The Solution to the Growing Energy Crisis 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. Though it might seem that the world’s energy supply is secure as of the present, this issue is something that is beginning to worry even the richest states. “Countries as far apart as South Africa and Tajikistan are plagued by power cuts and there have been riots in several nations because of disruptions to electricity” and “rich states [are] no longer strangers to periodic blackouts” (ElBaradei). If we look again at the breakdown of U.S. electricity generation by energy source, it is evident that nuclear power is the next most substantial chunk of energy generation, with other renewables weighing in far behind that. I believe this begs the question, why do we not expand nuclear power to encompa... ... middle of paper ... ...ures, will continue to ensure that these materials don’t fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, nearly 20% of the energy that the United States thrives on is imported, and not from particularly friendly sources. In fact, our dependence on imported oil and gas has a direct correlation with the nation’s defense budget, meaning that gaining energy independence will help to improve national security. Whereas the fossil fuel industries cannot function without imported gas and oil, all of the uranium used to fabricate nuclear fuel can be mined and processes in the United States. What’s more, is that this supply of uranium is abundant and can continue to fuel nuclear power plants for many years to come. By dissolving our dependence on foreign oil and gas, we can avoid the uncertainties that accompany the world market and ensure the independence of our energy supply.
(Action): If we don’t do our part to stop the expansion of nuclear power plants, the future of our planet will be bleaker. Every year, thousands of more pounds of nuclear waste will be buried underground and the damage to our environment increases. There are more efficient energy sources other than nuclear power and we must do our part today to prevent a catastrophic future for our children. The dangers that nuclear power plants pose for the United States are very real. There are many alternative renewable sources of energy available to us such as wind and solar power, which provide a much safer and efficient alternative to nuclear power. You alone have the power to speak up and act against the expansion of this dangerous energy. The future of our environment’s safety and our nation’s energy supply lies in your hands.
When someone thinks of problems plaguing the world, nuclear energy is not the first thing that comes to peoples minds these days.[1]Nuclear power was once deemed the new energy of the future.[2]However, numerous nuclear power plant accidents around the world put a damper on that notion.The United States considers itself one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, but 103 nuclear reactors currently operating within her borders, one was bound to fail sometime or another.[3]
The reliance on other countries for fossil fuels that produce energy have put the United States of America at risk of being pulled into unstable regions around the world jeopardizing international relationships and putting its own citizens in harm’s way. America needs to balance both the pursuit of alternative energy solutions and reduce energy usage. Our military runs on fossil fuels produced by other nations who do not have similar interests or values as the United States, ultimately adding unwanted risk that becomes difficult to manage. There are advantages to alternative energy solutions that could allow for America to become an independent energy nation that would eliminate the need to support and stabilize various regions around the world. The U.S. Military needs to reduce its overall energy usage by taking advantage of breakthrough technologies that could be integrated onto current systems.
The United States has many directions to choose from in the oncoming future of energy. “Options for the world's energy future may include surprises, thanks to innovative research under way around the world” (LePoire 1). History has shown that surprises can change generations . Since the mid 1900’s, experts have been conducting research on the way our nation has been using energy. The United States have relied on other countries to gain knowledge with their energy sources. China is one huge partner that helps them out a lot. They have experimented with many different alternative energy sources and have given the U.S lots of helpful information for improving our energy demands. Even though we already meet most of our energy requirements, we still look into improving it everyday to improve our way of living. Despite its ability to be supplied with other nations to be supplied with other nations, the U.S. must invest in alternative power sources if it is to meet the energy demands of the 21st century.
No longer can the people of this world take a reliable source of energy for granted. The world community must plan ahead to ensure a smooth transition from oil power to some other source or face a total chaos and a drastic change of any world order that might exist. These changes must also have the support of a large number of the population for them to work. This energy crisis must be solved by all of us, not some of us…..for reasons stated earlier.
Romm, Joe. The Self-Limiting Future of Nuclear Power. N.p.: American Progress Action, Jun. 2008. PDF. 25 Feb. 2014
“By 2050, one-third of the world’s energy will need to come from solar, wind, and other renewable resources” (www.altenergy.org). America can no longer rely so heavily on nuclear energy. America needs to harness the energy found within natural, renewable resources. In fact, nuclear energy needs to be phased out completely because of its negative impact on health, the environment, and its overall cost.
