Saving the earth
Imagine a typical family rushing out of the house to go to work or school. Many of the simple things can be easily over looked, and while rushing out even more can be forgotten. Children can easily leave things plugged in and parents can forget to turn the light switches off. Fossil fuels are wasted each time someone forgets to conserve energy. This is a problem because fossil fuels are nonrenewable. This means that they can not be produced at the rate in which they are used. People of the United States should not have to worry about when fossil fuels are going to run out. The Environmental Protection Agency, also known as the EPA, should be given more control over how energy should be made. By doing so the EPA would be promoting the use of solar power to help make renewable and lasting energy. Solar power is a great use of alternative fuel because it protects the earth from further harm, it allows the earth to be protected and assures lasting power for the future.
Overview of the Problem Nonrenewable energy is a problem in the United States. Wars have been fought for the use of oil and other nonrenewable resources. One article even suggests that, “The energy crisis of the 1970’s drove up gasoline prices, sent the economy into a tailspin and prompted lawmakers and government agencies to develop new energy polices.” (“Are renewable energy sources viable alternatives to fossil fuels”). For many years the question on people’s minds has been, when are we going
The U.S obtains more than 84% of its energy from fossil fuels including oil, coal and natural gas. This is because people rely on it to heat their homes, power industries, run vehicles, manufacturing, and provision of electricity. It is apparent that the country’s transportation industry highly depends on conventional petroleum oil, which is responsible for global warming, thus threatening economic opulence and national security. Apart from that, increasing consumption of fossil fuels have elevated health problems in the state, destroyed wild places, and polluted the environment. After conducting Environmental Impact Assessment, projections showed that the world energy consumption would increase by more than 56% between 2010 and 2040. However, fossil fuels will cater for more than 80% of the total energy used in 2040. Sadly, it will be a trajectory to alter the world’s climate, as well as, weaken the global security environment. Importantly, the rate at which the US relies on fossil fuels needs to reduce since it has adverse effects on the planet’s supplies. The society needs to realize that fossil fuels are nonrenewable, thus taking millions of years to form (Huebner, 2003). Notably, the country can reduce dependency on fossil fuels by practicing energy conservation and efficiency,
In america alone, most of the fossil fuels used to produce energy are unintentionally wasted. (Source F) If this continues, future generations are not going to be able to remain on some areas of this planet, if any at all. Pollution, a major factor in global warming, has the ability to be reduced in electrically powered vehicles, simple changes in light bulbs, and even just plugging out appliances not in use. (Source F) By the government regulating these effortless practices , they can eliminate fears of destroying the world for their
The United States is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, and yet is doing very little to fix this startling statistic (Dennis). The US’ reliance upon outdated energy sources continues to harm both the environment and the economy by producing millions of tonnes of pollution every year and costing the government billions of dollars (“Fact Sheet: Clean Power Plan”). Fossil fuels have been the main energy sources in America since the industrial revolution, and it is time to make a change. Renewable energy is energy harnessed from sources like the sun, wind, or water, and has little to no negative effects on the environment (“Renewable Energy Technology Basics”). The United States needs to integrate and increase the use of these types of energy across the country, as well as implement positive environmental policies, to prevent further pollution of the earth and combat the effects of climate change.
America should pursue alternative energy sources because “With only 5 percent of the worlds population, the United States consumes almost one-quarter (22.5%) of global energy”. (((Josef Bram, 15))) With such a small percentage of the world’s population and still one of the largest consumers of energy the U.S should be looking for new and better ways to generate energy. Currently The U.S’s energy is supplied using traditional sources. According to Canadian scientist and policy analyst Vaclav Smil “Todays energy 29% from coal, 33% from oil and gas, and 33% from soft-energy (alternative sources)” (((Smil, 47))) Most of the energy we use on a daily basis is not produced using clean methods. Some alternative energy sources that are already in place within the United Stats are wind, solar, and hydraulic.
The Alternative energy industry in the United States has been at a steady rate of growth for the past decade, however there is still controversy over the use of renewable energies, their impact on the economy, and their impact on the environment. As controversial as the topic is, the argument boils down to a moral need to support environmental regulations, and an economical need to sustain domestic growth in the Energy industry of the United States. Mainly, the question is can alternative energy effective replace fossil fuels? There are of course arguments for both sides of this question.
