All fossil fuels are non-renewable, and as such they will eventually be depleted. As they are based on finite resources and their distributions are heavily localized in certain areas of the world, they will become expensive. Further, energy generation from fossil fuels require combustion, thus damaging the environment with pollutants and greenhouse gas emission. In order to sustain the future of the world with a clean environment and non-depletive energy resources, alternative fuels is the obvious choice.
For this reason the federal government should mandate that all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in the United States be powered by alternative fuels Simple weather
There are three ways that mandating a change to alternative fuels by 2040 will be beneficial to the US:
1. It will yield substantial environmental benefits.
2. It will yield substantial energy security benefits.
3. It will yield substantial economical benefits.
First, mandating that all vehicles sold in the United States be powered by alternative fuels will yield substantial environmental benefits.
One of the benefits we will receive from switching to alternative fuels will be less pollution. Currently, The automobile is the single biggest source of air pollution, And air pollution is a killer, accounting for about 60,000 premature deaths each year. Compare that with about 40,000 deaths annually as a result of traffic accidents, and it’s obvious that we need a change to cleaner, more environmentally friendly alternative fuels Pyramid
The second environmental benefit we will receive from mandating a switch to alternative fuels is the protection of the ozone layer.
First, global warming is caused by CO2 and causing irreversible damage to the earth.
The 2007 report of the IPCC unequivocally concluded that our climate is warming, stating that the warming of the last several decades is primarily due to human activities. Global average temperatures have already risen (1.3°F) and impacts are now being observed worldwide. If emissions continue unabated, our nation and the world will face more sea level rise, heat waves, droughts, wildfires, snow melt, flood risk, and public health threats, as well as increased rates of plant and animal species extinctions.
Second, the gas-powered vehicles are the major source of CO2 in the United States.
The transportation sector accounts for 30 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. Cars and trucks affect air quality as well as increasing greenhouse gases, accounting for about half of all air pollution in the United States and more than 80
percent of urban air pollution.
Third, mandating a switch to alternative fuels will greatly reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions.
In addition to the role of AFV’s in improving urban air quality, they also can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. For example, compressed natural gas, liquid petroleum gas, and corn-based ethanol emit less CO2 than gasoline does. Fuel cells and electric vehicles also have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly. Although the purchase price of AFVs is typically higher than the cost of comparable conventionally fueled models, some AFVs such as electric and natural gas vehicles have lower fuel and maintenance costs than gasoline vehicles do.
Second, mandating that all vehicles sold in the United States be powered by alternative fuels will yield substantial energy security benefits. First, current foreign oil dependency harms US security.
The Council on Foreign Relations recently established an Independent Task Force to examine the consequences of dependence on imported energy for U.S. foreign policy. Since the United States both consumes and imports more oil than any other country, the Task Force has concentrated its deliberations on matters of petroleum. In so doing, it has reached a sobering but inescapable judgment: the lack of sustained attention to energy issues is undercutting U.S. foreign policy and national security.
Second, this security hole must be fixed. According to Anthony Cefali The politics are simple, renewable energy is homeland security. The best way to protect the country is to not depend on other countries that do not particularly like us. A Middle-Eastern country could very easily hold us hostage by suspending our energy imports. Just like it is not very wise to have most of our financial aspects owned by other countries, we should {not} be basing our economy around a commodity which is well past it’s half life. (according to the US Energy Administration Association)
Third, mandating a change to renewable alternative fuels will necessarily fix this gaping hole in our nation’s security.
The Independent Task Force recommended the following two solutions:
Switch from oil-derived products to alternatives, and Increase investment in new energy technologies.
The Task Force’s solution to the security problem, then, lies in mandating a switch from petroleum to alternative fuels.
Third, mandating that all vehicles sold in the United States be powered by alternative fuels will yield substantial economical benefits.
First, it will help the struggling job market, and boost the US economy.
Alternative fuels, are principally domestic products. Their use creates jobs in AFV equipment manufacturing and distribution as well as conversion and servicing sectors. As we reduce our dependence on imports, we can keep in the US the billions of dollars we export annually to oil-rich countries. There will also be less risk of a jolt to the domestic economy should petroleum supply be interrupted by political forces.
Secondly, it will keep the US safe from a harm that sudden change to non-fossil fuels would create.
The United States imported about 66 percent of its oil and petroleum products in 2005, and the U.S. economy—particularly the transportation sector—depends heavily on oil. Overall, transportation accounts for approximately 65 percent of U.S. oil consumption. According to a 2005 report prepared for DOE, without timely preparation, a reduction in world oil production could cause transportation fuel shortages that would translate into significant economic hardship.
For these reasons I believe that, by 2040, the federal government should mandate that all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in the United States be powered by alternative fuels.
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