Why Go Solar?

The Energy Crisis

​Jimmy Carter

    President Jimmy Carter grew up as a Georgia peanut farmer. His first experience in politics was being elected as the Georgia governor. From there he went onto becoming the 39th president. His full  name is Jame Earl Carter Jr.

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Presidency

    Once in office, he passed a lot of legislation. He brokered the camp David agreement and established a national energy policy. He also created the Department of Education, or DOE. But mostly, his efforts were spent bolstering the american economy.

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Who Was Envolved

    He was also president during the Energy Crisis. OPEC was a major player, as they were the organization that put an oil embargo on the US. This response was largely due to Israel. Considering OPEC produces 80% of the world's oil, it is easy to see why the embargo became such a problem.

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Cause

    After WWII, the U.S. Carved a piece of the Middle East out to create Israel. When existing middle eastern countries went to war with it during the Yom Kippur war, the U.S. backed Israel. The Middle East was fed up with us, and since the majority of OPEC nations are in the Middle East, they cut us off. We continue to back Israel today.

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Impact

    The US took a big hit from the embargo. The price of oil went up to $12 a gallon, but wages didn't, making the whole economy spiral down hill. On top of this, the car industry took a large hit as well, because there wasn't enough gas to power their cars. Instead, most people bought the more energy efficient Japanese cars.

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Prevention


    Now that we know what can happen if we become to dependent on foreign energy, we need a plan. Not only would limiting foreign dependence increase economic growth by creating jobs, it would also make the price of energy go down. Looking to history, we also know that it would reduce economic vulnerability. We can't afford to go through another energy crisis.

Alternative Energy

    One way to limit foreign oil dependence would be to go green. The white house has extensive plans for how to shift America to alternative fuel sources. This includes using solar energy, as it is the most widely available, and biofuels, as those are also already underway. Not only would this help our economy, but it would also help the environment.
    

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http://www.history.com/topics/energy-crisis
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/jimmycarter
​https://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/securing-american-energy#energy-menu