Can a sustainable energy supply be maintained in the future? Ensuring the supply of energy for future generations and preventing further environmental damage is one of the main concerns facing the generations of today. Using current sources of power at the levels we are today are unsustainable and will result in serious environmental consequences. By developing alternatives and reducing the demand of energy, sustainable energy supply may be achieved. Supplying a sustainable source of energy for today’s population is already a challenge, however in the future the world’s population is set to hit a peak of 7.8 billion.
Since the industrial revolution the levels of atmospheric CO₂ have increased from 280 parts per million to 380ppm for the past 10,000. Globalisation has also had an effect to some degree on the climate, as third world countries have been able to develop due to the cheap and easy access to fossil fuels, they now have the technologies to
Secondly, there is excessive disposal, mainly caused by the geology, making many sites suitable for landfill. Landfill sites also produce gases including carbon dioxide and methane which contribute to global warming, making it very unsustainable. Toxic leachate may occur, which will inevitably harm animals and water courses. Although this is very unsustainable, the waste can be incinerated to produce energy (leading to less stress on other resources, therefore more sustainable), but there is concern on whether this acts as a carcinogen which can lead to the formation of cancerous tissues, still making it
Fracking is bad for the environment. People still need natural gas or oil to live their life. It will take time to get all of the bugs worked out of fracking. Fracking companies are using the new technology to insure the protection of the environment. Fracking is a cheaper way of obtaining gas.
Sweden , for instance, has spent $14 Billion and rising to manage its radioactive waste and is now decommissioning its reactors. Nuclear power is not green due to all the points made above and also due to the following additional facts; namely that nuclear power plants use a great deal of water, uranium is a non-renewable resource and there is significant energy and resources needed to build nuclear plants. CONS - Nuclear power is not a renewable source of energy. High-grade, low-cost ores will run out in 50 years - It is not "greenhouse gas" free, producing more emissions than some renewable power sources such as wind - It would take at least 10 years and several billion dollars to build Australia's first nuclear power station - Plants are potential targets for terrorists attacks; smuggling of radioactive material is on the rise; no complete solution to the disposal of radioactive waste has been
Hemp: Good for America In the United States legalizing the industrialization of hemp would have many positive effects on today’s economy. The many uses of hemp make it an important plant for any first world country to grow as an industrial crop. The hemp plant is a renewable resource that is good for the environment as well as enriches the soil it grows in. There are more than 25,000 product hemp can be used to make. For thousands of years humans have used different parts of the hemp plant for food, textiles, paper, fabric, rope and fuel oils.
The inclusion of nuclear power within Australia could reduce power prices by 20% and save $150 billion from now until 2050 in greenhouse gas abatement costs. The modern reactors cost about $3 billion. When I say we need to go nuclear power, Australia doesn’t necessarily have to rely on Nuclear power as the only source, but could they go a mix of renewable energy and nuclear energy. Australia is home to many large industries and renewable energy its self would not be strong enough to power them. Nuclear power itself is very simular to renewable energy and emits close to no green house gasses.
Some believe that it’s not as big a concern as others while some believe we are rapidly destroying the planet. As for my personal thoughts on the issue of human overpopulation; I believe people need to be better educated on birth control and the environmental effects of overpopulation. There is a serious need to correct the air pollution and fossil fuel depletion and my hope is by doing so there will be less of a need for wars in order to gain others natural resources . We also need to find a way to fix the depleting fresh water supply because once it’s gone all living things are going to suffer
Clean energy use would be very good for the environment, it is very important to know that the planet needs a break, and it is not enough with the recycling programs that help but are not sufficient to prevent the country to continue to rely of fossil fuel, as we have done in the last 100 years. Sometimes people will not care about it because they think that by the time that the planet’s environments collapse, they will be gone for many years, it is sad but people think that
I. 1. A growing world i) Over six billion people make up our nation ii) Our world is constantly struggling to keep up with our growing nation iii) We are technologically advanced and use the earth’s resources to the fullest II. 1. Natural resources i) The earth is full of resources; from land to water and from gas to coal ii) Our fossil fuels and natural resources are being used up more and more everyday iii) We have become dependent on fossil fuels and soon they will be all be gone iv) We need to work to find alternative resources for energy to keep our world going strong v) Scientists have found ways to convert renewable resources such as biofuels, wind turbines, the sun, water and much more into energy to power our future vi) Conservation is the movement to conserve natural resources III.