...Fossil Fuel Dependency and Americans Deanna C. Rodeo SOC 120 September 30, 2012 Nada Feldman When the first Industrial Revolution came about in the late18th century, it started in the United Kingdom, and then spread through Europe, North America, and eventually everywhere. Nobody could have known the unseen consequences that the new found technology would use. The Industrial Revolution allowed us to change the way manufacturing, agriculture, mining, transportation and technology were all handled. When the replacement of organic fuels (that were based on wood), changed to the use of fossil fuels (based on coal) during the second Industrial Revolution, no one could have known the devastating effects it would have later. What they did not know was that with the continual use of fossil fuels we would endanger nature, the wildlife that lives in it, and our environment that we live in as well. They also failed to think that we would ever run out and now that our society is built around the use of fossil fuels, we need to come together to devise a plan that will keep our engines running, and the lights on for our children and our grandchildren. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource that can take millions of years to form, and the reserves are being used faster than new ones are having time to formulate. Fossil fuels that we mainly rely on would include; coal, natural gas, and most importantly, petroleum. With that said, this paper is going to talk about how our society...
Words: 2028 - Pages: 9
...Phoenix Material Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Resource Worksheet Using the textbooks, the University Library, or other resources, answer each of the following questions in 150 to 200 words. 1. Select a fossil fuel. How is this fossil fuel used? What are the adverse effects on the environment? The fossil fuel I am selecting is coal. Coal is very important and is very important worldwide for its many uses. There are many different types of coal that are used for many purposes. One of the most important usages of coal is in electricity generation, steel production, cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel. About 6.6 billion tons of hard coal was used throughout the world last year, and 1 billion tons of brown coal. Coal making needs great amounts of water, which disturbs the environments of the marine and land-based wildlife as well as individuals who use the water. The methods of burning coal for energy gives off greenhouse gases with additional dangerous toxins which include carbon dioxide, mercury compounds and sulfur dioxide. Toxins made from coal mining can also add to acid rain, mainly in the Appalachian area. Also, burning coal creates ash, a solid waste that has alkali and metal oxides. 2. Select a local or regional alternative energy resource. How might this resource be used to supplement or replace fossil fuels? Alternative energy is the term that is used for an energy source that is an alternative for the use of fossil fuels. An alternative energy...
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
...The Burning of Fossil Fuels GS104-Intro to Environmental Science Steven Wimberly February 05, 2013 Fossil fuels are a very important part of our society today. Natural gas, Coal, and oil are the world’s primary and most important source of energy. “90% of the energy we use in this country [USA] comes from fossil fuels.” (http://www.ucsusa.org) Unfortunately, there are costs of using these fossil fuels to run our society. Some costs are obvious such as the cost of labor, equipment and supplies needed to extract, refine and transport the fossil fuels. These costs are taken care of in electricity bills, in the price of gasoline for automobiles and other governmental and company funding. There are many other costs that are less obvious. These costs are the effects fossil fuels have on our environment and on human health. Air pollution caused by the burning of coal and oil as well as dust in mines is causing problems for human health. The environment is suffering from acid rain, global warming and water and air pollution. Many times, the costs go unpaid for and unnoticed. It is imperative that we as a society take responsibility and strive to reduce the negative effects of fossil fuels on our environment. The global warming is a major environmental issue that is caused by the use of fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is emitted. It captures heat in the earth’s atmosphere. What is happening is that the more carbon dioxide emitted the warmer the...
Words: 723 - Pages: 3
...Nicholas Wiltzius American Intercontinental University SCIE210-1301A-05 Environmental Science Unit 3 Individual Project Instructor Beverly Hamilton Abstract There have been laws passed about the use of different energy which include fossil fuel: oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, solar energy, wind power, water (hydro) power, and bioconversion (biofuel) these laws could allow the possibility of tax incentives. The use of different types of natural energy can pave the way for a greener earth. Although, some may argue that there are pros and cons of such energy. In this paper we will be discussing these pros and cons as well as two provisions of the Energy Policy Act, 2005, including its tax incentives. 1.) The law of conservation of energy states that energy may neither be created nor destroyed (The law of conservation of energy, n.d). 2.) The pros and cons of fossil fuel: oil, natural gas, and coal. The pros are its high efficient, cheaper than non-conventional forms of energy because it is easy to extract and process them and it the potential to power the entire globe. The cons are Fossil fuels are believed to be the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, responsible for global warming and climate change. It is also believed that coal mining creates earthquakes. The biggest con of all is that they are non-renewable. Nuclear Energy creates little amount of CO2 and it can generate a great amount of electrical energy in one single plant. But these plants...
