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Explain the effects of fossil fuels on our environment
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In 2007, the world consumed 5.3 billion tons of coal, 31.1 billion tons of oil, 2.92 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, and 65,000 tons of uranium. All of these energy needs could have been met with only 6,600 tons of thorium, an abundant, slightly radioactive element found in the Earth’s crust.
We depend on energy; nothing in our daily lives could be possible without it. Electricity primarily comes from burning fossil fuels or using nuclear reactors. But the plain truth is, we are running out of fossil fuels. Our known oil deposits will run out in approximately 35 years, and if we increase the use of natural gas and coal to make up for the energy loss, our natural gas will last for 45 years and coal deposits will deplete in 75 years.
The effects of using fossil fuels are starker than their timelines. Humans release approximately two billion metric tons of pollution annually, mostly from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas; this pollution is destroying our environment and the ozone layer. Ozone and smog damage forests, crops, and other plant life, and reduces visibility. Other pollutants have the same
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Because light water reactors manage dangerously high pressures, large containment buildings have to be built. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors have no high pressure and are safer, so less money is spent on construction and safety systems. The fuel cost is lower as well because thorium is four times more common than uranium. Developing liquid fluoride thorium reactors and factories to meet our energy needs would cost around $5 billion. The total to build a 100-megawatt liquid fluoride thorium reactor on an assembly line would total about $200 million, and the fuel costs about $10,000 per year. In comparison, it costs $10-12 billion to make one new light water reactor and $50-60 million for fuel every
Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors are seen as the future of energy. The concept is simple, yet thoroughly investigated. When people started to do research in the field of nuclear energy in the mid-nineties, the molten salt reactors were soon invented. However, it is only a few years ago since mankind seriously took the liquid fluoride thorium reactors into account. This decision to further investigate the liquid fluoride thorium reactors could be the solution for the earth’s energy problem. Currently, (non-) renewable energy resources are being used at a staggering speed. Soon, there will be only a little non-renewable energy resources left which will be very expensive. In addition to the other renewable resources, liquid fluoride thorium reactors would be able to increase the resources and meet the huge global energy demand.
Stanculescu, Alexander. "Overview Of Nuclear Energy: Present And Projected Use." AIP Conference Proceedings 1442.1 (2012): 112-123.Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Dec. 2013.
We should start using coal for energy, because it offers more jobs to people, we have a surplus of it produces power faster and we don’t have to worry about it going out. Cheapest source of energy and coal provides a stable energy source. It is by far cheaper than nuclear, natural gas, oil (No Arab oil embargoes, no sudden sacristy like you experience with natural gas). Offers more jobs to people in the United States of American. It offers jobs by giving people jobs and that’s more money for the country bye them selling it and making that money off that
Over the last two centuries, humanity has become increasingly reliant on fossil fuels. Over that time, the consequences of constantly burning fossil fuels have accumulated into a threat to industrialized cities. The burning of fossil fuels causes acid rain to shower on cities and ecosystems around the world, tormenting their inhabitants. The increasingly deadly pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels has caused the deaths of many people around the world by causing respiratory problems. Not only has the pollution worsened, but the supply of fossil fuels is not limitless – as humanity’s reliance increases the supply decreases, and that is all the more reason to break humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels should be replaced with cleaner alternatives because fossil fuels cause environmental hazards, are non-renewable, and are detrimental to human health.
Imagine having a loved one with cancer, organ damage, nervous system disorders, or your child having birth defects. Imagine running out of clean water because the only water available is capable of catching fire. Imagine oil in rivers and animals losing their homes. See yourself caught in an earthquake where there should not be one. All of this is increased by fracking and can be prevented. The question is should fracking continue or should it be banned.
The Climate Change Debate. Climate change, is also referred to as global warming, this is the rise in average surface temperatures on Earth. Most scientists believe that climate change is due mainly to the human use of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. The gases trap heat within the atmosphere, which can have a range of effects on ecosystems, including rising sea levels, severe weather events, and droughts that render landscapes more susceptible to wildfires.
The World’s climate has been changing for millions and millions of years. The world has been progressively becoming warmer over the years. Climate change is coming closer then what most scientist expect. In fact, it might have already arrived. Now, climate change is causing people all over the world to suffer.
