A Definitive Need For Change

In an October 30 post from the My thoughts As A New Citizen blog, the writer discusses the need for the passing of the American Clean Energy And Security Act by the Senate. She, the writer, discusses how this new bill proposes and cap and trade system and government regulation on the amount of greenhouse gases we will be allowed to emit as a nation annually. She also states that as the American nation is responsible for 82 percent of energy-related carbon emissions, we have a pretty big responsibility in doing our part to reduce this number. Later, she discusses how over the years 2012 to 2050, the time frame the government has set as expectations for real results, the average American household should expect to pay about $170 a year on energy costs by 2020. Finally the writer concludes stating that although the economic factor involved in the bill could pose a problem in certain aspects, the long term affects and problems we could face if we continue the way we are could be far more costly and devastating. She finalizes with the very hard hitting statement, "It seems to me that the consequences can be so severe; we might be having a much larger issue with our health care than what we are experiencing now."

I am in a complete and utter agreement with the writer of this article. She covers and discusses some very key points in the subject of this hopefully nearly established bill and issue it pertains to. Our carbon footprint is astonishing. Not only does it have a widespread and devastating affect on our country as a whole but more importantly, the world as well. In a separate article from the Encyclopedia Of Earth (eoearth) website, the lead writer Maggie Walser points out that the average North American's annual carbon footprint is approximately 20 tons of CO2-eq while the global average of a single human is about 4 tons. She also states that 82 percent of all global carbon emissions come directly from fossil fuel combustion; i.e. automotive transportation, particular factory run industries, home heating/cooling systems, or various other luxuries we don't take a second to consider the affects of on our environment as Americans. In short, we as a country have failed the protection of our one and only ecological system miserably and if we do not act soon with some kind of reparation and/or conservation plan for action, we may not have a very distant future ahead of us not only as a nation but as a planet.