Renewable Energy & the Recession

Switching away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources has been very important for cutting down on emissions and pollutants and also keeping our nonrenewable resources from running out. However, according to the New York Times, people are straying away from this idea because of the economic crisis. Switching to renewable energy sources will require many costs and people are very sensitive to prices these days. Howeever, the Obama administration is trying to pass a cap-and-trade bill that will force polluters to reduce their emissions or buy permits from cleaner producers. They are also trying to decide if they should require a percentage of the country's electricity to be renewable. This may be tough to do during the state of our economy.

Currently, coal is the cheapest form of energy. By putting these rules in place, prices will increase for burning coal and also for electricity bill rates. This will probably not go over well with the public. Although, the increasing price of coal may cause many people to switch to alternative energy sources.

While I understand that people do not want to spend the extra money right now, I feel that switching to alternative energy may help the economy in the long run. The initial cost of renewable sources will be high but after a few years, the energy will begin to pay for itself. Therefore, people will be saving money that they would be spending on bills and will be able to put it towards the economy in other ways.