Many concerns that some may have about the energy we use, the cost to produce and use this energy as well as the effects it has on the environment could possibly be alleviated, to some extent, but may not resolve all that has not yet been foreseen or even understood. The use of energy is in great demand, as population continues to grow in America and around the world. Every day, people in society rely upon some type of energy source to provide reasonable means to accommodate needs; such as to power their homes with electric or to fuel their automobiles for transportation. America and other countries around the globe have efficient power resources that produce and distribute power. Some resources are provided by conventional power plants that use coal and other fuels, nuclear power plants that use coal and steam, and solar power plants that generate power from the sun, as well as wind energy plants that generate electricity from the wind. Some of these resources have created important problems regarding the environment. Global warming is a great concern to many scientists. “A number of scientist claim that the ‘greenhouse effect’ a rise in the global temperature induced by the build-up manmade gases in the atmosphere is the main cause.” (Bongaarts 299) Due to the harmful negative effects that are left behind after consumption from some of these resources, “humanity can no longer escape from itself and its doings” (Homer-Dixon 59) We as human beings must realize that the primary reason for rising temperatures that cause global warming is caused by man, not only in America but all around the world, therefore with no doubt we should with respect and dedication examine the probability that there are alternatives for energy, which ... ... middle of paper ... ... JSTORE. Web. (APSU) Felix G. Woodward Library. 11 Nov. 2009. 4. Earle, Sylvia A. Sea Change: A MESSAGE OF THE OCEANS. New York: P. Putnam’s Sons, 1995. Print 5. Homer-Dixon Thomas F. The Ingenuity Gap. Canada: Resource & Conflict Analyst, 2000. Print 6. Lusky, Rafael “A Model of Recycling and Pollution Control” The Canadian Journal of Economics / Revue canadienne d’Economique, 9.1 (1976): 91-101. JSTORE. Web. (APSU) Felix G. Woodward Library. 11 Nov. 2009. 7. Morse, Roger N. “Solar Energy in Australia” Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1977): 209-215. JSTORE. Web. (APSU) Felix G. Woodward Library. 11 Nov. 2009. 8. Solar Energy guru. “Solar Power vs. Conventional Electricity Generation” Powered by SolarPanels. Web 2009. (Nov. 29, 2009).
McConnell, C., Brue, S., & Flynn, S. (2012).Economics: principles, problems, and policies. (19 ed., p. 375-390). McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/0077771699/id/L4-1-1
Mastrianna, Frank V., and Thomas J. Hailstones. Basic Economics. 11th ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western College Pub., 1998. Print
Our planet is home to over five billion people, all consuming natural resource, and most producing finished goods. From bicycles to automobiles and houses to skyscrapers, this constant production takes an immense amount of energy. Not only human energy, but electricity too. It is need to power the assembly lines that make bicycles and automobiles. It's essential to run your home appliances, and business computers, and its all produced using similar methods. You heat water to produce steam, which turns a turbine, and generates electricity. Its not quite that simple, but for the purpose of this paper it will suffice. By far the most widespread source of fuel are fossil fuels. They are still abundant, and are relatively easy to obtain. However there is one main problem with the burning of fossil fuels. It produces pollution, in the form of dirty air, polluted water, and greenhouse gasses. This pollution is one of the main causes of global warming, the impact of which has the potential to destroy the planet. It is unreasonable to ask humanity to give up electricity, but the two main problems still exist. Pollution, and an eventual exhaustion of fossil fuels. Therefore an alternative form of energy must be found. Several ideas exist. There is hydroelectric power, solar power, wind power, and nuclear energy.
Principles of Economics, Joshua Gans, Steven King, Robin Stonecash, N. Gregory Mankiw, Pg 324, 2012
• I will also discuss the exploration for crude oil, and the impending crisis if it continues to be used up at the current rates of consumption. ( is expected to exhaust the world’s supply by the mid-21st century) and possible energy alternatives.
The year is 2200. The world is going through a fossil fuel shortage. Oil reserves are almost completely consumed and it is becoming impossible to find new fossil fuel sources. Not prepared for this event to occur, The United States, has no alternative options. As a result of the oil shortage, the standard of living deteriorates. Heat in homes, supermarkets full of food, and transportation, all basic necessities taken for granted, will be depleted because fossil fuels are used to power almost everything. The key to the prevention of this future is renewable energy. Unfortunately the support for the use of renewable energy is weak and ineffective. Unless the US puts forth effort to research and promote the use of renewable energy to consumers, conversion from fossil fuels to renewable energy will no longer be an option.
