Analysis of Issue - 2

“It is unrealistic to expect individual nations to make, independently, the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. International leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential if we expect to protect the world’s energy resources for future generations.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading. 

My Take: 

Today almost every sector is dependent on energy for its operations. For sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, transport and construction which are the drivers of every country’s economy energy plays the role of a lifeline. So energy can now be considered to be the part of the list of most basic human needs i.e. food, shelter and clothing. With such importance attached to energy and its resources it becomes the responsibility of every section of society to strive for its longevity. 

The way increased pollution in any particular part of the world has an impact on the climate across the globe similarly over consumption or wastage of energy resources in any specific country leads to the imbalance which has a global impact. Any decision taken by the Oil and Petroleum exporting countries regarding the increase or decrease in the production of crude sends all the stock markets, indicators of the country’s economic health, into a volatile state. This explains that the responsibility related to energy resources should be globally shared. 

The technologies related to use of unconventional energy resources have not yet fully developed to lessen the dependency on the limited conventional energy resources. In such a case cooperation between countries with respect to exchange of technology which helps in judicious use of conventional energy resources is important. Also, exchange of advanced technologies like nuclear power generation can help in conserving the conventional energy resources. 

Energy being the prerequisite for the development in every industry, global cooperation in management of energy needs will have ripple effect on all the allied industries. A well controlled energy sector will eventually mean a control on the basic commodity prices, control on the inflation across the globe and a balanced global economy.