Words: 676 - Pages: 3
...BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS NAME:- NAME OF PROFESSOR:- DATE:- BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS The burning of fossil fuels is the major contributor to human caused climate change. Once taken out of the ground and burned , coal, oil and gas add to the amount of carbon cycling between the atmosphere and the oceans, soil, rock and vegetation. On human time scales, this transfer is irrevocable, once mined and burned, fossil carbon cannot be locked away safely underground again in the form of new deposits of coal, oil and gas, or in the form of carbonate rock, for millions of years. The transfer is also unsustainable: there is simply not enough “space” in above-ground biological and geological systems to park safely the huge mass of carbon coming out of the ground without carbon dioxide building up catastrophically in both the air and the oceans. At the most fundamental level, therefore, the climate solution revolves around initiating a new pathway away from fossil fuel dependence. Industrialized societies locked in to fossil fuels need to turn to structurally different, non-fossil energy, transport, agricultural and consumption regimes within a few decades to minimize future dangers and costs. Infrastructure, trade, even community structure will have to be reorganized, and state support shifted from fossil-fuelled development toward popular movements constructing or defending low-carbon means of livelihood and social...
Words: 1696 - Pages: 7
...Fossil Fuel Risks Worldwide dependency on fossil fuel and increased consumption in the 20th century has resulted in a negative impact on the earth’s atmosphere and presents many risks to society. The consumption or burning of oil emits carbon dioxide while burning coal releases nitrous oxide. The emitted carbon dioxide is “considered to be the largest contributing factor to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. (McLamb, 2011) Other risks to society include air pollution, water pollution, solid waste, and human illness. (essortment.com) Humans can suffer in many ways as a result of the consumption of fossil fuels. Coal miners can develop black lung disease while others can suffer from asthma or other respiratory diseases as a result of exposure to the air pollution from fossil fuels. (uscusa.org) The United States’ dependency on oil not only creates the environmental and health issues mentioned previously, it gives us the problem of integrating national security with our need for oil. We have been faced with protecting the oil of foreign nations to reassure our ongoing supply. An example of this was the Persian Gulf War. (uscusa.org) Greenhouse gases contribute to the effects of global warming. These effects are evident in countries around the world. For example, “in the Antarctica, warmer temperatures may result in more rapid ice melting which increases sea level and compromises the composition of surrounding waters.” (essortment.com) “During...
Words: 517 - Pages: 3
...What fossil fuels are: Fossil fuel is a general term for buried combustible geologic deposits of organic materials, formed from decayed plants and animals that have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils. How fossil fuels are formed: Fossil fuels are formed over time where sand, sediment and rock bury the organic matter, it eventually forms large quantities of fuels by exposure to heat and pressure in the earth's crust over hundreds of millions of years. Different types of fossil fuels form depending on what combination of animal and plant debris was present, how long the material was buried, and what conditions of temperature and pressure existed when they were decomposing. For example, oil and natural gas were created...
Words: 661 - Pages: 3
...The Abilities of Fossil Fuels HUM/114 25 Apr 2011 Fossil fuels provide 85% of the energy used in the United States. At the same note, fossil fuels also cause 80% of the global warming pollution in this country. Therefore, there is no doubt that the United States should seek other energy sources. I believe harnessing the unlimited power provided by the wind and the sun is our best recourse. Some people would debate that these projects would be expensive. On the other hand, I think these will be cost effective, as trying to clean up the air, sea, and land from pollutants produced by coal, oil and petroleum, is even more expensive. If we are to spend money on finding other energy sources, rather than finding oil sources in the country, we might as well invest in technology to harness wind, solar and geothermal power. Sadly, some politicians do not support this idea because of vested interests. Oil and gas companies have donated $238.7 million to candidates and parties since the 1990 election cycle. Greenpeace, an independent environmental organization, states in their website that with the current technology, renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal can provide 96% of our electricity and 98% of our total heating needs. Business companies can begin transitioning into using clean energy sources and should educate themselves about the different incentives at the local, state and federal levels. Greenpeace further stated that investing in...
