In today’s society, reliable sources of energy are crucial to maintaining our standards of living. However, fossil fuels, one of the most commonly used sources of energy, are a finite resource. One day they will run out and before that day arrives, they will become increasingly more costly to extract from the earth. As the supply of oil, gas and coal decreases, their selling price will increase, putting a great amount of strain on the budgets of both businesses as well as average citizens. The environment will also be affected. Drilling for oil and mining coal is potentially harmful to the land, water and ecosystems surrounding these operations. Furthermore, the burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution and global warming.
Despite the fact that energy alternatives are many, each one has its drawbacks. Nuclear power does not pollute the air, but it generates large quantities of radioactive waste that for many years remains dangerous, and even potentially fatal, to living organisms, including humans, that come into contact with it. Many also fear accidents at nuclear plants that release toxic radiation. Thus, many people do not want nuclear power plants to be built and operated near their communities.
Another alternate energy source is fuel cells, which convert a fuel such as hydrogen to electricity. Today, the world’s automakers are developing vehicles that run on fuel cells rather than gasoline, and this may soon apply to laptops, personal digital assistants and other electronic devices. Large fuel cells are even capable of powering homes and other buildings. However, since fuel cells is currently made from fossil fuels, they are not entirely green, or environmentally friendly, technology.
On the other hand, green technologies include solar, wind and hydroelectric power. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the amount of energy from the sun that falls on the earth each day is more than what 6 billion people on the planet could use in 27 years. All the same, we cannot tap into all of that available energy as much of it is used by plants for photosynthesis or otherwise falls on out-of-the-way areas. Nevertheless, solar power has a great potential as an energy source.
Wind energy is also another environmentally friendly technology that is gaining popularity. In some of the most consistently windy areas of the United States, wind mill farms have continuously been erected.
As for hydroelectric power, the plants use a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. When water is released from the reservoir, the rushing force of the water spins turbines, thus generating electricity. However, dams have negative ecological repercussions as land upstream of the dam is flooded to create the reservoir and inhibit the flow of the river downstream. This modification of water flow patterns changes ecosystems, often resulting in species dying out or migrating elsewhere. As such, there is already a movement underway to remove already existing dams in many locations.
Similarly, economics is an important factor in any consideration of energy production and consumption. Energy that is derived from alternative and renewable energy sources is generally more expensive than that produced from the traditional fossil fuel sources. Some environmentally aware people are willing to pay higher prices for clean alternative energy, but thus far, most people are not as willing.
Hence, it is clear that a balance needs to be struck between meeting the world’s increasing energy needs and protecting the world’s increasingly threatened and fragile environment. Regardless of social status, different people have greatly varying ideas of what this balance should look like. Unfortunately, many people, this group including politicians who hold a role in energy policymaking, do not have the scientific and economic background that is necessary to understand the issues that arise when energy and environment intersect.
Therefore, education on these issues is an extremely important step to truly finding the right balance between our need for energy and the fragility of the environment that serves as our home and sustenance.
Reference: Hall, Linley E., 2007. Critical Perspectives on Energy and Power. First Edition. United States of America: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.