Final Post/Project: Environmental Policy-Carbon Emissions

It's time to make some drastic changes. Now, if you know me I am pretty much a conservative, but the topic of carbon emissions and the need to reduce them is where both conservatives and liberals need to come together. There is no debate here, or any stance of who is right or wrong. The fact is that our excessive use of modern day technologies like airplanes and cars, release large amounts of emissions that damage our one and only home. Greenhouse gases rise due to these emissions, global warming is as much of an issue than ever, and the most simple of the problems of emissions are that it simply is not good for humans to be around. Have you ever stood at the top of the mountain and seen the smog that lays over Downtown L.A. Simply put, it's disgusting.
My stance and position is this: not only do we as a country need to implement policies to, by law, require some type of plan to convert people to a less harmful form of transportation, but more time and money needs to be put towards the research for an alternative fuel source.
I was watching the news the other day and the story being discussed was how price for airline tickets were going to rise drastically due to the price and the supply of oil. I then asked my dad, "Hey, what are we going to do after fuel gets so scarce in the decades to come, and then what after it runs out?" What will power jets and other types of vehicles? This is my first policy point to be made. Resources, time, and energy need to be put towards research on a national scale. The clock is ticking and it is up to our generation to do something. O.K., now is where I break through my conservative side and look a little more liberal... What we need to do is to stop all the oil companies from buying the patent on a large part of the hybrid and energy concepts that businesses are coming up with. If they continue to dot this, it will inhibit, or at the least, hold back the country from trying to advance itself.
The next point, aside from trying to find alternative forms of energy, is start by passing some type of legislation that continues to encourage the purchase of hybrids and the discouraging of larger vehicles.
It is not to late to reduce these carbon emissions. If America takes the measures to require more research and to encourage more purchases of hybrid type vehicles, then that is a great start.
In conclusion, the basic policy's of carbon emissions that I am suggesting are that, 1) it is a major issue that needs to be addressed through legislation that encourages research, and 2) the government should offer some type of, "token," that would encourage the purchase of hybrids.
NOW, I digress and my conservative side emerges. With this whole carbon emissions thing, comes not only the affect on the environment, but also the price of gas. At the rate that we are using gas, we might require a longer period of time to use this limited resource in order to find the next type of energy that is needed. Individuals complain about gas prices, but last time I checked, we had A TON of it in Alaska. Why are we becoming the slaves of foreign nations through our dependence on gas instead of doing independent research on fuel, and if need be, drill a little in Alaska to hold us off until we find the next best thing. Thank you.