The End of Energy: Discussion.
Additionally, Graetz also focuses on another major theme where he notes that the government through its incompetent policies has consistently failed to ensure that Americans pay for the true cost of the energy they consume every day. These costs include the logistics of oil transportation overseas, the costs of military protection from pirates in the Persian Gulf routes, the costs of greenhouse emissions made by consumers and oil spills made during transport, and the efforts made to combat terrorism brought about by the oil trade whose costs are not reflected in the final prices paid by Americans (Graetz, 2011). All efforts to impose levies and fees to compensate for the overall risks such as gasoline tax increases and several other proposals seem to have to been long forgotten by everyone - except Graetz.
Conclusively, based on Graetz’s themes and arguments, there are numerous challenges when it comes to finding and promoting the balance between enough energy to fuel economic prosperity and sustenance, and environmental conservation. The overall take back is that the author believes that the most efficient way to achieve this balance is via instinctive ordering of activities to stabilize market prices i.e. If Americans take an initiative to face the facts about the cost of energy. However, since Americans have never been asked to pay the price reflecting the real value of the energy consumed, then it seems that the energy incompetence of Americans as portrayed in “The End of Energy,” will persist along with the unraveling of national security, independence, and the environment.
References:
Graetz, M. (2011). The End of Energy - The Unmaking of America's Environment, Security, and Independence (1st ed., pp. 1-7). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
