Hydroelectric plants may be able to reshape water flows to more closely match daily and seasonal system energy demands. Hydroelectric plants have many advantages but even though they do sound perfect they still have some disadvantages. One of the main advantages of hydroelectric plants is since no fuel is burned there is minimal pollution. Today pollution is a main argument that is harming our environment. Pollution is causing the atmosphere to decay and is helping generate global warming.
Where American energy policy is far less sensible is when it comes to the price reflecting the true cost. Tiny petrol taxes take no account of the damaging effects of pollution. This newspaper has long argued for a carbon tax to make dirty energy more expensive and thus curb demand. If that happened, some of the new oil might not be worth extracting: Canada’s heavy oil, for instance, emits about 6% more carbon dioxide than normal oil, which in turn can be 30% dirtier than gas. The biggest bonanza from all this new energy would be if the users paid the real cost of consuming oil and
All of this is true; however, natural gas is a cleaner burning fuel and it has other advantages. One reason fracking should be allowed is the jobs it creates. The fracking industry employs engineers, truck drivers, office administrators, construction workers, geologist, and well drillers, and the list is too large to include.
The use of chemicals in the hydrofracking process and the energy needed to operate the trucks and drills, critics say, offset the low carbon emissions from the burning of natural gas, making it no better than oil or coal. Furthermore, opponents contend, pollutants left behind at hydrofracking drilling sites could seep out from closed pipes and wells, posing a danger to public health for generations. Therefore, critics say, the federal government must step in to institute stricter regulations than the states have already
Nuclear waste must also be stored for a very long period adding to the cost. Nuclear has medium environmental impacts due to the energy required to mine transport and process nuclear fuels creating CO2 emissions, and nuclear waste can be hazardous and harmful to the environment if not properly stored, as it can be hazardous and prone to disasters it also has very low social acceptability. Coal is the most abundant, easily mined fossil fuel, it is also very cheap to set up coal fired power stations, this means it has very low economic costs. It produces large volumes of CO2 and other dirtier greenhouse gases and a pollutant meaning it has very high environmental impacts. It also has high social acceptability as it is cheap, not dangerous and not power plants are in industrial areas away from homes so it has limited NIMBY issues and noise, light and visual pollution.
However, it is not just the looks but the materials. The combination of copper and zinc is worth more than what the penny stands for and while making the design simpler would lower the cost, the price of the elements to create them is too high. So our small Abraham Lincoln's look great, they hold no real value because of the elements used to produce them and should slowly be phased
We have to take measures to ensure a sustainable economy. Firstly, sustainable economies are more stable – whilst growth may be lower than in traditional economies it will be more durable in the longer-term and less volatile. Secondly, the shift towards a sustainable economy would create new opportunities, jobs and greater stability For instance if the UK does not adopt a sustainable economy, then the future generation might have no jobs at all in the future and this is not a good sign for the economy at all. Thirdly, the potential for conflict between nations is reduced as our dependency on fossil fuels reduces over time. Finally, there is a growing recognition amongst governments that the current situation is unsustainable and the mood seems to be shifting from one of cynicism and self-interest to one of genuine commitment to tackling the
A Fracking Problem Drill, baby, drill, has been the mantra behind the ever-present need to find cheaper, more efficient energy. The most recent solution to our energy dilemma has been hydraulic fracturing, a process that may be causing more harm then benefit. While the natural gas produced from fracking, as the practice is nicknamed, is a cleaner alternative to both coal and oil, it still releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere promising no relief from the dangers of climate change. In addition to the climate change issue, the process of fracking is being investigated for claims of methane contamination of groundwater sources and possible negative geological effects, including human-induced earthquakes. The dangers
For example, in Kalkaska County the oil and gas industry is big and contractor jobs are tied to fracking. There are enough fossil fuels “locked” in bedrock shale formations under North American soil to make the United States energy independent, and a net exporter of oil and gas, in the near future. Natural gas releases fewer carbon emissions than coal as we use it for our vehicles and home. Although fracking can be pretty good there are some negative factors to it. A major negative is that companies aren’t obligated to disclose the chemicals they use for the process meaning if something goes wrong it will be hard to figure out the problem.
Currently, uranium-235 is being used in nuclear reactors for this purpose of energy generation. Advantages of Nuclear Power Nuclear energy is an energy source that is clean and reliable which is able to replace a significant portion of fossil fuel in the production of energy. Even though nuclear reactions does not produce any greenhouse gas, some greenhouse gas are inevitably produced during the lifecycle, involving emissions somewhere else due to the massive construction and its operations (Sovacool, 2008). However, as compared to the combustion of fossil fuels, the amount of greenhouse gas produced from nuclear power is significantly lower. Furthermore, the energy produced by nuclear energy is much more than fossil fuel can