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Energy Crisis and Substitutes to Save
Energy, the thing our world cannot run without anymore. Humans have become completely dependent upon electricity, especially in America; the majority of us would never be able to survive more than a few days without it. The current energy system in America is not nearly as efficient or clean as it could be. There are a number of alternative energy sources that America could invest in so that our country has safer energy usage than we have today. Growing up in America, as the energy crisis has become a more prominent issue, has really proven that if America continues along this path they will create a country that is very hazardous. The current energy source that is used most is coal; it provides 45% of America’s electricity (U.S. Energy Information Administration). Something must be done by our generation to change the current energy system and make it better for the citizens of America. Numerous issues exist due to the coal-based electricity system that is in place. There has been a huge impact on the health of the citizens, global warming has developed, and coal may not even last which would cause future generations to not have energy. But, there are alternative energy sources that can reduce the problem significantly. All of America would benefit from this, as well as many other places in the world.
The use of coal as our primary energy source has many negative effects on the citizens of America. The emissions released from coal are extremely bad for the respiratory systems of all living beings. In places other than America where good quality coal is not used and ventilation is poor, the impact of mercury and other toxic elements in the coal is very harmful (Finkelman et al. 431). As the coal burns in the homes of the citizens, they breathe the toxins in directly, causing major damage to their lungs (Finkelman et al. 431). Mining the coal is a dangerous process as well. As the miners chip away to extract the coal, they inhale the dust of the coal which then goes directly to their lungs as the toxins do during the burning of the coal. After inhalation of coal dust, it is common for miners to develop a lung disease called Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis, better known as black lung (Finkelman et al. 438). Even in cases where the disease does not develop, a majority of coal miners experience some negative effect on their lungs. Some of the less severe effects include irritation of the lungs, chronic bronchitis and emphysema (Finkelman et al. 438). The numerous health issues that develop as a result of coal’s use as an energy source are a huge problem in the world today.
A larger scale risk that has developed as a result of the burning of coal for energy is global warming. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas which causes heat to be trapped in the atmosphere; coal contributes greatly to the emission of carbon dioxide. Coal burns in an extremely dirty manner and about 40% of United States emissions of carbon dioxide are due to the production of coal (Goodell, xvi). America uses coal readily as a source of energy, so these emissions have been extremely harmful. Since the industrial revolution in 1750, carbon dioxide emission has risen more than 35% in the United States; a chemical analysis of the carbon dioxide produced showed that this rise is mostly due to the burning of fossil fuels including coal (Climate Change). As carbon dioxide continues to be released, the greenhouse effect is becoming more prominent and global warming is proving to have a large negative impact on our environment.
With temperatures rising the water temperature will also rise, which in turn will produce a series of problems around the world. The lands that are near sea level will become flooded causing millions of people to be displaced (Houghton, 271). Any area where droughts occur frequently will experience further shortages because as the water becomes heated, it will evaporate more readily (Houghton, 271). The rainfalls that come in such places will then be more intense, only causing harm rather than relief (Houghton, 271). The heat will be too much for many people to bear and numerous lives may be lost. The use of coal produces so many issues for the environment that its use could not possibly be worth it.
Maybe if coal were more efficient then its use could be warranted, but a huge amount of coal needs to be mined to maintain the energy necessary to provide electricity for America. During the week of April 9th, 2011, 20.44 million tons of coal was produced (Weekly Coal Production). This is an enormous amount of coal to mine, and the plants do not even use the coal resourcefully. Today’s plants only convert one third of the coal’s potential energy into electricity (Energy Sources). When including mining, transporting, and burning the coal, then finally sending the resultant electricity to the homes to light a light bulb, a majority of the coal’s potential is lost. By the time the energy is actually transformed into light, only 3% of the energy in one ton of coal is used (Goodell, xvi). The use of coal needs to be stopped or at least reduced dramatically if no efficient method can be developed in the near future.
In order to reduce the amount of coal consumed, alternative energy sources are beginning to be used and developed further. Two of the upcoming energy sources that have great potential of being extremely safe and effective include wind and solar energy. The Department of Energy is already working to produce a better way for America to continue to run on electricity; they have a program to promote each energy source. One is the Wind and Water Power Program and the other is the Solar Energy Technologies Program, however, these programs need more funding from the American citizens in order to continue their research. They are already researching and implementing policies to make it possible to provide energy to America through solar and wind energy.
