My initial thread (to guide responses/perspective):
Environmental and Energy Policy Challenges
There are many challenges related to energy policy, with the majority of the public interested in renewable energy sources and the rise of critics on the increased prices of electricity and grid reliability (Tuokuu et al. 2018). This issue has been experienced in the United States for a long time. There has not been a comprehensive energy policy in the United States for many decades. States like California have faced many consequences brought by the lack of energy security policy during the time of President George Bush. The entire United States face the challenge of long-term energy shortages, very high energy prices, and energy price volatility (Tuokuu et al. 2018). With the rapid growth of population and industrial sector in all states of the U.S, there is high demand and consumption of energy, meaning that there is an agent need for interventions to satisfy the need and cater for the future energy crisis. The government’s failure to develop an energy policy has resulted in rising prices and unreliable energy issues.
The surge in natural gas and domestic oil supply has been threatened by the controversies surrounding extraction methods. According to recent research, there have been issues concerning the methods of gas and domestic oil extraction such as dangerous emissions which might impact climate change, pollution impacting communities, the gas, and oil development have the potential of ruining wildlands, the extraction of fossil fuels chances visitors away, spilling of oil can kill animals, and the drilling methods disrupts the world animals habits among other critics. The efficiency of energy has continued to have political support, but the agreement on energy security policy specifics remains elusive. Some environmental policy issues include; oil and chemical spills, the quality of drinking water, air-water pollution, smog, land management and conservation, and challenges on wildlife protection.
Both the policies have competing goals; for one, the energy security policy aims to ensure continuity of power supply. The policy makes sure that there is a long-term perspective of economical and reliable supply and availability of instruments for sudden power interruptions. The environment policy focuses on improving the environment through prevention of pollution and improvement of more effective and efficient programs for a better environment (Savvidis et al. 2019). Both policies policy compete in that energy must be excavated or generated from water; therefore, there is a need to conserve the environment for more water and treatment of emissions for a better environment (Shahzad 2020). The Bible indicates that the people who live in it should not destroy or cause any harm to the mountains because the earth is full of knowledge, just like the sea is covered by water. The government should be equipped to protect the environment through policies and enforce them for a better tomorrow. As the need for more energy increases, there is still a need for a conserving environment to balance the ecosystem.
References
Savvidis, Georgios, Kais Siala, Christoph Weissbart, Lukas Schmidt, Frieder Borggrefe, Subhash Kumar, Karen Pittel, Reinhard Madlener, and Kai
Hufendiek. 2019. “The Gap Between Energy Policy Challenges and Model Capabilities.” Energy Policy 125, 503-520.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.10.033
Shahzad, Umer. 2020. “Environmental Taxes, Energy Consumption, and Environmental Quality: Theoretical Survey with Policy Implications.”
Environmental Science and Pollution Research 27, no. 20: 24848-24862.
doi:10.1007/s11356-020-08349-4
Tuokuu, Francis X. D., James S. Gruber, Uwafiokun Idemudia, and Jean Kayira.
2018. “Challenges and Opportunities of Environmental Policy Implementation: Empirical
Evidence from Ghana’s Gold Mining Sector.” Resources Policy 59, 435-445.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2018.08.01
Respond to the following:
The Status of Minorities in American Legal and Political History
Examine the Key Challenges related to Environmental Policy
The key challenges related to environmental policy consist of conservation policies not displaying concern with protection of the environment. Air pollution releases toxins in the air causing health problems for citizens. Water and solid waste pollution is another challenge that neglects the world’s waterways. Cochran writes, “ Industrial waste contains a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds, including heavy metals, such as mercury and zinc” (Cochran, 2016). Another environmental challenge would be solid and waste pollution. Proper radioactive waste disposal is an ultimate goal of the United States. Cochran writes, “ Safe disposal of radioactive waste remains an elusive goal. As the United States developed nuclear technology during World War II, there was minimal concern for safe disposal techniques” ( Cochran,2016, p.118).
Examine the Key Challenges related to Energy Policy
The key challenges related to energy are policy values, taxation, decentralization, coil, oil, natural gas and nuclear power. Oil depletion was a major concern of the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Cochran writes, “ The oil depletion allowance, adopted in 1926 by the federal government, exemplified the protective nature of energy policies. At the end of World War I, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) predicted that the nation’s oil reserves would be depleted within ten years” ( Cochran,2016,p.93).
