Many ecologists, and environmentalists dream of a world where only 100% clean energy sources are used. Countries will utilize renewable energy and heating sources such us solar, wind, biomass, and more instead of using oils and chemicals that have proven to be detrimental not only to the planet, but to the health of all organisms inhabiting it. There is no doubt that is the goal most environmentalists and scientists have in mind, however it is not such a feasible goal for the near future. Instead, scientists must find a right now solution that can be placed into effect today. It may not be the 100% clean energy they dream of, but it is a stepping stone in the road there. That stepping stone is Natural Gas. Prior to the 21st century, most Americans heated their homes with a heating oil system. As of 2014, 6.5 million American households were still equipped to this system. 87% of them are coming directly from the Northeastern region of the United States. A heating oil system uses petroleum products to provide heat to buildings. These petroleum products are derived from crude oil at refineries. Crude oil is a fossil fuel, which is consists of hydrocarbons. It is removed from deep within the Earth, where it is found in a liquid state. (EIA,2015)
When the crude oil is transformed into petroleum products and then burned, many harmful chemicals are released into the air. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter (PM 2.5) and more are set loose into the air that Americans breathe everyday. The Greenhouse Effect, or the overwhelmingly warming of the Earth is directly caused by Greenhouse gas emissions, which come from the burning of these fossil fuels. In 2013, 82% of all carbon dioxide emissions in the world came directly from the United States. 47.8 million metric tons of this carbon dioxide came from New York City