The Negative Effects of Fossil Fuel Usage
The health of the environment is our livelihood. When the environment is not in good health it could lead to health problems on a personal level. One of the major environmental problems is air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels.
Levels of carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuels into the atmosphere in 1991 was an estimated “5.6 billion tons per year” (Tesar, 28). If we keep running down the path we are on using fossil fuels like no tomorrow there is some worry among scientists, “Some scientists estimate that the number will jump to as much as 30 billion tons per year within the next few decades” (28).
Concern for the environment is not a recent phenomena. Rachel
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However, this will not be an easy task, according to Coombs there is an estimated, “Eight trillion tons of coal in the world” (Coombs, 19). With that amount of coal it is reasonable to assume that we will have and inexpensive source of energy for many years to come. People are willing to jump on the environmental bandwagon because it is politically correct, but because we live in a capitalistic society that is driven by the almighty dollar people are resistant to change.
Solar power is the energy of the future. Gary Chandler and alternative energy advocate states, “Although the sun is 93 million miles from Earth, it provides a free and plentiful source of clean fuel for renewable energy production” (Chandler, 1). We must embrace it completely because as long as the sun shines we will exist. According to Stephen Hawking, professor at Cambridge University in England, estimates that, “Our sun probably has got enough fuel for another five thousand million years or so” (Hawking, 83). So with this knowledge and the current condition of our planet it is a mystery to me why we have not used solar panels to their maximum capability sooner, especially since the solar technology has been around for nearly 160 years. “In 1839, Edmund Becquerel, a French scientist, discovered the photovoltaic effect” (Timeline, 1).
The technology has been available for over one hundred
Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work,” he said of his method of experimentation. “When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the ways that will work.” Up until the late 1830’s electricity was derived from many non-renewable sources such as coal, oil, and natural gases. These are also known as fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are the major energy sources that are being used in the world today. The production of fossil fuels account for more than one-third of U.S global emissions, which trap heat, steadily drive up the plant’s temperature, and create harmful impacts on our health, our environment, and our climate. Their sources are limited and depleting at a faster
Fossil fuels are destroying our world when the technology is present to stop this. Luckily in the past fifty years’ fossil fuel use has declined and is steadily declining more. Nonrenewable energy has worked, but it is primitive, in the future it will only be something of the past. But with the most support renewable energy can become a worldwide power source. Europe uses so of the most wind energy production process, so when will we? But one other type of renewable energy is becoming solar power. All energy comes from the sun, why not get our energy straight from the source, but materials to produce solar panels are very rare and expensive. Let’s make a change and
Does the high level of Carbon Dioxide (C02) possibly harm the Earth’s planetary biosphere, or has it already done so; in fact, many worldwide scientists have protested that the Earth is at its ‘tipping point’ but no efforts have been adapted to save the biosphere? A support of this controversial topic; congressional meeting and testimony, is from one of the top U.S. climate scientists, James Hansen to Former Vice President Al Gore, with an emphasis on the cause of C02. Beyond the ozone layer is atmospherically holey, Earth’s temperature is rising, and the climate changing conversely, one that people trivialized the most is: Global warming. Increasingly, subject to concern not only via online discussion, magazine and
In this paper, we focus on using fossil fuels causing climate change. Fossil fuels are fuels formed natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas, which are the most widely used fuel and industrial chemicals in the world. Since industrial revolution, fossil fuels bring a very great quantity convenience and technological products. So we can use cars, planes and all modern products. But fossil fuels cause climate change at the same time. Greenhouse gas, nitrous oxides and a great deal of harmful gas which are from fossil fuels are causing serious environmental problems. Therefore we need to be concerned about the problems caused by fossil fuels and the solutions.
Throughout the past few decades, the human population has had increasing demands for various utilities such as electricity and heat. This increase in demand has sparked up a problem now present in our world. That problem is the emission of various carbon gases, including carbon dioxide, into our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a gas that exists naturally in our atmosphere. However, thanks to the combustion of fossil fuels, there is more carbon dioxide in our atmosphere than any time in the past. On a report by the EPA, it is shown that coal is responsible for about 70% of all carbon emissions, including carbon dioxide. Coal is the most used type of fossil fuel to create both electricity and heat. With our high demand for electricity and heat,
In this modern fast paced world that we live in, there are many issues that are looked over, energy is one of these. As a world, we are dependant on dwindling fossil fuel supplies and take for granted electricity, oil, and gas. There are four completely renewable sources of energy around us that should be used and developed, they are: wind, growing plants, flowing water, and the sun. These sources of energy are the ones we should be tapping, because they are reliable and renewable. Harnessing the suns energy is the most certain and ultimate energy source. Looking at a brief history and some facts about solar energy, a glimpse of the future can be seen, a future not dependant on
In the United States, a sustainable society is desired by virtually every citizen, especially the ones informed of the consequences caused by our wanton use of fossil fuels and the detrimental methods used to extract them from the earth. Nevertheless, despite almost universal acceptance of the need to turn away from nonrenewable and polluting energy sources, there are forces preventing that switch. One of those forces is the megalith that is our current energy paradigm, or the existing energy production/consumption infrastructure that we’ve built which runs largely on nonrenewable resources. Yet, as daunting as a transition to a world run on renewable energies like solar, an energy source with significant growth-potential, may seem from a technological and logistical standpoint, it is eminently feasible. The most problematic hurdle the United States faces is, in truth, political stagnation. While intense lobbying efforts from the fossil fuel industry and public utilities don’t help, the gridlock caused by the inherent framework of the U.S. political system is principally to blame for governmental malaise when it comes to investing in green technology. However, with increasing concerns over environmental degradation and impending climate change, progress has been made. The U.S. Department of Energy (USDE) has appointed 25 cities across the country to be part of its “Solar America City” initiative, including Philadelphia. Philadelphia, which aims to become the leading city in
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s, humans have been releasing ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.