Much of the current research the solar and wind programs are conducting is very promising. The current research projects the Solar Energy Technologies Program is working on is solar energy through Photovoltaic Cells and improving the technology to concentrate solar power. Photovoltaic Cells are able to convert sunlight directly into electricity (Energy Sources). They are made of semiconductors so that their energy can be used to produce power, and the technology being developed to concentrate solar power concentrates the heat energy from the sun which then drives a generator to produce electricity (Energy Sources). The Wind and Water Power Program is partnering with a number of industries to ensure that wind energy is employed in the most useful manner. They are working with the wind industry to make sure that the wind power is clean and is comparable with the cost of fossil fuels (Energy Sources). They are also dealing with the electric power industry to add wind energy to the current electricity supply for our country, while maintaining the stability we have now (Energy Sources). Also to assure that there are not any barriers blocking the wind from reaching the energy technology, they are communicating with other federal agencies. These research projects could really lift off with the help of U.S. citizens and produce a much more energy efficient America.
In fact, the distribution of America’s energy source currently contains only 5% for wind energy, and nothing for solar energy alone (U.S. Energy Information Association). These numbers need to change because with a higher reliance on these energy sources fewer health risks will exist in America. Neither solar nor wind energy contain trace elements which are toxic as coal does (Energy Sources). The people using these substitute resources in their homes will not have to worry about what they are breathing in as they warm their homes or cook dinner. It is unnecessary to burn anything, or go out and mine in order to create energy from the sun and wind. As a result, many of the risks to health are depleted with these alternative energy sources, seeing as they produce energy in a much cleaner fashion.
Since solar energy and wind energy are created in such an eco-friendly manner, they will not harm the environment through global warming either. Greenhouse gas emission will decrease dramatically if America converts to these alternative energy sources. They do not burn, and therefore do not produce carbon dioxide or any other pollutants which diffuse into the atmosphere (Energy Sources). They use the Earth’s most abundant natural resources, in their purest state, something that is much friendlier to the environment. Since these natural resources are very abundant and universal, we need to make use of them and make our atmosphere a less polluted place (Energy Sources). The world is here for us to use as we please, so we should maintain it in the cleanliest way possible.
With such great resources provided to us, it is irrational to use them inefficiently. Sun and wind are both constant factors in our world, so they would create a much more efficient manner for producing energy. If the proper research goes into the current methods for implementing solar and wind energy into our country, then the carbon dioxide and pollution America produces could be greatly reduced.
When alternative energy sources are readily available to humans, it seems illogical to use a source that is not effective and hurts the environment. Although more research will need to be carried out in order to determine how to generate an abundance of energy from wind and solar sources, once they have become more efficient, they will be much more effective than coal. Even if these alternative sources do not become as proficient as coal, they have numerous other benefits that would make it worth it to produce them. Not only would the health of America be improved by our energy, but the health of the environment would also increase. There are no hazardous emissions into the air or water with solar and wind energy, so the health hazards that coal produced would be eliminated. Numerous people would be much more willing to produce these forms of energy, so it would create better job opportunities for Americas too. There are various benefits to providing funding for the research to further develop solar and wind energy.
The changes that America would see if our inefficient energy system were eliminated would be extremely substantial. The health of our citizens and the environment would increase in a great manner while the energy being created is a lot more efficient. Providing funding to the Department of Energy to continue and further develop their methods would be a great way to ensure that America’s energy system truly does change. Do you want your children to still be worrying about this energy crisis once they begin worrying about having kids of their own?
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Works Cited
Climate Change. U.S. Evironmental Protection Agency. 14 Apr 2011. Web. 17 Apr 2011.
“Energy Sources.” Energy.gov Web. 14 Apr 2011
Finkelman et al. “Health Impacts of Coal and Coal Use: Possible Solutions.” International
Journal of Coal Geology, 50 (2002): 425-443. Print.
Goodell, Jeff. Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future. New York:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print.
Houghton, John. “Global Warming. A Companion to the Philosophy of Technology, 45 (2009):
270-275. Print.
270-275. Print.
“Weekly Coal Production.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. 14 Apr 2011.
Web. 17 Apr 2011
Web. 17 Apr 2011