Subjects:
forming a black haze around the horizon, or the strange black tint in the water left over from
an oil spill years ago. These are all types of pollution and are all caused by one common
entity: fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are fuels created naturally within the Earth. Whether by
adding to the greenhouse effect, reshaping a landscape during a mining operation, or simply
blowing smoke in someone’s face, these familiar sources of energy have an undeniably profound
Fossil fuels are the most widely used source of energy throughout the modern world. In the
United States alone, they account for over eighty-five percent of energy consumption. It is
often overlooked, however, that they are not only the cause of economic and political
instability but also account for almost all of the world’s pollution, including chemicals
attributed to global warming. Alternative energy production methods must be discovered and
developed to replace this unclean and insecure source of power. Devices such as wind power
plants, solar power plants, and other renewable energy harnessing facilities, facilities with
. . .
Although renewables are already serving to meet some energy demands, there is room for
improvement and growth. According to a researcher from the Italian Commission for Nuclear and
Alternative Energy Sources, Heinz Knoepfel, if the current rate of increase continues, an excess
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could raise the temperature by three to five degrees
Fahrenheit by the year 2100. The hidden costs of waste disposal, decommissioning, and provision for accidents have
never been adequately accounted for. “The resources [of renewables] are unlimited and wait only upon
technological progress for harvesting,” according to Duane Sunderman, director of the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
Fossil fuels, while being detrimental to both the natural and economic environments, are also
bad for the political environment. According to Michael
Brower, physicist and director of research at the Union of Concerned Scientists, “It wouldn’t
take much to give renewables a nudge. (Griffin 1992, [CQ Researcher]) The United States’
dependency upon energy from fossil fuels is going to become a major setback. (Alternative Energy Institute, Inc. These dollars are no longer coming back in the form of export
revenues.
Renewables and other alternatives are more economically sound on a personal level as well. With research and
improvement, renewables can generate energy at levels and prices comparable to that of fossil
fuels. Wind and solar power are the most
notable devices of the up coming alternative power revolution.
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