The overwhelming majority (97%) of carbon dioxide in the earth 's atmosphere comes from nature, not from man. Volcanoes, swamps, rice paddies, fallen leaves, and even insects and bacteria produce carbon dioxide, as well as methane. According to the journalScience (Nov. 5, 1982), termites alone emit ten times more carbon dioxide than all the factories and automobiles in the world. Natural wetlands emit more greenhouse gases than all human activities combined. (If greenhouse warming is such a problem, why are we trying to save all the wetlands?) Geothermal activity in Yellowstone National Park emits ten times the carbon dioxide of a midsized coal-burning power plant, and volcanoes emit hundreds of times more. In fact, our atmosphere 's composition is primarily the result of volcanic activity. There are about 100 active volcanoes today, mostly in remote locations, and we 're living in a period of relatively low volcanic activity. There have been times when volcanic activity was ten times greater than in modern times. But by far the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions is the equatorial Pacific Ocean. It produces 72% of the earth 's emissions of carbon dioxide, and the rest of the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the other oceans also contribute. The human contribution is overshadowed by these far larger sources of carbon dioxide. Combining the factors of water vapor and nature 's production of carbon dioxide, we
Along with the greenhouse effect, burning fossil fuels also creates human health problems. The chemicals and gasses released instantly cause damaged cells, stress, and illness in respiratory systems. Some future health effects include shortened life span, diseases like bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and cancer, and aging and loss of capacity in lungs.3 These are all serious health problems notably found in North Americans. Health-harming pollution can be prevented and stopped if people become informed about the causes and effects of it.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a type of odorless and colorless gas that can be either manmade or naturally made. Carbon dioxide is a vital greenhouse gas; in moderation. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased significantly. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is leading to global warming, ocean acidification and a multitude of many problems. In a report released from NASA, the scientist state that “that human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) continues to increase above levels not seen in hundreds of thousands of years: currently, about half of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels remains in the atmosphere and is not absorbed by vegetation and the oceans”. The current assessment of carbon dioxide in the air is 402 parts per million (ppm). One PPM is equivalent to one microgram/one kilogram (0.6 of a mile). Scientist claims that it needs to be brought down to 350 ppm to even start
Abstract – The world can’t be imagined without IC Engines ,as their applications are wider in various fields. And mainly used input for this engines are fossil fuels. But the challenge in this is decreasing rate of resources. The fossil fuels may not be available after some years if they used in the same way .Not only the fossil but also the electric power is the non renewable energy, This paper concentrates to run the engine without fossil fuels or electricity.
Fossil fuels are an important part of life. When you turn on the lights, watch TV, or take a shower, the electricity that you are using is being generated by fossil fuels. The three types of fossil fuels are coal, crude oil, and natural gas. They all take millions of years to form, so they are considered to be “non-renewable”- eventually, the fossil fuels will all be used up. One dangerous biological effect of using fossil fuels is ocean acidification. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels can also be very dangerous. Environmentally damaging accidents such as groundwater contamination, land subsidence, and oil spills occur frequently. Global warming is another possible environmental effect. Fossil fuels have a crucial role in modern
Fossil fuels are essential to life on earth as we know it today. Our world would certainly be much different if it weren’t for such seemingly simple things such as coal, oil, and natural gas. These basic elements of life on earth may not seem like a major concern to some people until we put into perspective how they have shaped our world today. Civilizations have been built, economies have risen and crumbled, and even wars have been fought over these precious fossil fuels. However, these fossil fuels serve us in ways we may never truly appreciate, as long as we use them as recklessly as we do now. The major entity about fossil fuels is concerning their longevity and permanence in our world, and we all know, they will be around forever.
Finding energy sources is an issue that polarizes scientists, politicians and citizens alike. The most critical points of this debate are at fossil fuels and renewable energy. Energy efficiency is arguably the most dire concern facing the planet, because it significantly impacts all areas of everyday life. Common ground can be found in this controversy because both parties do agree that humans have a responsibility to future generations. That responsibility is to preserve the resources of the Earth, while offering this generation energy that is affordable and accessible.