Evaluate How the Two Policy Areas May or May Not Have Competing Goals
These two policies I would definitely say experience competing goals due to regulatory policies in effort to elevate the demand of energy supply. Cochran writes, “ The extensive contamination of the gulf coastline, and changes to wildlife illustrated abasic public policy conflict: the desire for a pristine environment and a commitment to produce energy to maintain economic stability” (Cochran, 2016,p.129). The balance of the two policies seem to be continuously at odds. Environmentalists and conservationists need to work more cohesively to find a common ground between the two policies.
Biblical Model of Government
Numbers 35:33-34 says, “So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel” (Gateway Bible, KJV,2021). God desires for us to be keepers of the land and to protect our environment. God designated Adam to tend to the Garden, in the present day he desires for us to do the same. As Christians, it’s important to value what is precious to God which was his creation both humanity and earthly.
References:
Cochran, et al. American Public Policy: An Introduction, 11th Edition. (Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016), 11
2.The Gateway Bible, www.gateway.org. Accessed July 22, 2021.
Response #1 (250 word min., 2 resources required):
Respond to the following:
Environment and Energy Policies
Over the years, there have been numerous campaigns to attain an eco-friendlier environment and make better utilization of the existing forms of energy. Environmental policies are the set guidelines and laws that govern and regulate human activities and other factors to maintain a good environment and enforce actions for a better environment. On the other hand, energy policies are the laws and regulations developed by the government and other organizations. They are reviewed after a given period to regulate the use and development of energy and ensure its use advocates for a better environment. However, several challenges such as lack of societal cooperation, technological advancements, climate changes, and political activities affect the environment and energy policies.
Challenges affecting the Environment Policies
Lack of commitment from the general populace affects the implementation of environmental policies. Humans engage in activities like poor waste disposals that lead to an ecological lack of proper guidelines on setting dumping sites and industrial waste management. The absence of strong and effective measures on reinforcing their use where individuals care less about their deeds impacts the established policies, regulations and laws. In addition, greed and the high quest for individual gains without caring for the environment result in environmental pollution (Boström & Davidson, 2018). For example, in cases where mines are left uncovered after mineral extraction breaks the environmental guidelines on environment conservation.
Poor government policies and cooperation between state and non-governmental agencies result in inadequate awareness measures where the bodies assigned to educate the public on the importance of environmental conservation fail. As a result, the policies and laws fail due to lack of understanding and recognition (Boström & Davidson, 2018). Furthermore, the institutions responsible for public education have failed to in their duty to create environment conservation programs due to lack of funding and support. Without support from the government and sponsors, their role has diminished, hence, it has created a critical challenge to environmental policies.
Challenges Affecting the Energy Policies
Political and governance systems affect energy policies immensely as those in authority develop and enforce the rules and regulations. For example, the set rules and regulations governing the use of nuclear energy are easily broken by the State and those in authority in times of war and political instability for self-defense or to attack the enemy (Savvidis et al., 2019). Thus, poor leadership strategies and governance strategies affect the energy policies.
Poverty and low income among the citizens’ impact energy laws and regulations. It leads to poor energy sources such as kerosene and charcoal, which are environmental pollutants due to high carbon content. The use of these energy forms leads to the destruction of trees resulting in negative climatic and environmental changes, which have adverse impacts on the energy policies (Savvidis et al., 2019).
Competing Goals Between the Environmental and Energy Policies
Environment and energy policies have a lot in common as both work hand in hand, hence posing the need for policy developments to enhance positive growth in the two areas. Societal cooperation highly impacts the effectiveness of the policies governing both environment and energy. Poor usage of energy forms results in environmental pollution, hence creating the need to advocate for policies and measures that would induce responsibility and awareness among citizens.
Biblical Model of Government and Statesmanship
The bible mandates humankind to take care of the earth and God’s dominion giving Christian’s stewardship by indicating that the earth and all its elements belong to the Lord. To appreciate his creational works, humans should take good care of the environment by adopting renewable energies and land rehabilitations (Anderson,2018). The Bible says in Psalm 24:1, that ’The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods”. . Thus, better policies and obligations are to be formulated to make the environment and energy utilization more efficient.
References
Anderson, B. (2018). On Statesmanship: Developing a Model of Statesmanship (Doctoral
dissertation, University of South Dakota).
Boström, M., & Davidson, D. J. (Eds.). (2018). Environment and Society: Concepts and
Challenges. Springer.
Savvidis, G., Siala, K., Weissbart, C., Schmidt, L., Borggrefe, F., Kumar, S., … & Hufendiek, K.
(2019). The gap between energy policy challenges and model capabilities. Energy
Policy, 125, 503-520.
Response #2 (250 word min., 2 resources required):
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