Environmental Studies
Warner
Pacific College
April
1, 2014
Our society relies heavily on many
types of energy resources. In fact according to an article written by Robert Barr
from the Associated Press, China is the world’s biggest consumer of energy,
accounting for 20.3 percent globally and the U.S. comes in closely behind them
at 19 percent (2011). That is a
lot of energy being used by the U.S.
We use these energy
sources to heat and light our homes; power our machinery; fuel our vehicles;
produce plastics, pharmaceuticals, and synthetic fibers; and provide the
comforts and conveniences to which we’ve grown accustomed in the industrial age
(Laposata & Withgott, 2014, p. 520).
One of the key statements in the above
citing is ‘which we’ve grown accustomed in the industrial age’. I would agree
that in order to continue to function in society that we do need or require
more energy than in our pre-industrial years, but at the same time our society
has become so accustomed to certain practices that use energy unnecessarily.
One example is in the turning on of lights when there is plenty of natural
light to adequately see without turning on extra light. So for starters one
alternative that everyone can directly participate in is using natural light
for lighting instead of using other forms of energy to power those lights. In
some buildings it may require that natural light be directed into buildings so
that they can avoid or use less electricity to provide needed light.
Another way to cut down on electricity or
at least non-renewable electricity sources is to use solar power sources for
the majority of our power needs. “The surface of the earth receives 120,000
terawatts of solar radiation (sunlight) – 20,000 times more power than what is
needed to supply the entire world”(Maehlum, 2013). That is a lot of renewable
energy.
Solar power is environmentally friendly
and in of itself it does not cause pollution. “However there are emissions
associated with the manufacturing, transportation, and installation of solar
power systems – almost nothing compared to most conventional energy sources”
(Maehlum, 2013). That is really good news for our environment.
The biggest energy resources we use
here in the United States are fossil fuel. “In the United States, oil coal, and
natural gas together supply 82% of energy demand” (Laposata & Withgott,
2014, p. 522). While increasing our use of solar power will help reduce those
numbers we will probably need major advances in technology eliminate our fossil
fuel usage. Unfortunately there is so much money to be made in the fossil fuel
industry that it makes it hard to get the investment needed to advance
technology to bring us away from this fossil fuel era.
While hybrid cars are a step in the
right direction they are still dependent on fossil fuels. Tesla has stepped to the market
providing consumers with an electric car alternative however the expense of the
car makes it pretty much an impossibility for the average consumer. “Currently
Tesla’s cheapest car is the Model S, which retails at around $70,000” (McGregor,
2014). Tesla manufactures have plans to roll out a model in 2017 that is
affordable. “By affordable Tesla means in the region of $40,000” (McGregor,
2014). Unfortunately that is still higher than the average price of a car in
the United States. $40,000 is definitely a lot cheaper but the question is will
it be cheap enough to get its foot into the fossil fuel auto world. I hope so. This is the type of technology advances we need
to see. Not that the Tesla is the answer to all of our problems but it might be
one more step in the right direction.
References
Laposata &Withgott, (2014). Environment: The science behind the stories. (pp. 520-522) Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Maehlum, M. (2013). Solar
Energy Pros and Cons. Retrieved from: http://energyinformative.org/solar-energy-pros-and-cons/
McGregor, J. (2014). Tesla
to offer an ‘affordable’ car by 2017, but will it take off?. Article retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2014/03/31/tesla-to-offer-affordable-cars-by-2015/
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