Why Alternative Energy Will Save Everyone
“Fossil fuels kill more people per year than wars, murders, and traffic accidents combined,” (Rathi). This statistic is unpopular among the energy giants that run our world today. As humanity has grown, we have developed an undying need for the undecayed organisms underneath the surface of our planet and the energy that they hold. This is due to the ease of access that the energy sources provide. They were once abundant in our Earth, and fairly simple in nature and use; burn at high a temperature and release the solar energy captured in the organisms many millions of years ago. They are such a reliable source of power, in fact, that we began to use them heavily almost two hundred years ago and still use them to this day, and we are close to running out. (The End) The ease of use, however, comes at a price. The production of energy from fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into our atmosphere at a rate that endangers the life of the planet. This is where alternative energy comes into play. It not only provides safer means of providing energy to the world, but is also more efficient and profitable. It also eliminates the need for processing the toxic waste produced by burning fossil fuels.
The processing of fossil fuels in this day and age comes at a heavy price. The first step, in fact, in the process of obtaining energy from these sources can be detrimental. Fossil fuels are dug from the ground, whether that be by removing mountain tops or digging shallow mines (Hobbs). These processes are prone to producing air pollution because of the equipment used in the process, and is damaging to the wildlife surrounding the dig site. The removal of mountain tops damages the aesthetic and beauty of an area, and ruins the communities that surround it. A once serene village in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains can be ruined by a dig site for coal or other fossil fuels. The process of mining these areas often involves the stripping of surrounding trees and destruction of local wildlife habitats. “More than five hundred mountaintop removal sites exist throughout the Appalachian region, affecting nearly one point four million acres of land,” (The Hidden). These sites are still operational. Dig sites located in valleys are also damaging, as the removal and replacement of soil and rock leads to stream and river pollution, which affects local ecosystems. The replacement of soil in the areas is especially detrimental, as the newly placed soil does not allow the growth of indigenous wildlife. Almost two thousand miles of streams in the Appalachian region have been covered by topsoil removal from mountaintop removal sites, according to EPA reports (The Hidden).
Underground mining is also dangerous, especially to the workers who run them. Many coal miners are exposed to dangerous gases and chemicals underground. These substances can cause immediate bodily harm and long term disease (The Environmental). When coal mines are abandoned, they are prone to fires which push these gases up to the surface. The collapse of these mines also causes surface area damage. Workers in coal mines tend to fall victim to these collapses and some equipment malfunctions. When mining these areas, workers must sometimes drain toxic chemicals which pollutes the surrounding land. After they are abandoned, water may flow through them which also pushes these toxic substances up to the surface (The Environmental).
Some fossil fuels, like coal, are mined from the ground; but some others are sucked to the surface from large deposits underground, like oil (The Hidden) Methane is the main substance that makes up natural gas, another fossil fuel that is drilled to obtain. When methane is burned during the processing and usage of natural gas, it is released into the atmosphere. This gas is known as a greenhouse gas, a gas that causes the atmosphere to keep hot air on the surface of the planet, causing global warming (Hobbs). Oil drilling sites also use these methods of processing, and sometimes malfunction. Multiple spillages have occured since oil drilling was first used, causing a massive amount of oil to be spilled into and left in the ocean. The oil damages local ecosystems, as it is toxic to the sea life, and in the case of on-shore drilling, to the local wildlife. These oil spills have also caused the death of many drill workers, as the rigs ignite the oil when the pump malfunctions and can cause large explosions (The Hidden).
The transportation of all fossil fuels is essentially fueled by the same substances. Cargo ships, trucks, trains, and cargo planes all run on either diesel fuel or gasoline. These transportation methods only serve to put more of the hazardous byproducts of fossil fuels into our atmosphere. These trucks and trains, similar to the rigs that drill for the fuel themselves, are prone to accidents. Many tons of oil and coal have been accidentally dumped into local areas, causing a wider spread of the hazardous materials (The Hidden).
