The Dangerous Delusions Of Energy Independence Summary

Emily Ingalls
English 101
Professor Parkin
23 September 2014
Stuck in the Middle:
A Critique of Robert Bryce’s
“The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence” In the article The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence by Robert Bryce, Bryce argues that energy independence is unachievable. This topic of discussion is important at this time because global warming is a big issue among environmentalists, and most Americans believe that if we have energy independence, then that will solve our global warming issues. Bryce wrote this article to show us Americans that in his opinion, we will never be able to have energy independence. I believe that though we may not be able to ever become completely energy independent, we may be able to cut
He points out that “The phrase “energy independence” has become a prized bit of meaningful-sounding rhetoric that can be tossed out by candidates and political operatives eager to appeal to the broadest cross section of voters” (488). He then describes Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and how he states that foreign oil has a lot to do with global warming. Bryce brings up all of the Democratic and Republican candidates that have talked about energy independence in their stump speeches, saying how much we need energy independence and how much it would benefit us. Then, Bryce changes directions and goes into what he believes. He states that “Energy independence is hogwash. From nearly any standpoint—economic, military, political, or environmental—energy independence makes no sense” (490). Bryce then states that we all need to realize that our world is becoming more interdependent, and that we will continue to get more interdependent as time goes on, so we must simply just accept it. He writes that “the U.S….is married to fossil fuels” (491). In all, Bryce basically says that it is inevitable that we are going to have to depend on other countries for most of our energy sources because covering the Earth’s surface with windmills and solar panels simply wouldn’t compare to the amount of energy that is provided by other
For most of the data that is supporting Bryce’s points, he went to www.eia.gov website, which is the U.S. Energy Information Administration website. On this website you can find all kind of information about imports into the U.S. from 1993 up to now. This website seems to be a dependable source because it is not like Wikipedia, where random people can go on and edit the information that is on the website. This is a government website, which uses information that the government collects. Bryce made his point very clear with the use of sarcasm throughout the article. He makes everyone that believes energy independence is achievable look stupid. For example, you can look at the transition between opinions in the article. He says:
“While Harman may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier, there’s no question that the concept of energy independence resonates with American voters and explains why a large percentage of the American populace believes that energy independence is not only doable but desirable. But here’s the thing: It’s not and it isn’t”