In this insight, one can reflect and ponder – What is with oil that it makes a nation rich and powerful? How can we generate energy without really relying on oil?

Almost everything around us relies so much on energy in order to function and cater to the daily needs and demands of everyday living.  Upon waking up, we turned on our TV sets or cook food on our burner, we switched on our computers or call our office with our mobile phones – every move, and we have involved the utilization of energy.  Everything around is paralyzed if there is no energy.  As a matter of fact, a minute of a power blackout is synonymous with millions of income losses among businesses and public services.  It is in this regard that one can truly say that energy and oil are very much useful and needed to “normalize” everything around; hence, it is not surprising that countries with reach oil deposits and with good machineries for energy generation are rich and powerful.  They hold the world by their hands by controlling their exportation of oil in the world market –either they tag it on a higher price or limit their distribution.

Meanwhile, nations that do not have many oil deposits or do not have the resources for oil exploration and energy generation are encouraged not to rely on oil-producing nations in order for them to have energy. Alternative energy from windmills, geothermal, and solar are practiced by some countries because they deem it as more environmental-friendly and cheaper in comparison to oil.

The question also lies whether energy production and economic development can go hand-in-hand with environmental protection. Environmentalists from some corners of the world are condemning nations and companies that continuously use and produce energy that is, according to these environmentalists, hazardous to the environment and human health. They particularly cite coal-fired energy plants. Also, they condemn activities involving oil exploration as these kinds of activities disturb animals and the equilibrium of Mother Nature.

Whatever the arguments and challenges rise by opposing parties about energy production and environmental protection, what is important here is that economic development should be achieved without downgrading other resources in the society.  It is a nice thing that energy production is being focused at since energy is really a good income-generating industry; however, it should be taken into the mind always that a truly economically progressive nation is

The United States is an irony when it comes to energy. While it is the biggest producer of clean geothermal energy, it is also one of the biggest producers of nuclear power and coal technology. It is the promise land of clean technology for the future and a wasteland of old dirty power plants. The country continues to post the biggest increase in demand for energy to fuel its economy.

In the age of great concern for the environment presently being wreaked by climate change, global warming and extreme weather conditions, the struggle between paving the way for economic growth and protecting the environment is at its vital point than ever.

Economic development creates jobs. It gives people food, decent housing and a better life. However, industrialization also means more energy consumption and more, most often smoke-emitting power plants, smoke belching cars and garbage. Economic development needs power and fossil fuel to keep it going.

Although the green movement has identified and has been successful to some degree in the fight against dirty carbon and toxic-emitting power plants, these cheap, easy-to-build plants are a quick fix option in developing countries and even in some states in the United States. Power plants run by diesel and coal are the dirtiest as they blast into the atmosphere hazardous fumes like nitrogen oxides and sulfuric acids. They also emit carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide to a great degree, destroying the ozone layer and contributing to global warming.

Geothermal power plants get its energy from steam building up under the earth. This, together with hydroelectric power plants like the Hoover Dam has the potential to produce large amounts of energy. They are very clean as they emit nothing and produce no by products. However, they are expensive and very site specific. You can only build a hydroelectric dam when there is an elevated lake, and you cannot build a geothermal power plant just anywhere.

Nuclear power plants are very popular in the United States. Although the technology is very expensive and very costly to build, they are very clean and can produce power so much more than any technology. Its hazards, however, to personnel, neighboring communities and in disposal of its waste materials prevent it from getting wholesale acceptance in many countries.

There are many more energy alternatives, solar powers, wind powers and tidal power. These are perhaps the future energy sources that will keep economies growing while addressing the ever-pressing concern about protecting the environment. Economic growth cannot be unstoppable anymore. It should and must be tempered with concern for the environment. For what is economic progress when our earth is uninhabitable.

Currently, most of the world’s energy requirements are being filled by crude oil and other non-renewable energy.  Petroleum and other crude oil, for one, are some of the most environmentally damaging sources of energy around.  From extraction to refining to distribution, petroleum has wreaked havoc on the environment that ranges from increased carbon dioxide emissions, to oil spills, to disturb the natural marine ecosystems.  What’re more, non-renewable energy sources having become scarce, this leads to unsustainable supply and ever-increasing cost while continuing to be highly damaging to the environment.  One would only need to go back to recent events when crude oil hit more than $100 per barrel in order to see how such occurrence would play out repeatedly in the future.  What is clear right now is that we all need to be weaned off our dependence on oil and other conventional sources of energy as the amount of non-renewable energy dwindles.

Alternative energy, on the other hand, comes from renewable sources like the wind or the sun.  We can always rely on these sources to be constantly available, and not run the risk of depleting them.  As such, we are assured of continued supply, no matter how big the demand gets.

What is more, because these sources are naturally occurring, a much lower investment than that needed in oil exploration or coal mining is involved.  These sources are also widely available.  Every single day, we hear about companies that research on alternative fuels, and we see tips on how to harness them in a cost-efficient manner.  Today, there are solar panels that you can install at your own home, or home wind and water turbines that you can use.  Proponents of alternative energy usage say that these home panels and turbines not only enable you to save Mother Earth but can also help you save on electricity costs.

These alternative sources typically have no emissions or comparatively and significantly lower emissions than traditional power sources.  This makes it more attractive because it does not contribute to the worsening global warming problem.  The lesser greenhouse gases we put into the air, the lesser the chance that climate change would occur.  In fact, most alternative energy sources have been called “green energy,” owing to the fact that it helps save the environment.

Alternative energy is not only more abundant than traditional energy sources, but they are also generally safer for us humans.  There are no risks of radioactive contamination, fire, toxic waste products with wind, water or solar power.