Daily Prompt: A Plot of Earth

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Joe Owens

You’re given a plot of land and have the financial resources to do what you please. What’s the plan?

My plot of earth would be developed to be whichever alternate energy source delivered the greatest impact due to the environmental conditions. We are so dependent on fossil fuels which have numerous side effects. Other industrializes countries have mandated moving forward with programs to grow alternate energies, but the oil and coal lobbies as well as the natural gas industry have so much power that they block all attempts to expand the reach of clean power programs.

I keep hearing that our oil availability has increased and we could become self-sufficient in oil in a decade or so. That is encouraging I suppose in that we will not need to buy from other countries. How many lives have been sacrificed overseas in the interest of foreign oil? It seems maddening that we have to pay for this resource with the lives of our sons and daughters when there are cheaper, in dollars and human cost, alternatives.

I realize not everyone appreciates the physical presence of a wind power or solar panel unit. They are not very natural looking, but they can harness a never ending supply of energy source from the elements that make up our environment. The United States is still the largest user of energy in the world. We will soon be eclipsed by China and perhaps India due to the sheer numbers of citizens in those countries. Relatively speaking however, America is far behind on the total electricity generated each year through alternative energy.

Look at the effects of the fossil fuel industry of the last three years. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico still has long term ramifications three years after the face. I heard about billions of dollars in fines and restitution from lawsuits till going on that will continue for probably a decade if not more. Another fossil fuel industry, coal, subjects their workers to a highly dangerous job below the surface of the earth with frequent mine collapses or explosions that shatter lives. It is hard to imagine finding a way to prevent either of these major events from ever happening in the oil or coal industry.

Solar and wind industry do not have these negative effects. Sure there are some, such as birds being destroyed if they fly into the path of the wind turbines, but there are mitigation techniques in place to reduce this likelihood. Until there is a champion to make this a political imperative, the industry will likely lag behind the major fossil fuels as the red-headed step child.

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About Joe Owens

Can you tell from my writing I love God? I hope so because that is what I want you to know most about me. I am also a writer who loves taking on fiction prompts and crafting a story. One day you will read my work in print. Until then enjoy it here! For free!
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4 Responses to Daily Prompt: A Plot of Earth

  1. Pingback: Daily Prompt; A Plot of Earth | tnkerr-Writing Prompts and Practice

  2. Pingback: This Land Is My Land – A Daily Prompt Post | Edward Hotspur

  3. Pingback: Daily Prompt – A Plot of Earth – Flash Fiction / Short Story – “Losing The Plot” | toofulltowrite (I've started so I'll finish)

  4. Steve says:
    February 20, 2013 at 6:19 pm

    I think you put it correctly when you say that the oil companies have too much power that they quash any innovation in clean energy unless they are making a profit from it themselves, It is a shame as these resources are not infinite.

    Reply

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