When fossil fuels are processed, they often leave behind many toxic byproducts (Why). Coal is not mined in its pure form. It must be processed and separated from the many chemicals and heavy metals that accompany it. These substances, which are toxic to most organic life, are discarded into the environment. They are usually dumped into landfills or straight into the ocean (The Environmental). Almost half of processed coal ends up as toxic waste. When the coal is burned, it leaves behind toxic ash that is released into the atmosphere by smokestacks, which not only is toxic to wildlife, but contains greenhouse gases. Some ash is also left behind in the furnace, after which it is discarded to landfills (The Hidden).
These greenhouse gases have an affect on our planet that is unbefore-seen in its history. The topic of climate change is often debated, as many do not even believe in its existence. In fact, thirty seven percent of americans rejected a belief in climate change, a recent study found (Potenza). Climate change, as referred to on the topic of fossil fuels, is the heating of our planet due to unnatural effects and emissions into the atmosphere (Potenza). According to NASA, it is ninety-five percent likely that the recent warming of our planet, as evidenced by the rising sea levels and global average temperature, is due to recent human activity. This can be traced back to our extensive use and processing of substances such as fossil fuels, which contain high amounts of carbon and release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (Climate). As stated, the extraction, processing, usage, and transportation of fossil fuels all contribute to the rising levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These effects cause immediate changes that can be detrimental in the near future: the last one hundred years has seen an eight inch sea level rise, and the Earth has gained two degrees fahrenheit in its average temperature. These conditions contribute to natural disasters and the destruction of wildlife habitats (Climate). One of the highest sea level risings in the world is currently affecting Louisiana’s own Avery Island; home of Tabasco Hot Sauce. The sea level surrounding Avery Island has risen almost two feet due to global warming, and the threat may end up pushing the company out of its home and off of the island (Milman). These threats can be stopped by implementing new forms of energy processing.
Almost all alternative energy sources are more efficient at producing usable energy than fossil fuels. While coal and oil lose energy during processing and usage as heat, sources like solar power and wind farms lose close to nothing (Process). A study found that oil, when refined and used, loses seventy-seven percent of its total energy yield as heat. That means for every joule of energy produced in a coal refinery, only twenty-three percent of it is usable to power things. Coal, gas, nuclear power, and oil all lose over half of their energy yield during processing and burning. Renewable energies such as solar and wind lose less than one percent of energy during processing, meaning over ninety-nine percent of the total energy yield is available for use, and no fossil fuels can provide this level of efficiency (Process).
Alternative energy sources are also extremely profitable. Due to the decrease in waste management that comes along with the switch to renewable energy, companies also pay less taxes and become self sustaining, meaning they no longer have to outsource for their energy needs (Navigation). Ray Anderson was, at one time, the CEO of a global carpet firm known as Interface. He suggested in the nineties that the company move to full self-sustainability to raise profits and help the environment. He was questioned by his peers, as many did not believe that the move would benefit the company. After his passing, however, they were all proved wrong. His plan began in the same decade, and “By 2005, Interface was saving $400 million a year by reducing waste, decreasing absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 92 percent, cutting water use by 75 percent, and sending fewer materials to landfills. Profits doubled in the same time period,” (Navigation). Many companies have since followed in Ray’s footsteps, including commercial giants such as Walmart, Kraft, Tesco, and Coca Cola, all reporting profit increases as an effect of the changes (Navigation). These sources are also all clean, and release zero emissions. They produce no waste, and have no toxic effects on the environment.
These renewable energy sources provide a safer means of energy production in almost every situation. The traditional means of energy consumption around the world are detrimental, not only to our environment, but to our species as a whole. These methods are outdated, and soon we will no longer be able to use them. Alternative energy is renewable, we will never run out. Methods such as solar power and wind power are extremely efficient, and even profitable. They allow a world where the human species has no impact on the massive glaciers that provide homes to the endangered penguin species’, a world where our energy providers are not spending money on treatment for coal miners that have been hospitalized due to exposure to toxic chemicals, and a world where the marshes of Louisiana are not at the threat of consumption by the rising sea levels. These methods are not expensive, and easy to begin. The next time a major news channel does a piece on the threats that our species creates for the beautiful world we live in, think of the change that we could make.