In the a “A Solution to the Climate Problem” written by scientist James Hansen, Hansen discuss fossil fuel emission impact on the global environment and a possible solution to this problem. Hansen begins his essay by highlighting the problem that we are facing with global fossil emission and how the governments are failing to address this issue. He support his claim by proving examples where governments supports construction of new coal plant, liquid plants, development of unconventional fossil fuels, leasing of lands for oil and gas exploration, leasing of land for hydraulic fracturing, highly destructive mountaintop-removal and long wall coal mining. Hansen highlights lack of policy implementation by the governments as another contributor to the environmental damage.…
Fossil fuels are currently the most widely used source of nonrenewable energy in today’s society. These sources of energy are used to generate power for both commercial and personal use in a number of different ways. “In 2005, more than 3/4 of total world energy consumption was through the use of fossil fuels.” (Environmental Literacy Council, 2008) Oil, the leading energy resource depended upon to fuel everyday functions produces 43.4 % of our world’s energy. Natural Gas, the second most relied upon resource produces 15.6 % of the world’s energy followed by coal, which produces 8.3 % of the world’s energy. Unsurprisingly, North America is the number one consumer of nonrenewable energy resources, consuming approximately 25 % of the fossil fuels extracted from the earth. (Environmental Literacy Council, 2008)…
Continued apathy and negligence of of the environment is just not viable any longer. The only fossil fuel that is capable of lasting into the next century has the most concentrated, detrimental, and long term effects on the environment. Oil has some of the most horrific and immediate effects on wildlife when mishandled. Oil spills, while on the decline, produce abhorrent conditions that harm not just the wildlife present, but that ecosystem as a whole. Additionally, oil is the biggest player when it comes to fuel in the transportation sector, which is notorious for the greenhouse gas emission that arise from it. If those were not reason enough to make significant strides away from oil, oil is not projected to even make it into the second half of the century. Given this, and that we have the resources to pursue renewable energy, it is simply impractical to continue to maintain oil as a primary fuel source. Natural gas seems to me to be equally dangerous despite having the lowest emissions of the three because it is deceptively harmful. On the surface it burns clean but often methane gas leaks in transportation and even the enormous pool of issues that fracking leads to are too frequently overlooked. Again, irrespective of these, natural gas must be abandoned soon or we will exhaust natural gas reserves before oil is totally depleted. The solution to the fossil fuel problem lies in renewable and green energy. Solar energy is still young but it has enormous potential. Wind energy works very well but it can be a nuisance and an extreme hazard to airborne wildlife. Hydroelectric energy can be more widely implemented but the dams are liable to disrupt spawning patterns of some fish, particularly salmon. Nuclear energy is incredibly efficient but runs into social and economic barriers. After my research, I have come to the conclusion that the best solution…
In order to understand how to conserve energy, there needs to be a definition of what non-renewable resources are. According to Ingrid Kelley, author of Energy in America: a Tour of Our Fossil Fuel Culture and Beyond, coal, oil, and natural gas are called fossil fuels because they were formed from layers of carbon-based organic matter that had been plants and simple marine creatures many millions of years ago (Kelly 14). While they were buried under sediment, these organic layers were concentrated by time, pressure, and terrain into various carbon deposits containing significant amounts of energy, which ancient swamps and forests soaked up from the sun (Kelley 14). This means that the energy that we use today for fuel and power to provide electricity for our homes and offices is a dying source. Fossil fuels take millions of years to be reproduced, and the way America burns through them, it would be impossible for them to be a consistent source of energy. From looking at the way energy consumption is at this point and time it does not seem to add…
There are many ways to conserve natural resources, all we need to do is look around and find a way to minimize the usage of natural resource that we using everyday. For example, turn off the lights when we leave the house; minimize the waste produced by buying less packaged goods and reusable products, and recycling. These are little things we can do to help, and these does not take much effort to do; however, if everybody does the same, we can still make that difference. In the big picture, we can consider using more renewable natural resources such as hydro-power and solar-power. These energy resources are the best ways to conserve natural resource such as fossil fuel. Fortunately, many energy conservative products have been invented: hybrid or electric cars and energy-efficient home appliances. These are the reflections of people’s concern towards the natural resources depletion. On the whole, we need to start do our share to conserve the energy and resource as part of our responsibility to the natural…
Without conservation the world’s population will consume the natural resources and destroy the environment and atmosphere while doing so; therefore, we must improve on conserving what we generate while finding efficient ways to sustain our environment and produce maintainable energy. I will review factors that contribute to or affected by energy consumption, and what impact humans have had on the issue. I will evaluate some current strategies and solutions and provide a plan to reach sustainability. I will outline the benefits and challenges presented with the plan while reviewing the governments, society and global involvement to the plan.…
Since the industrial revolution, our energy consumption has risen unceasingly. The majority of this energy consumption is supplied by the fossil fuels like coal or natural gas.…
