Energy Independence and National Security

A recent NPR article covered the link between energy independence and national security. A group of retired generals has pointed out that ‘the way the United States uses energy is jeopardizing national security’ and is ‘challenging the U.S. government and all Americans to reduce energy consumption and look for alternative energy sources.’ In fact, the Pentagon is working to move to more fuel-efficient vehicles for both financial and geopolitical reasons.

In Thomas Friedman’s book, Hot Flat and Crowded, the links between our current energy system, national security, and human rights are discussed at length. Friedman describes a correlation he has observed between decreasing oil prices and improvements in human rights and innovation in oil-rich countries. In essence, he says that when governments in oil-rich nations can derive wealth from selling natural resources, then they don’t have to rely so much on innovation and real value creation. In contrast, when nations run out of oil (or if oil prices were to fall), they need to be more supportive of human rights and creativity to survive. He describes several examples that support this hypothesis, and makes a compelling argument that one of the most effective things Americans can do to improve our own nations security, as well as improve the lives of many others around the world, is to dramatically reduce demand for oil. So even if someone doesn’t support renewable energy development and energy efficiency improvements for environmental reasons (which are in the long term also economic and political reasons as well), then perhaps he or she would support these advancements because of their impact on national security and human rights.