As the planet’s population continues to grow, so will the energy needs. Even with fast advancement of technology, humans are only able to extract so much oil in a given period. Relying solely on fossil fuels and pushing off the inevitable does not make sense. If all of the United States oil supply and every other non-renewable energy source had suddenly disappeared from the face of North America, Americans would have no choice but to rely on renewable energy resources and that would not be a problem. As more solar panels, windmills, and hydroelectric turbines were built and placed in their respective environments, the United States would be back on its feet within no time. This would eventually lead to lower energy costs and a much greener and environmentally friendly nation overall. In the long run, investing and focusing on renewable energy resources provides the United States with a fail-safe solution which would also provide citizens with the energy they need to power their everyday
The United States must re-examine many policies previously accepted as reasonable, especially its own national energy policy. As the largest overall and per capita energy consumer in the world, the U.S. needs to decide upon a reasonable source of energy for the foreseeable future, especially since its energy needs will increase dramatically during that time. With political instability likely to remain the norm in the Middle East, oil continues to be an energy source of questionable reliability; in addition, current estimates of worldwide reserves suggest we may in fact run out of oil entirely in the next fifty years. Natural gas reserves are in fairly short supply too, and costs limit its
Energy production has always been a hot topic in the United States. More specifically, Oklahoma has been on the forefront of energy production. Oklahoma is viewed as a front runner in the energy industry, and the United States is always turning to Oklahoma when in need of creating new sources of energy; an example being compressed natural gas. The United States hopes to influence the nation to climb aboard the train that leads to reliable sources of energy by generating new public policies. Many public policies have been set into motion by both governmental parties and are currently trying to authorize programs that will engender economical energy efficiency by agreeably relying on renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. There are many advantages and disadvantages to converting to fossil fuels but whether you agree or not, renewable energy is the future of the United States.
Whilst it may seem a “no-brainer” to cease investment in non-renewable power and transfer our effort, resources and investment into developing renewable energy sources, the reality is that we have become so reliant and dependent upon non-renewable energy – particularly fossil fuels – that we must continue to use, develop, and invest in such energy to maintain the living standards that we enjoy today. In our short to medium-term future, and in spite of our ever-increasing scientific knowledge about the environmental price that we pay in using non-renewable energy, we must continue to invest in it. Let me explain why.
The environment is negatively affected be the burning of fossil fuels. The affects of the gases contribute to global warming, along with acid rain and polluted air. This pollution cuts short an estimated 30,000 American lives according to the Clean Air Task Force (Rich). The United States must stop using fossil fuels because the gases produce harm the environment we live causing harm to come all the citizens. “The future of energy production will
Ever since the Industrial Revolution in the mid to late 1800’s, the United States have used fossil fuels to provide itself with energy. The increase in fossil fuel consumption and energy production was and is the main cause of the United States’ economic prosperity. The United States absolutely needs it’s high energy production if it seeks to remain a global power. However, in recent years there has been growing debate on whether or not fossil fuels are the energy-producing fuel of the future. Environmentalists cite increasing global temperatures and environmental damage as reasons to stop using fossil fuels, whereas the pro-fossil fuel community cites loss of jobs and energy unreliability as reasons to continue using fossil fuels.
Since, fossil fuels have been a part of our environment for some time now, they have been the main resource we’ve needed and used to keep our country running. The truth of the matter is, since we obtain fossil fuels from plants and animals that lived millions of years ago they will soon be gone. As indicated by Eric McLamb, founder, chief executive officer, and president of the ecology communications group, “The problem is fossil fuels are nonrenewable. They are limited in supply and will one day be depleted.” People realize that the crisis of running out of fossil fuels is upon us; however, these same people are timid about moving on to renewable energy. One main reason is because individuals do not believe renewable energy is cost efficient. For instance, solar energy is known to be fairly expensive, particularly more expensive than the conventional energy used now, which makes people uncertain about changing to renewable energy.
With American population expected to increase by approximately fifty percent over the next fifty years, some sort of energy reform is needed (Lehrman 2). The most commonly proposed idea is for America to stop relying so heavily on fossil fuels, and to turn its focus onto renewable sources of energy, such as solar power and hydroelectricity (Energy Information Administration). If the United States could realize the benefits of renewable energy, then much of the world’s energy problems could be solved.
Energy, which has a bearing on both economic and national security, boasts its vital importance in that it gives rise to the economic and social development of the whole world. Although the world teems with diverse energy, most of the energy that has been put into application in our daily life or industrialized world is nonrenewable, with particular reference to the fossil fuels, which means once it has been run out, it can never be reproduced. Moreover, conditions are getting worse as the increasing energy consumption caused by the high pace of the development of industry and agriculture and the abuse of some energy, it seems that all nations to some extent have been stuck in the plight of energy
Abstract: The current energy situation with fossil fuels as the main source of the world’s energy has two main flaws: fossil fuels contribute to global warming via the greenhouse effect and they are limited in the quantity that remains. Solar power solves both of these problems and can be captured by utilizing photovoltaic cells. However, photovoltaic cells have their own drawbacks due to their high costs of installation and maintenance.