Countries Begin to Explore their Energy Options

Rather late in the day some countries are beginning to develop energy policies in line with the needs that have been identified nationally. Typically these policies will focus on the need to maintain the citizens within a comfortable bubble so that they can continue to vote in the same governments over and over again.Those who try to offer an alternative energy policy are shut down as being anti business. In fact many of the green parties have some wonderful ideas about energy policy but they have been effectively shut down by the presence of the right wing lobby which closes its eyes to the plight of those people who are unable to access rich energy sources.

There is some secrecy about the energy policies of certain countries because they are unethical or hurt the political and imperial ambitions of those nations. Thus when wars are ostensibly staged to bring peace yet the underlying issue is the access to the oil reserves; one loses confidence in the whole energy policy debate. It has become nothing more than a smokescreen for naked imperialistic ambitions and glory hunting. Those who point out this trend are shut down as being unpatriotic or somehow naive in their assumptions about the machinations of their governments.

Going Beyond Good Intentions

The debate at the moment is not so much about the existing energy policies but rather an acknowledgement that many governments have never had a policy in the first place. They relied on the ability to manage the crisis as they come about without looking at the long term future of their nations. The case of Ukraine is telling because energy for them has become a ransom for a powerful neighbor. The neighbor is able to switch the energy on and off depending on the relationship at the time. The relationship must cause alarm for those countries which do not have sufficient energy reserves. They will have to subjugate themselves to the energy suppliers in order to get any relief from the drought of energy resources.

In discussing the energy policies one must not forget the role of the consumers in creating demand for energy. If people do not take ownership and responsibility for the issues that happen to them in the energy cycle, then they will place additional burdens on their governments to deliver alternative energy sources. The development of an effective energy policy has to come from the people themselves rather than relying on the services of other government agencies to implement what is considered to be good practice. If both the governments and the individuals concerned understand the implications of their energy policies, it will make the planet a safer planet.

The creation of an energy policy involves rather more than mere sound bites and pontifications. It requires that the leaders do their work and inspire the rest of the community to join the battle for energy efficiency. The battle can be won and must be won in order to secure the future of the earth.