Nuclear power has proven before that it can result in tragedy, both seen in the accident in Chernobyl and Fukushima. However, in places such as France and even the University of Maryland, we can see the many advantages that nuclear energy can bring forth, and for different purposes. In both research and energy production, nuclear energy has proven that it can not only improve our health and the economy, but also emit less harmful gases on the environment than fossil fuels. Looking to the future, nuclear energy can easily ascend as a dominant source of electricity – if properly managed. Other sources of energy will slowly deplete and continue to damage the environment and atmosphere. Nuclear power provides a solution to so many of the current energy crisis problems, so it is only a matter of
“Every dollar spent on nuclear energy is one less dollar spent on clean renewable energy and one more dollar spent on making the world a comparatively dirtier and a more dangerous place, because nuclear power and nuclear weapons go hand in hand” (Jacobson). Most countries today are becoming more and more dependent on nuclear power as a source of energy because of its high energy output and the availability of uranium used for fuelling nuclear reactors that generate power to provide electricity in households. Although using nuclear power as a source of energy has benefits like this, the danger posed by using nuclear power is too ominous.
As fossil fuels diminish, relying on nuclear energy sources would reduce our dependence on such fuels and thus, enhance our energy security. However, there are other security concerns to address, i.e. nuclear terrorism, accidents, and proliferation. Commercial reactors depend primarily on nuclear fission to generate electricity, but these reactors utilize low enrichment uranium (LEU) which has a low concentration of fissile material, 3-5%, which cannot be used to make a bomb (Nuclear Power, April 8). Returning to the use of uranium-238 to manufacture plutonium: this would require the reprocessing of spent fuel and fast neutron reactors to meet long-term sustainability needs. These reactors would consume long-lived radioactive waste and produce more plutonium; however, this would increase the widespread commerce of plutonium and, consequently, raise the proliferation risks to unacceptable levels (Ferguson 206). Reprocessing concentrates high-level radioactive waste into a smaller volume which requires secure disposal, this presents the possibility that terrorists could gain access to radioactive materials to use in “dirty bombs”; further, commercial plants symbolize national and economic power, when combined with the sources of ionizing radiation they house, they are targets for terrorists looking to play upon the fears of radiation and cause serious financial and psychological impacts (176). Some terrorists have expressed interest in attacks on nuclear facilities; however, terrorist motivation would have to be extremely high and possibly be willing to risk sacrificing constituents support–the probability of a nuclear terrorist attack is rather low. If “commercial power” means to generate electricity for homes and business, this could be extended to research reactors which use higher enriched fuel that could be used to make a bomb. North Korea built a
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.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, over half of the oil used in the USA is imported. Most of this imported oil is located in the middle east and is controlled by OPEC members. Subsequent oil price shocks and price manipulation by OPEC have cost our economy dearly—about $1.9 trillion from 2004 to 2008—and each major shock was followed by a recession (Reduce). We may never be able to fully eliminate our need to import oil, but we can reduce cartel market control and the economic impact of price shocks by reducing our demand (Reduce). One way we can reduce our reliance on oil is through investing in renewable energy. Solar power, wind power, and hydro power are all forms of energy which come from renewable resources. Unlike oil, solar, wind and hydro electric power is abundant and can be obtained locally.
The use of nuclear power in the mid-1980s was not a popular idea on account of all the fears that it had presented. The public seemed to have rejected it because of the fear of radiation. The Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union in April of 1986 reinforced the fears, and gave them an international dimension (Cohen 1). Nevertheless, the public has to come to terms that one of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil, and natural gas. Fear of radiation may push nuclear power under the carpet but another fear of the unknown is how costly is this going to be? If we as the public have to overcome the fear of radiation and costly project, we first have to understand the details of nuclear energy. The known is a lot less scary then the unknown. If we could put away all the presumptions we have about this new energy source, then maybe we can understand that this would be a good decision for use in the near future.
For decades, the world has been struggling about determining whether or not to utilize nuclear energy. From 1985, when American Cold War fears stifled nuclear technology applications for power, to 2011, when the Japanese Fukishima nuclear incident resulted in many anti-nuclear sentiments, emphasis has never been placed on the potential benefits that nuclear energy poses. These sentiments include the ideas that nuclear power poses numerous threats to people and the environment, including consequences of uranium mining, processing and transport, nuclear weapons proliferation or sabotage, and of radioactive nuclear waste; reactors, due to their complexities, are more likely to fail and cause disasters.
Using fossil fuels such as coal and oil is inefficient, dangerous, and otherwise a process that is known to eventually fail as a long lasting energy source. Yet, there is hope for the future of energy, this new hope has many shapes and forms, but requires a chance to be fully implemented in our everyday life. Such energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, and hydro power are the key to our future. These energy sources are proven to be long lasting, safe, more reliable, and the next innovation. In short, all Americans should switch to renewable energy, resulting in a safer and more efficient world.