Fossil fuels are the basis of the world economy, providing electricity and transportation for many. It is undeniable that fossil fuels have raised the standard of living and uplifted impoverished communities by providing clean water and electricity. However, it is also a known fact that burning fossil fuels endangers the health of the public, contributes to climate change, and creates unsafe habitants for marine and wildlife. Burning fossil fuels introduces more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, warming the earth, melting glaciers and the polar ice caps, acidifying the oceans, and finally raising the sea levels. This dominos affect from burning fossil fuels will create an inhabitable earth. By subsidizing fossil fuel companies it allows for
In today's modern world, climate change is the biggest threat our population is facing as a whole. Climate change today is occurring thanks to technological advancements made by humans. Every time someone drives a car, builds something in a factory, or even heats and cools their home, gases are released into the air. These gases cause our atmosphere to rise in temperature which is the source of the changing climate. Some individuals may brush this idea aside and claim there is no big deal or that the weather is just changing.
Another major problem of using fossil fuels is the overall pollution that is produced as a byproduct. In 2011 alone, all the nations of the world produced over 38.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The continuous use of fossil fuels alone has trapped so much carbon in our atmosphere, that it has form a “greenhouse effect” which has trapped the UVA rays from the sun and they continuously heat the planet, which has led to global climate changes, and even the melting the polar ice caps. This has now caused the ocean water levels to rise, which has, in turn, started to cause even more troubles.
The main way the environment is adversely affected is by burning fossil fuels. When burning a hydrocarbon, such as coal or natural gas, it produces a byproduct gas called carbon dioxide. In small amounts, carbon dioxide is harmless but in large amounts, it creates what is called the “green house effect.” The carbon dioxide is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere and the heat from the sun is allowed to come through but not come back out causing the world to heat up. Langwith states that 40% of all of earths 433,000 metric tons of nitrous gases produced are from humans burning fossil fuels (Langwith, “Renewable Energy is Beneficial”). All showing how in the long run renewable energy can improve our environment.
One of the biggest problems that people are faced with on a day-to-day basis is cigarette smoke. The sole cause for 480,000 deaths each year just in the United States is accredit to cigarettes(CDC). For a lot of the smokers the habit of smoking happens to assist them when under stress and dealing with issues that are unmanageable. Some smoke to appeal to their peers or simply because it “feels good.” Smoking one cigarette can lead to a major addiction. The effects of smoking hurt oneself and those amongst us. Smoking Kills as the ad portrays this revolver and cigarettes as the bullets, and also lists the side effects of smoking. Cigarettes causes cancer, increases the risk of you getting a stroke, highly addictive and causes a lot of health problems. Nearly 16
One of the world’s biggest problems is air pollution even though many people don’t even give the right attention and many people don’t even know that they are polluting air. Scientific search shows that toxic fumes are the primary cause of skin aging in polluted cities. Air pollution is precipitately ageing the faces of citizens opening up wrinkles and age spots. This is nothing compared to effects that air pollution has in our community. Fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas are the remains of living things from millions of years ago. Researches show that “before the world develop to industrialised by burning fossil fuels the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere was about 0.028%. Whereas now the carbon dioxide released by burning of fossil fuels
As one of the greatest alternatives to fossil fuels, an important advantage of nuclear energy is the significantly lower emission rate of CO2 in comparison to plants which use coal and natural gas.2 Nuclear power is not reliant on fossil fuels and therefore producing energy by this method reduces pollution and the contribution to climate change. However, whilst the actual process of generating energy releases few emissions, uranium must be mined and purified and in the past this has not always been an environmentally clean process.2 Ultimately, uranium will one day run out, but nuclear reactors are versatile and may also run on Thorium. Despite being finite, this would allow nuclear power stations to function for a longer period of time.
Fuels like coal, and oil that once were a fine innovation in creating energy are now rapidly deleting and one day will be gone forever; energy that won’t last is often referred to as non-renewable energy. Besides being set up to fail and become inefficient in the future, fossil fuel energy is not clean to use and poses several environmental complications. Coal, for instance is “the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. Coal combustion not only produces sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides that contribute to acid rain and snow, it generates millions of tons of particulates that cause asthma and other respiratory diseases.” As with all usage of fossil fuels, it creates enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, which contributes to greenhouse gas. Not only are fossil fuels dirty, they also pose as a security risk and unforgiving on the American wallet. (Saini)