The pollution through fuel use, technology and many other aspects of civilized life has brought about many changes that humanity was not ready for, including a lessening of resources used for energy, a shifting pattern of crop’s growth and emergence of diseases. The Earth’s population must get ready for a new era that will require a more efficient use of energy and a better conservation of people’s health.
Energy is the force that runs everything present in the world. The law of conservation of energy states that no energy can be made out of nothing or destroyed, as it can only be converted. Energy changes states and cannot be produced out of emptiness, as some processes have to take place to bring it out (Lawson, 2001).
Due to this fact, humanity must use a source of energy to its advantage, and nature is the one that provides these sources (Niele, 2005). Unfortunately, the planet is seeing a major depletion in natural resources and fossil fuels which are the established source of energy that must be greatly counted, due to the decreasing numbers.
There are many known ways to produce energy that are not polluting and are in greater numbers, such as hydro electric stations, wind power, sun energy and nuclear power plants. Unfortunately, some availability is underdeveloped and others sound extreme.
Nuclear power is a topic that is discussed with real care and people are hesitant to rely on it alone. Even though it shows to be beneficial in areas of pollution, it is an extreme step and there is still a danger of accidents and accumulated pollution (Benduhn, 2008).
Fossil fuel is one of the options that can be used and it is rather cheap to manage. The benefits include low cost, high energy output and technology already exists to produce and contain the fuel. The disadvantages are the pollution or CO2 gases that cause greenhouse effect, as well as uncertain amount of fossils. It is clear that there is a limit to how much people can mine. Solar energy is another source which is abundant.
The amount of sun rays is enormous and presently, there are many places in the world, as well as technologies that use sun as the energy source. A major disadvantage is that there are sometimes weather conditions or places where there is very little sun or it is absent altogether. Wind power has seen some support and there are working turbines that use wind, but it is also uncertain, as it is hard to rely on weather conditions.
There are times when the wind is absent and it is impossible to make using human technology. The use of water power has been known to people for some time. Hydro electric stations have proven themselves as a clean energy source. There is a disadvantage of the ecosystem changing with the introduction of dams and plants, proving detrimental to the environment.
Also, there is no guarantee that rivers will always flow and produce energy. Biofuel is another option that has seen some support. A positive side is that it is made from animal and plant products and has been already widely used. But the tradeoff is an unstable production rate, as well as pollution and lack of land or resources to produce enough plants or animals (Dell, 2004).
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 addresses the issue of energy problems and offers benefits to anyone who has taken part in finding innovative ways to acquire energy. One of the provisions is to increase coal use but this comes with an addition of installing air polluting filters. From one perspective, this might seem like a good idea, as it is rather safe to use.
It is important to keep in mind that the amount of coal is decreasing and there is no guarantee that people will be able to discover more. Also, the filtration systems that must be installed can prove quite costly and there is a possibility that plants and industrial companies will not install them at all or will cut corners. This option lacks control and input from everyone equally.
Another proposition made by the act is the offering of loans to those who come up with new technologies, as well as tax breaks estimated in billions of dollars (Nazzaro, 2010).
This is a rather attractive way to make sure people get involved in finding renewable sources of energy that are clean and efficient. It is evident that with the government’s involvement and the promised benefits, people will be more inclined to develop technology instrumental to clean energy use (Ghosh, 2011).
Currently, there are technologies that have already proven to be important in clean energy production. Electric power and other energy sources have shown great potential. Nuclear energy may be much more beneficial to people and environment but it must be used with great care.
It is evident that more safety procedures and preventative measures would have to be established, so that the risk is minimal to people and environment. Even though bioconversion, wind, hydro and solar energy sources are absolutely clean, they are unreliable and do not produce enough output.
References
Benduhn, T. (2008). Nuclear Power. Pleasantville, NY: Gareth Stevens.
Dell, R. (2004). Clean Energy Cambrigde, United Kingdom: Royal Society of Chemistry.
Ghosh, T. (2011). Energy Resources and Systems: Volume 2: Renewable Resources. New York, NY: Springer.
Lawson, J. (2001). Conservation of Energy. Manitoba, Canada: Portage & Main Press.
Nazzaro, R. (2010). Energy Policy Act Of 2005. Darby, PA: DIANE Publishing.
Niele, F. (2005). Energy: Engine of Evolution. San Diego, CA: Elsevier.