If the universe were an oyster, Earth would be its pearl. If the solar system were a ruler’s prize possessions, our Earth, undoubtedly, would be the jeweled crown. No other known place - not the dusty, cratered deserts of Mars, the stifling, burning oceans of Venus, nor the swirling clouds of Jupiter - carries the same vibrant bloom of colors as our home planet.

It does not take a genius to describe the recent phenomenon threatening to change Earth from the blue and green it is today into being Venus’ twin inferno. Unfortunately, living in the United States highlights humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels. One century of spearheading technological innovation, such as the affordable automobile, has labeled the United States the world’s most industrially advanced nations but not one of the most energy efficient. Today, Earth bears the results of our hedonistic living - America, not only imports over 10 million barrels of oil alone per day, but until recently, has held the dubious honor of being the world’s greatest emitter of carbon dioxide.

The answer to leaving behind fossil fuel dependence is simple, but its implementation is not. Conscientious advocates can emphasize clean, alternative energy sources that do not cloud our air or acidify our lakes, but what it really needs is faster research. Although alternatives such as solar have been around for decades, they still remain inferior in price to cheap gas and coal due to lack of interest and development. Furthermore, to obtain a reliable source of renewable energy, people must consider all forms of green energy. Like solar, many other renewables utilize natural processes, such as the Earth’s heat, making them extremely sustainable and dependable.

Providing incentives is one exciting approach governments can take to stimulate research. As the British government’s famous Longitude Prize for a sure maritime method of determining longitude demonstrated, organizations can indeed attain results without paying an extra arm and  leg for research. However, the government can only go so far. Citizens must collaborate with governmental efforts to limit resource usage by actively conserving energy. If we want to hand down to our children and their children the jeweled crown of the Universe and not merely a tarnished, sooty relic of a world, then the people and their leaders  must work toward cutting our reliance on fossil fuels. If we do so, undoubtedly, one day, Earth will be filled, not with sooty power plants wafting wastes into the atmosphere but with emissionless electric cars zooming into the horizon.