Energy Crisis [ Final ]

ENERGY CRISIS

The problem with energy hunts mankind like never before. Our dependence on petroleum products can be recounted several decades ago but the realization that the same commodity that was widely used as tool in the mobilization of modern technology will be the same tool that is affecting and hurting our present economy came quite late. Prices of all commodities from basic to luxury including services are now being dictated by the prices of petroleum products. It is because almost everything we use in our daily lives is being fueled by oil, and without the energy derived from petroleum products, needless to say that the world’s economy will be paralyzed.

Causes of our present energy crisis can be contributed to the relationship of our ancestors way back during the Bible times. Bible scholars and world historians alike, can attest that the strife between cousins, Arabs and the Israelite has something to do with this problem as 60% of oil are being produced in the Middle East while the United States of America known to be an ally of Israel and ranks only as the 11th oil producing country in the world consumes 25% of the worlds total oil production (What in the World Is Going On?, Dr. David Jeremiah, October 2008).

Another factor that cause energy crisis is the wastefulness of our lifestyle. It is undeniable that people are not realizing the need to conserve until that precious energy is almost gone. Figures shows that the world is consuming 1000 barrels of oil every second and while oil production had been reduced, the consumption had doubled in the recent years with no apparent evidence of slowing down especially on the European countries that consumed 14.59 million barrels a day followed by China (6.391 barrels/day) and Japan with 5.578 million barrels per day (What in the World Is Going On?, Dr. David Jeremiah, October 2008).
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One alarming truth about energy crisis is the fact that we are not prepared for this, or shall we say that we the Filipinos were far from being prepared to counter this problem head on without suffering the consequence of our lack of foresight in dealing with this issue. Unlike the United States that had waged war with the Arab countries and led the formation of petroleum alliances between countries, we on the other hand had been dependent on the importation of this product for our consumption while the natural gas extracted from our very own Malampaya Island in Palawan are being enjoyed by other countries because again, I believe is a result of unwise decision of our leaders or perhaps, a political view and business influence?

While bills had been passed to develop and enforce the use of alternative fuels such as LPG, Bio Fuel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), the fact remains that this problem will affect us longer than we think. First, our sources and their capacity to supply are still in question. Second, our transportation equipments are dependent solely on petroleum products (Dubai Crude) and the technology to convert these equipments from using crude to other fuel was launched only recently and their performances are apparently can only be warranted but not guaranteed to last.

Energy crisis is real and its effects can be felt from the smallest fragment to the upper strata of our society. From the laborers to their employers, the farmers and their consumers, the ordinary citizens and their political leaders from the poorest to the most developed countries look at the prices of petroleum products as a gauge in determining the uptrend and downtrend of market stocks on Wall Street and on every trading floor around the world. The law of supply and demand on petroleum products is vital because the world demands it yet the Arab countries can control it and wealthy countries can hoard it.

Most people think that there is nothing much we can do to help ease this problem but every single person on this planet plays a vital role in its conservation. Being aware that this problem is serious and the need to come up with a long term and well thought solution to confront it without compromising the real deal with wrong motives and personal gain on the part of our leaders is the first step towards achieving positive results in the future.

As we watch the prices of petroleum products dictate the prices of other commodities in the market today, we can only hope to wake up one morning knowing that we have won our battle over this crisis. While we wait for the launching of our own source of solar energy, the exploration of our own petroleum, the explosion of the use of alternative fuel, we can help by conserving whatever little energy we have to prolong use of power it provides and enjoy the comfort we can afford while forgetting not that petroleum products are “black gold”, so precious, costly and very powerful that when it falls to the wrong hands, it can create chaos around the globe and those who have it wins.