing incandescent bulbs only.
Efforts geared at controlling energy consumption in buildings will greatly help in environmental conservation. This is due to the fact that forty percent of carbon (IV) Oxide emissions comes from these buildings (Al Gore 303). A lot of energy wastage also occurs inside buildings.
Efforts to reduce this energy loss can include the use of Passive Infra Reds (PIRs) to switch off lights in rooms that are not being used. Use of architectural features that reflect some light into a building can also remove the necessity for artificial lighting, hence conserving energy.
Businesses also have a role in energy conservation and prevention of environmental pollution. While other businesses overlook environmental risks and invest in carbon-intensive projects, there are some who have taken measures to avert this.
For instance, Google provides free bus rides for its workers to and from work (Lubber 319). This has reduced the number of workers driving to work in personal cars, hence reducing the energy consumption. Other companies such as Microsystems have allowed some of their employees to work from home in order to reduce transport costs.
In conclusion, the United States of America is faced with a major challenge of putting in place certain policies that will guarantee efficient use of all forms of energy. The main policy is the turning form the use of non-renewable sources of energy to the use of renewable sources of energy.
In addition to this, the government of the United States and concerned organizations should stage up a campaign that is aimed at educating the general public on the ways of conserving energy.
These ways could include how to improve the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, how to save energy while using electrical gadgets and many others. From the foregoing discussion, it can be concluded that America should put in place an energy conservation policy that will improve its efficiency in the next fifty years.
Works Cited
Al Gore. “The Climate for Change.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th
Ed. Behrens, Lawrence and Rosen Leonard. Longman Publishing Group, 2010. 86-88. Print.
Friedman, Thomas. “205 East Wat to Save the Earth.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th Ed. Behrens, Lawrence and Rosen Leonard. Longman Publishing Group, 2010. 83-85. Print.
Lubber, Mindy. “Balance Sheet the Climate Crisis: How America Businesses Can Help.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th Ed. Behrens, Lawrence and Rosen Leonard. Longman Publishing Group, 2010. 77-79. Print.
Task Force. “National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependence.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th Ed. Behrens, Lawrence and Rosen Leonard. Longman Publishing Group, 2010. 80-82. Print.
Zuckerman, Morton. “Stop the Energy Insanity.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th Ed. Behrens, Lawrence and Rosen Leonard. Longman Publishing Group, 2010. 89-91. Print.