Alternative Energy: The Power of Nature
From the moment the average person wakes up in the morning, to the time they go to bed they have used some type of energy all day. People around the world drive their cars to work and while there, use more energy by simply turning on the lights to see or using the heat to stay warm. However, what they do not think about is how much energy it took to produce the light they just switched on, as well as the effects of producing that energy. Whether it be coal, natural gas, or oil, the consequences of using these sources of energy everyday can cause significant environmental and health problems. The Earth cannot provide the traditional sources of energy forever, and if they are used much longer they will …show more content…
This prompts the widespread push to put a stop to the threat of global warming. According to The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a community of scientists working for the better of the Earth, coal-fired power plants are the biggest cause of global warming emissions; which are caused by trapped heat that in return warm up the Earth’s atmosphere. (1). When the fossil fuels are burned they release pollutants,such as mercury and carbon dioxide, that can not only harm the Earth but people’s health. Mercury, a pollutant fossil fuels give off into the environment, can harm young children’s brains at an early age as well having dangerous outcomes for sick and elderly. The biggest result of burning of fossil fuels are the pollutants that harm the Earth’s environment. Some repercussions of these pollutants are, acid rain, deforestation, and water pollution (Nakaya 25). Nakaya says, “Fossil fuels also contribute to acid rain, ozone, and carbon dioxide pollution; production, transportation, and use of oil can cause water pollution; and coal mining can pollute water and destroy soil” (25). Other harmful repercussions using the traditional ways of obtaining energy are disruption of habitat, rising sea levels, more dramatic weather events, mass extinction, crop losses, and earthquakes (O’Brochta 12). O 'Brochta’s opinion on clean energy is, “I think that …show more content…
The USC states that, “The air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants is linked to breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, and cancer”. Therefore, “Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy has been found to reduce premature mortality and lost workdays, and it reduces overall healthcare costs” (2). Along with improving people’s health through alternative energies, it will improve the Earth’s environment by not contributing to pollution. With the addition of renewable energy, power plants that produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide can be replaced, resulting in lowering global warming emissions (USC 2). Studies have shown that if the United States alone generated eighty percent of the nation’s electricity that by the year 2050 “global warming emission from electricity production could be reduced by approximately eighty-one percent” (USC 2). Most of the Earth’s sources of energy people use today are not renewable, so by using renewable energy, the Earth will supply sunny skies and strong winds when people need it. It was estimated in 2012 that sources of renewable energy, such as wind energy, have the ability to supply 482,247 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, one hundred times more than what the United States uses annually (USC 3). To produce the
From the moment the average person wakes up in the morning, to the time they go to bed they have used some type of energy all day. People around the world drive their cars to work and while there, use more energy by simply turning on the lights to see or using the heat to stay warm. However, what they do not think about is how much energy it took to produce the light they just switched on, as well as the effects of producing that energy. Whether it be coal, natural gas, or oil, the consequences of using these sources of energy everyday can cause significant environmental and health problems. The Earth cannot provide the traditional sources of energy forever, and if they are used much longer they will …show more content…
This prompts the widespread push to put a stop to the threat of global warming. According to The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a community of scientists working for the better of the Earth, coal-fired power plants are the biggest cause of global warming emissions; which are caused by trapped heat that in return warm up the Earth’s atmosphere. (1). When the fossil fuels are burned they release pollutants,such as mercury and carbon dioxide, that can not only harm the Earth but people’s health. Mercury, a pollutant fossil fuels give off into the environment, can harm young children’s brains at an early age as well having dangerous outcomes for sick and elderly. The biggest result of burning of fossil fuels are the pollutants that harm the Earth’s environment. Some repercussions of these pollutants are, acid rain, deforestation, and water pollution (Nakaya 25). Nakaya says, “Fossil fuels also contribute to acid rain, ozone, and carbon dioxide pollution; production, transportation, and use of oil can cause water pollution; and coal mining can pollute water and destroy soil” (25). Other harmful repercussions using the traditional ways of obtaining energy are disruption of habitat, rising sea levels, more dramatic weather events, mass extinction, crop losses, and earthquakes (O’Brochta 12). O 'Brochta’s opinion on clean energy is, “I think that …show more content…
The USC states that, “The air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants is linked to breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, and cancer”. Therefore, “Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy has been found to reduce premature mortality and lost workdays, and it reduces overall healthcare costs” (2). Along with improving people’s health through alternative energies, it will improve the Earth’s environment by not contributing to pollution. With the addition of renewable energy, power plants that produce significant amounts of carbon dioxide can be replaced, resulting in lowering global warming emissions (USC 2). Studies have shown that if the United States alone generated eighty percent of the nation’s electricity that by the year 2050 “global warming emission from electricity production could be reduced by approximately eighty-one percent” (USC 2). Most of the Earth’s sources of energy people use today are not renewable, so by using renewable energy, the Earth will supply sunny skies and strong winds when people need it. It was estimated in 2012 that sources of renewable energy, such as wind energy, have the ability to supply 482,247 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, one hundred times more than what the United States uses annually (USC 3). To produce the