这篇类 GRE Issue 英文原创写于2015年4月。当时那期「高级英文写作工作坊」里涉及到了这个主题的阅读和写作，作为工作坊发起人的我也写了一篇。

题目：Do you agree that subsidising renewable energy is a good way to wean the world off fossil fuels?

思路：

1. What exactly are the problems fossil fuels face?

2. Are the problems unresolvable? If not, how can these problems be addressed?

3. If yes, what are some external alternatives to the problems?

4. Is renewable energy one alternative?

5. If yes, is governmental subsidy an essential and effective practice?

习作

The heart of the proposition concerns two independent arguments: fossil fuels are incurably dysfunctional and badly in need of replacement by renewable energy; for the replacement to work, subsidy is a must. Despite the complexity of the issue, I would argue for the motion.

The ills fossil fuels cause are obvious, severe, lasting and costly. True, perks of fossil fuels abound: they are abundant (though not unlimited), reliable and flexible (though occasionally subject to political whims, as was the case in 1973 oil crisis, in which the oil price shot up quadruple), storable and transportable. Not to mention that upholders proudly proclaim its historical contribution to the inception and evolution of the poverty-slashing and wealth-boosting Industrial Revolution. Yet their shortcomings cannot be written off. The worst one is they are polluted, driving up global temperature. This can be far worse considering the rising demand for electricity, which consumes a huge amount of coal and natural gas, the main target of governmental subsidy. Shale gas is no better. Though regarded as low-carbon, well drilling and production of shaw gas contaminate more than many think. More upsetting still, environmental problems are cumulative, lasting, and costly to solve. These problems are real. They have to be recognized and approached. With the head-in-the-sand attitude, we do not wish away the challenges; we miss the best time to confront them.

A screening of possible alternatives suggests that renewables are the best sustainable solution. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is not up to snuff. Nuclear power is insecure and expensive. One needs not to look back too far to ferret out evidence: the devastating Fukushima Daiichi disaster shatters people’s belief in nuclear power and still haunts many in Japan and beyond. Renewable energy emerges as a fine candidate. It’s true renewable energy is not perfect, but it does not take perfection for a solution to be desirable. Renewables are intermittent, circumstance-dependent (wind power, biomass, hydropower), rare (only in the case of geothermal), expensive (only in the early phases). But it is precisely these defects that highlight and specify the roles renewables and fossil fuels play: renewables should gradually take predominance over, not completely replace, fossil fuels; when renewables fail to work, which is inevitable by nature, fossil fuels should come to rescue. The point is not one or the other, but what works best. At their best, renewables are in harmony with and complementary to fossil fuels.

An alternative solution alone is nothing but an empty idea, however appealing it is, without proper conditions that ensure its realization. In this case, the most crucial factor at play is governmental subsidy. State subsidy itself is not a new idea. Nor is its effectiveness disputable. It is simply a matter of what to subsidize and what not to subsidize. The development and maturity of fossil fuels would be unimaginable even from the outset had there been no subsidy. Also, there are two types of subsidy: direct and indirect. Subsidizing fossil fuels, for example, is direct; not subsidizing renewables, on the other hand, is indirect subsidy for fossil fuels. The government’s duty is to factor in opinions of all parties, examine the status quo of both fossil fuels and renewables, weigh their pros and cons carefully, and be sustainablly minded and forward-looking. It should also take precaution that subsidy may fall short of the ultimate environmental, economic and social goal. That is, while subsidizing renewables, it has to properly handle the transition of fossil fuels’ role from the domin 54 27848 54 15044 0 0 3244 0 0:00:08 0:00:04 0:00:04 3244ant to the ancillary. For this to happen, the combination of a renewable energy incentive (applied via a renewable portfolio standard or feed-in tariff) and a carbon price (applied via a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system) is a good start.

To reiterate my stance, it is time to wean the world off fossil fuels. Renewables are the best alternative to fossil fuels, not to replace the latter entirely, but to play a bigger part. Unless government takes forcible and responsible action in a timely manner by adopting and upholding subsidy, the best solution will only be on the drawing board.