Words: 483 - Pages: 2
...BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS NAME:- NAME OF PROFESSOR:- DATE:- BURNING OF FOSSIL FUELS The burning of fossil fuels is the major contributor to human caused climate change. Once taken out of the ground and burned , coal, oil and gas add to the amount of carbon cycling between the atmosphere and the oceans, soil, rock and vegetation. On human time scales, this transfer is irrevocable, once mined and burned, fossil carbon cannot be locked away safely underground again in the form of new deposits of coal, oil and gas, or in the form of carbonate rock, for millions of years. The transfer is also unsustainable: there is simply not enough “space” in above-ground biological and geological systems to park safely the huge mass of carbon coming out of the ground without carbon dioxide building up catastrophically in both the air and the oceans. At the most fundamental level, therefore, the climate solution revolves around initiating a new pathway away from fossil fuel dependence. Industrialized societies locked in to fossil fuels need to turn to structurally different, non-fossil energy, transport, agricultural and consumption regimes within a few decades to minimize future dangers and costs. Infrastructure, trade, even community structure will have to be reorganized, and state support shifted from fossil-fuelled development toward popular movements constructing or defending low-carbon...
Words: 1695 - Pages: 7
...way of showing the outputs of every member in order to create great research with a knowledgeable content. The possible outcome of a research reflects the ability of every student on how to observe particular problem. The topic that we have chosen is burning of fossil fuels (effects, causes and prevention). It opens our hearts and minds on the possible effects or outcomes that may happen in our environment if these thing will continuously arise. The damaged has been done in several parts of the world. The only thing we must do is to initiate other ideas that may convert the effects of burning of fossil fuel into a suitable one. The next pages of this research will explain other alternative ways to get energy or electricity without using or burning fossil fuels. As we continue to understand these things in this world, let’s put in our mind first that the imbalance of our nature can affects great percentage of our life not just here in the present but also to the next generation to come. OBJECTIVES: Investigate the cause, and effects of burning of fossil fuels in the lives of human, animals and to the world. II. FOCUS QUESTION 1. What are the causes of burning of fossil fuels? 2. What are the effects of this in carbon dioxide cycle? 3. Why is it that the human being and animals are greatly affected in this problem? III. DATA COLLECTION AND...
Words: 1539 - Pages: 7
...Fossil fuels consist of petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Fossil fuels were formed from the remains of living organisms that lived on the planet Earth millions of years ago. Petroleum is created from the remains of sea creatures that are the size of a pin head called Diatoms. Diatoms store energy from converted sunlight. The diatoms fell to the bottom of the ocean and were covered by sediment and layers of rock. The pressure and heat from the other layers of rock and sediment caused the carbon in the diatoms to breakdown into oil. Pockets of oil were formed as the earth moved and changed (Energy Story, 2011). Coal is created from plant remains that lived millions of years ago. Coal contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur (Energy Story, 2011). Energy for coal originated from sunlight that was stored inside the plants. As plants and trees died, their remains sank into boggy areas and were covered by other layers of mud, swamp, and rock. These layers created peat, a soggy dense mixture of mud and dead plants. Over time the peat was buried by layers of sand, clay, and other minerals. As the earth changed, the deposits of peat were buried deeper into the earth. The pressure and heat from being buried changed the material into coal (American Coal Foundation, 2005). For the future of petroleum, unless humans stop drilling and removing the substance from the earth, the supply of oil will diminish. Petroleum could become extinct. It would...
