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Alternative Energy Sources

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Alternative Energy Sources: Ending Human Dependence on Oil
Craig A. Rockwell
SCI 207 – Dependence of Man on the Environment
Instructor Gomillion
July 13, 2012

Alternative Energy Sources: Ending Human Dependence on Oil We live in a world where oil is the primary source of energy. It is used to produce heating fuels, gasoline, propane, and many other lesser-known fuels. Globally, we are consuming approximately 88 million barrels of oil daily. The Central Intelligence Agency (2012) shows that the United States consumes 19,150,000 barrels daily (pg. 1). Many will argue that we need to end our dependence on oil by finding other sources of energy that we can use in place of oil. This is where the question comes in on whether or not alternative energy sources are the answer to ending human dependence on oil. While alternative energy sources may be a big step in reducing our dependence on oil, they are not a solution to it due to our lack of knowledge on how to harvest and use them efficiently, as well as the limits of what they can do for us. If we are going to talk about alternative energy sources, we have to look into some of the sources that fall into the category of “Green Technology”.
Sheer (1995) writes, “The economic and social advantages of renewable energies are enormous: they offer the way toward saving both the earth’s atmosphere and human health; they ensure an independent, safe, long-term energy supply as well as economic development; they will provide new jobs in industry and thus stem a steadily increasing rate of unemployment; and they make possible the recuperation of polluted soil and water, enabling us to avoid a global water crisis and to economically liberate agriculture” (pg. 145).
We can start with solar power which is probably the most popular and well-known of these sources. Solar energy is energy that the sun naturally

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