Social Practices: Problems and Resolutions

The United States has lots of great things to offer, but seems to have gone down hill. No one ever knew how America would turn out, but it sure does seem that we have a lot of problems that are not good problems. One of our current social practices that I see as being incompatible with the ideals and basic beliefs on which the nations well being rests is America’s dependence on foreign oil. The U.S. trade deficit is rising because of oil imports. Not only has our dependence raised the deficit, but it has also linked our long term growth to relying on foreign oil. In 2008, a research study was done showing that the United States imported oil from 10 countries that are currently on the State Department’s Travel Warning List, meaning that the countries have conditions that make them dangerous or unstable. Once again, our dependence on oil could cause serious problems to the United States. The amount that the U.S. spends daily on oil is approximately 1 billion dollars. This is the daily number. It’s crazy to think about it, but it is reality. The U.S. could be spending this money to do lots of other things such as improving America’s security and doing more about global warming. Overall, reliance on foreign oil does not benefit us in any way. If we do not reduce our dependence on foreign oil, the United States will be forced to purchase oil from other countries that are volatile and threaten our security. We need to kick the oil addiction and take steps to preserve America.

So, what can we do about this problem? Well as most things, it is not as easy to fix as you would think. Everyone believes that offshore drilling is the answer, but we all saw what happened with BP. The Gulf of Mexico will never be the same because of the massive oil spill. It was absolute devastation when the oil rig blew up. Not only for families of the victims, but for animals and wildlife that reside in or near the ocean. Burning oil is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. When we buy oil from foreign countries, there is much more carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. This contributes to our problem of global warming. Recent studies have also found that climate change could displace millions of people because of rising sea levels, along with food and water shortage. There are many long term effects from our dependence on oil and global warming. What I fear is that our dependence on foreign oil will increase not only increasing our deficit, but also leaving us at a higher risk of terrorism. This poses a huge threat to America’s security, and we cannot take any more attacks on American soil. What I consider to be a workable solution for our dependence on foreign oil and global warming is to invest in clean energy. This can not only bring the economy back to life, but it will also help preserve America. Reducing oil imports through reform would not only decrease the amount of money that is paid for oil, but it would also allow more money to be kept here in America to do things with. Investing in clean energy would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, help with the issue of global warming, boost growth, and create jobs.