Words: 458 - Pages: 2
...Fossil Fuel Dependency and Americans SOC 120 The first Industrial Revolution began in the late 18th century; it began in the United Kingdom, and eventually spread through Europe and into the United States. It was never imagined that it could cause issues. The Industrial Revolution gave us the ability to change agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, technology, mining and how they were taken care of. When we replaced organic fuels, to the use of fossil fuels in the second Industrial Revolution, no one could have ever guessed the effects it would have on us in the future. What was left unknown was that the continual use of fossil fuels would cause danger to nature, wildlife, and the environment that we live in. What was also not thought about was what happens if we run out of these fuels? At this time a plan should be advised that will keep our engines going and other power working for our future. A little information about fossil fuels is that they are a non-renewable resource that can take millions of years to form. Currently what is happening is the assets are being used faster than expected and we are unable to produce new fuel fast enough. The fossil fuels that we depend on the most include; coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Throughout this paper we are going to discuss how our society would benefit from moving away from fossil fuels into cleaner resource energies which are beneficial to our earth, and our being. “Our food industry is a major factor into the usage...
Words: 1937 - Pages: 8
...The detrimental effects of the world’s reliance on fossil fuels are clear: fossil fuels (oil and gas) are non-renewable and dwindling sources of energy. Pollution and emissions from fossil fuels contribute significantly to climate change (The 63rd Annual Lindau Meeting). Big oil companies cause huge oil spills in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. International conflicts are caused and wars are fought over reliance on foreign oil. Something has to change. Biodiesel, which is diesel fuel made from vegetable oil or animal fat. It is a renewable source of energy. Burning of biofuel emits carbon dioxide which is used by plants to grow (The 63rd Annual Lindau Meeting). Biodiesel can be used in existing diesel engines (Their). (might seem to be the perfect solution to the world’s energy problems but it isn’t. Production of biodiesel requires converting farm land used for growing food into farms to grow the corn, peanut or soybean crops used to produce biodiesel (Ussery). The world’s population is increasing every day and we need to be growing more food, not less. If existing farm land is used to grow fuel crops instead of food then there will either be a shortage of food or we will be forced to use wetlands, cut down forests or go into the Amazon in order to increase food production, which is known as “indirect land use changes” (Zeller). There are also the questions of the amount of petroleum products used to plant, fertilize, irrigate, spray pesticides, harvest, transport, convert...
Words: 569 - Pages: 3
...The way that this essay is written is very much like story-telling, it tells of when and how nuclear plants were shut down and how the goals of fossil fuel reduction were put in place in Germany. This makes this essay much more attention-grabbing and interesting. The way that events are written chronologically in this essay make it much easier to understand. It is an extremely complicated issue, with lots of numbers, so I am thankful that Kunzig used chronological order for this essay. Although there were a lot of German words I was not able to completely pronounce or understand, the other words that are included are simplified and also make it easier for this essay to be understood by its audience. Fossil fuels will affect not only my future,...
Words: 370 - Pages: 2
...Fossil Fuel Dependency and Americans | SOC120 - Sociology | University of Phoenix | Lena M. Ward | 10/9/2011 | America’s primary sources of energy come from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas. The cost of using fossil fuels includes labor cost to mine for coal or to drill for oil, labor and material cost to build plants to generate and transport coal and oil to plants; these hidden costs are included in electricity bills or in the purchase price of gasoline. However, some costs are not included in utility or gas bills, and they are not paid for by companies that produce or sell these energy sources (Payne, Dutzik, & Figdor, 2009). This external cost creates additional problems; such as, health issues related to the air pollution caused by the burning of coal and oil, the damage to land from coal mining and to the miners from lung disease, environmental problems like global warming, acid rain, and water pollution including national security cost to protect foreign sources of oil. This pricing system hides the true costs of fossil fuels which results in damage to human health, the environment, and the economy (Payne, Dutzik, & Figdor, 2009). This paper will examine each hidden cost and evaluate their effects to enlighten individuals on the true cost of America’s dependency on fossil fuels. America’s dependency on fossil fuels began innocently enough with the start of the Industrial Revolution. These changes were small at first with the invention...
Words: 2367 - Pages: 10
