If, years ago we(usa) had focused on solar and wind energy and demanded higher mileage standards on cars...
Question:
what corporate lobbies have been against such a change in direction?
Answer:
I'll bet we'd have cleaner air and water, not be at war now, and we would have some new industries of alternative fuels leading the world and competing with OPEC. Of course the stockholders of the oil companies would never let their pawns allow this to happen. They're still fighting it and their pundits are paid to ridicule ideas of alternatives to oil guzzling.
Do people realize global warming/cooling occurs with AND without our aide!
They're actually utilizing a lot of solar power in the US now. The US has taken a liking to Denmarks way of utilizing natural energy. Check it out for yourself.
Also realize that it's still in its guinea pig form.
To answer the other half? I wouldn't say corporate america is against it I think they're still researching the best methods.
And no there is not enough oil in our lands to suffice. I think a conservative estimate is something like 80 billion barrels of oil when the US uses 2 billion a day. That's enough for 40 days. HARDLY enough to sustain current US use of this resource.
If Bush would have never ever born?.
I think people are forgetting that plastic is made from oil products also.
So why don't the tree huggers go after coke??
Higher mileage standards and even solar and wind power are not the total answer to oil dependence. The U.S. has plaenty of oil right here to meet its' demands. There is no way to assure that solar or wind power would have any effect on global warming as both are electric generating methods and the energy they may produce may have as much or more effect on the overall temperatures of the Earth.
The corporate lobbies that are aginst alternative energy are the ones that stand to lose money if alternatives are used. Alternatives are only now being put forth because it is now that they are profitable.
This sort of Monday morning quarterbacking serves no useful purpose. What counts is what we can and should now and in the future.
Gas would be $10 a gallon and plastics would be $50-$100. Its all about supply and demand. As our demand would go down the supply would have to follow suit so some of the companies that create a competitive environment right now would go out of business making it so one large company would control everything. And in a few years when the mileage standards become higher so will the prices of gas... this is not helping us one bit. Global warming... forest fires are the biggest contributor to that problem our cars and factories are a fart in a windstorm compared to 1000's of acreage burning.
If we did that liberals would think up a way to say we were evil for doing it and say the wind causes global warming. Instead of asking what if questions go make a wind mill, that is if the local liberals will let you. Ted Kennedy stopped people from building wind mills near his home and still whines about our dependence on foreign oil.
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