In addition to the fact that solar, wind, and hydro power are local resources, they are also emission free resources. Emissions and pollution are a key concern with traditional power sources. The coal-fired plants that dominate U.S. energy production also produce more emissions than any other energy source. “Em...
Colander, D.C. (2010). Economics (8th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
The world’s focus on utilizing non-renewable energy resources, rather than renewable resources, is problematic because if the world uses majority of its resources we will not be able to replenish it in our current lifetime. The supply of non-renewable resources goes down as the demand goes up in correspondence to our growing population. Due to supplies decreasing and demand increasing, the prices of these resources will go up drastically. Oil for example, will become more expensive to drill because we have to drill f...
The United States of America is known as the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. America earned this nickname and has one of, if not the most productive economy in the world. However, one area that the United States shows great room for improvement in is the politics of energy. There’s plenty of ways that I believe America should begin preserving energy and become much more energy sufficient in general.Energy efficiency is defined as a way of managing and restraining the growth in energy consumption. In other words, using less energy in order to provide the same services. Since the late 1900’s, many countries around the world have been installing guidelines to improve energy efficiency. America’s energy intensity and efficiency ratings are nearly the lowest worldwide, due to its current debt, the immense population, and the nations recent budget cuts.
Finding new concepts to make additional energy, was author Jonathan Facelli main objective. He mentions that the United States is seventy percent energy independent; therefore, a thirty percent is sent to spend billions of dollars to drill in other countries an...
Global heating and cooling has occurred on a cycle for millennia, however in the past thirty years the increased use of energy and fuels by humans has drastically changed this natural occurrence (Juerg, 2007). The largest cause of this warming is the release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide levels are twenty-five percent higher than they were in 1957 (UCS, 2013). This seemingly insignificant change has caused a myriad of negative effects. The endangerment of species, rising of sea levels, and increased natural disasters are just a few examples of change brought about by global warming (Juerg, 2007). Even though global climate change presents a massive problem there are many proposed solutions to fix or delay it. These theories range from creating a giant sun shield in space to the simple practice of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” (Gray, 2009). However the most effective solution is to find different sources of fuel to power our day to day lives. The earth is in need of renewable, effective, and long lasting fuels. Global warming can be slowed through the use of renewable energy as it is versatile, clean, a good investment, and can easily be put into place in several different climates and environments.
With an ever-growing urban population, the world requires progressively larger amounts of energy to sustain a city lifestyle in which a person can drive to work, purchase food from stores, and use technology such as computers and phones. Over two thirds of the United States’ electricity is generated with the use of fossil fuels, contributing to the emissions causing global warming and degrading the environment. (UCSUSA coal) When people recognized that using coal and natural gas as ways to obtain electricity have severe negative long term impacts on the Earth, and that there is a fixed amount of these resources to be used, they began seeking alternatives to meet their energy demands. According to Malthus’ theory, wars should arise in order to obtain the last of these invaluable resources, however, it can be seen that that is not the case and people are instead trying to use different types of renewable energy. The Union of Concerned Scientists states that “we have the technologies and resources to reliably produce at least 40 percent of our electricity from renewable energy sources within the next 20 years, and 80 percent by 2050” (UCSUSA renewable energy). Humans have been able to progress towards renewable energy sources, limiting reliance on finite resources and opting for non-renewable ones, such as solar and wind energy. To help with this initiative, many state
In addition to, a huge issue with non-renewable energy is the fact that we get most of it from foreign countries. According to a recent study done by Energy Information Administration, “58% of our petroleum comes from outside the country”, this means as some speculate, that o...
The world that we live into today affords us the expectation that the flip a switch will turn the lights on. As populations increase and developing nations undergo dramatic economic growth, this energy demand will only continue to grow. The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that “the world’s energy needs could be 50% higher in 2030 than they are today” (ElBaradei). Given this projected growth, it is necessary for world leaders must take action to secure the energy supply. Meaning that world leaders need to start seriously considering an alternative to non-renewable energy sources. “In 2012, the United States generated about 4,054 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. About 68% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuel (coal, natural gas, and petroleum), with 37% attributed from coal” (U.S. Energy Information Administration). The fossil fuels that are used to supply over half of our country’s energy are in finite supply and are increasing in price to astronomical heights.