[讨论]第一次写的AI002，请大家按机考的要求狠拍！

superjane

AI002:

“It is unrealistic to expect individual nations to make, independently, the sacrifices necessary to conserve energy. International leadership and worldwide cooperation are essential if we expect to protect the world’s energy resources for future generations.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

 

 

The speaker asserts that an international effort is needed to protect energy resources for future generations, since individual countries are not willing to make voluntary sacrifices. Although I agree that an international co-operation or leadership is helpful in conserving energy resources, however, sometimes the international effort has not lived up to the expectations yet, in my view, the conclusion should depend on some analysis of two key factors.

First of all, we should consider that whether individual nations are indifferent with energy problems when they once face the energy crisis and never take actions to protect energy resources. Unfortunately, the speaker simply drawn the conclusion for the reason of individual nations always act in light of their short-term motives and self-interest that they will not protect energy resources while others use the energy as well.

Admittedly, self-interest and national survival are every nation’s prime drivers. As a matter of fact, it is the other way around that individual nations have come to realize the importance of energy conservation, therefore, many countries have taken measures to protect energy resources without the international co-operation or leadership.

For example, ever since the oil crisis in 1973, Japan, a country that has limited energy conservation and heavily depended on oil, has suffered from high energy costs that shocked the Japanese economy. The reaction was transferring from its heavy industry, which consume lots of nature resource, to high-tech industry such as IT industry after the oil crisis. Further more, in 1979, the energy conservation law was carried out in Japan to protect energy resources.

Second, we should consider that whether an international effort can make the energy conservation work out, whatever in any cases. In fact, international leadership or co-operation has not lived up to the expectations yet. For instance, in 1997, United States refused to enter UNCCC, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Australia followed suit. The same actions were taken again in KP (Kyoto Protocol) in 1997. The example indicates that the international leadership can not invariably balance each individual nation’s benefits and promote the international co-operation.

In conclusion, although energy resources conservation is an international problem in scope, we should not only account for the international leadership or co-operation to solve all the problems in protecting energy resources for future generations, but also urge the individual nations to take their responsibilities to conserve our common energy resources. Only combine the two aspects together, we can make the project more successful.