In today’s world, which most definitely has an environmentalist mindset, there seems to be a feud or conflict between those in favor of fossil fuels and those in favor of alternative energy, i.e. solar energy. It seems so disputed and heated that you could compare it to the rivalry in our political system among democrats and republicans. Each side wishes to strengthen our communities, states, nation(s), and world politically and environmentally for the generations to come but can never seem to come to an agreement. Despite all these disagreements and arguments something does need to happen in order to stop pollution by way of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels do not have to be thrown out of the equation altogether but one day technology will reach the point where alternative energy is king. The many who are in favor of fossil fuels in no way like to hear a statement such as that but it is inevitable that alternative energy will take over because of countries like the US and the rest of world’s vast advancement in science and technology. Much evidence shows that solar energy will have a positive impact on the economy and the environment at the national and local levels.…
Although fossil fuels provide an inexpensive form of energy, they have been shown to pollute ecosystems, endanger animals and humans, are not sustainable, and cannot provide nearly the amount of energy that can be obtained from renewable sources.…
“Unfortunately, the process involved in using the fuels released fumes into the air that are harming the planet.” Since fossil fuels are not a renewable source it will eventually run out. “In 1987 the United Nations said that we should aim for sustainable energy.” Meaning countries should start developing sources of energy that will never run out or harm the planet. “Fossil fuel power plants burn oil, coal, or natural gas.“That heat produced is used to turn water into steam.” “The steam powers machines called turbines, and the turbines then power generations that produce electricity.” However burning fossil fuels also releases harmful substances into the air, such as oxides says Vic. “These oxides mix with water vapor and fall to earth as acid rain,” which is harmful to the…
For years, the nations of the world have relied on some form of energy to sustain the populace and the industrial sectors of that nation. Fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas) are the backbone of the United States’ energy consumption. Fossil fuels are not an infinite source but a finite source. Scientists do not know the exact process behind the creation of fossil fuels, except that the creation takes a very long time. Because fossil fuels are not unlimited and speculation has some fossil fuels disappearing by the end of the 21st century, many individuals believe that the United States needs to look at other resources to fuel the country (“Introduction to Renewable Energy: Opposing Viewpoints,” 2009).…
Energy is very important, especially for the people of the United States. It has become an integral part of our lives and we have grown dependent on it. Therein lies the problem, however, because the more we use it, the less there is. We have to find alternative forms of energy before it is gone and we are left high and dry. Not only is our sources decreasing, it is also polluting our beautiful world. Reducing the use of energy and finding alternatives is our only choice when considering the future of America. Cheap gas may sound great right now but once it is gone, it is gone for good. We cannot be selfish and only think of the now, we must look to the future and preserve our resources so that our grandkids will have a good life. We have made…
The death penalty is a moral value issue that has brought much controversy within society. It is morally justifiable to continue to practice the death penalty for convicted felons who are a threat to society. The death penalty is authorized in 37 states in the United States as well as by the U.S. Military. There are 13 states as well as the District of Columbia that do not practice the death penalty. Capital punishment, another term used for the death penalty in the United States, is reserved mainly for those convicted of aggravated murder or felony murder. Other crimes that may fall under the capital punishment category are use of a weapon of mass destruction, treason against the United States, terrorism, and in some states aggravated kidnapping. Sentencing a person to death is the job of a judge that is assigned on a case by case basis. Each of the above listed crimes should be taken on a case by case basis, however, the death penalty should remain an option if the crime is violent, and if the criminal is unable to safely be returned to society. Those who oppose the death penalty claim that the death of a convicted felon is costly, and also point to the possibility of a wrongful conviction. These arguments are not relevant due to the alternative cost of keeping someone in prison and the accuracy and fairness of the current justice system in the United States.…
Humans are creatures of greed. They take, they eat, they consume, and they use with abandon. On a subconscious level people have become accustomed to ignoring the consequences of their actions because “that is just how the system works.” When it comes to the business of energy and energy consumption, they find themselves in a situation that is more than similar. We as a race use fossil fuels daily, with at least some knowledge on its affects on the environment, and we scarcely bat an eyelash. “How else can I get around?” or “How else can cities be powered?” are common questions when confronted with the idea of living without fossil fuels, as if there is no other way. “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not any man’s greed” (Mohandas Gandhi). We have begun to trek down a dangerous path where we cannot help but rob the earth of its resources and riches without giving back. And despite the fact that there are ways to easily power this world without the assistance of these ancient carbon remains, it is not a viable option; this is because this requires much effort in the realm of change, and changing “the system” would be too costly. Before we can think of a way we can reverse this process and use this excess carbon dioxide to our advantage, people must stop it in its tracks. The human race must adopt biofuels, mainly because they neither contribute to nor take from the problem. Fuels made from Biomass will only release as much carbon dioxide as they absorb, to grow, upon combustion. If people continue on this path we will soon reach carbon-atmosphere levels equivalent to that of when dinosaurs roamed this earth; consequently, we need to stop immediately.…
Race is a topic in today’s society that is unavoidable in many situations, because of the representations and ideologies of race in the world. Frantz Fanon, Louis Althusser, and Hunt Hawkins have each studied race and interpellation in the modern world. Fanon explored race and racial interpellation in The Fact of Blackness, Althusser explored interpellation in Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses, and Hawkins explored how race is displayed in Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. Conrad’s character development of Kurtz is meant to symbolize the future for Europe if it continues to dominate other people and cultures in other countries. While Fanon, Althusser, and Hawkins all possess different beliefs and ideas of race, all three…