There was a time for oil and gasoline and carbon-powered energy, but that time has passed.
We cannot afford to continue relying on these products, for many reasons. For one, there is a limited supply, and although there may still be quite a bit left, we need to start the shift to different, safer, and more renewable energy now. Carbon energy is also extremely dangerous - for everyone and everything. Pollution from cars, by-products from refining the oil, oil spills, and oil explosions. It's just not safe.
The new presidential administration has put expanding oil production on their agenda, and as a nation need to do everything we can to take it off their agenda, stop them, or at least slow them down. What I'm worried most about are the new pipelines, which literally equal devastation for the US, especially the states that they will run through. Because there will be oil spills there will be pollution in rivers, lakes, and aquifers, there will be pollution to the croplands, forests, neighborhoods, and cities, there will be negative health side effects. All of these things will happen unless the pipelines are put to a stop. I wish I could go to the protests in the midwest and show my support, but I am unable to, so I will do my best to support them from where I am and try to get the word out.
Sadly though, the pipelines aren't the only problem. Offshore drilling is also something that needs to be put to a stop, not all at once because there are a lot of people who work on them for a living, but there needs to be a transition in the US and in the world to cleaner energy. What are the problems with off-shore drilling you ask? Do you really have to ask that though? The US had a huge offshore oil spill almost 7 years ago now - but seven years is a long time, right? No, because the people and ocean are still recovering from it. When millions of gallons of oil are spilled into the ocean it takes years, decades even, for the ocean to recover. It also doesn't help that before offshore drilling can occur air-guns are shot off into the ocean to try and find these oil reserves under the surface. These air-guns are like cannons going off into the ocean floor, and the sound impairs animals that use echolocation and other sounds to communicate with each other and to find food.
A third carbon-based energy form is natural gas. By now, everyone has seen the videos of homeowners being able to light their tap water on fire (if you haven't, go search it and find a video - it's frightful and disgusting and is a great reason as to why fracking for natural gas is a terrible idea). Fracking not only pollutes ground water, it also causes there to be 'holes' under the surface of the earth. Ever wonder where some sink holes and giant pot holes come from that can damage entire houses or neighborhoods? Some of them come from fracking in the area. When fracking for natural gas, shocks, like mini earthquakes are sent underground, which releases the gas from the stone. So not only does this process crack rocks under the earth (and these rocks are quite structural) but it causes gaps and holes, which eventually cave due to gravity... and then you have a massive hole in the ground. And tap water that lights on fire...
So please in these upcoming months and years (like usual) don't just sit around and let things happen. Do something. Say something. Help in some way. Because while the rest of the world is moving to safer, cleaner, renewable energy, we are being dragged back to a time when the only source of energy was one that wasn't good for the environment or ourselves in nearly every way.
