The Energy Crisis and Its Biological and Environmental Impact Research Paper

Fossil Fuels

The world is today faced with a massive energy crisis owing largely to dependence on the use of fossil fuels for generation of energy. Dependence on fossil fuels has two major drawbacks. First, these fuels are non-renewable, so that once they have been used they are lost forever and can never be recovered. Secondly, fossil fuels are made through an extremely slow process. The process is so slow that human consumption of these fuels means that in a short time our world could run out of these fuels while the time required for creation of new fuels is beyond our ability to wait.

The three main types of fossil fuels

There are three major forms of fossil fuels. These are coal, natural gas and oil (Shepherd). As noted above, these forms of fossil fuels take extremely long to form which is why the speed at which the world consumes these fuels points to a massive energy crisis in the future.

Oil and natural gas “are formed from the organic remains of marine organisms which become entrained within sea-floor sediments” (Shepherd). The process of the creation of oil and natural gas is, therefore, painstakingly slow. The process, notes Shepherd, begins with the accumulation of the dead remains of sea organisms on the floor of the sea. For the dead sea organisms to convert to natural gas and oil, it is necessary that the sea floor is stagnant to prevent oxygen from breaking the organisms further. Moreover, it is equally necessary that the dead organisms are not consumed by other sea-dwelling creatures. This already points to the conditions that must be net for creation of natural gas and oil and why the process can be both long and complicated. Once the two conditions noted above are met, it is necessary that the dead organisms are buried in sediment before they decay. When the dead organisms are buried in sediment, they “are subjected to heat and pressure which leads to the formation of oil and gas” (Shepherd).

The process of coal formation is equally long. While oil and gas are created at sea, coal is formed on land. Coal is created from the debris of dead plants (Shepherd). Plant debris that has accumulated on land turns into coal when it is held in “stagnant, waterlogged soils” (Shepherd). It is necessary that the soil holding the debris be both stagnant and waterlogged as this is what makes the debris fail to break down further – if it did, it would be impossible to create coal. The process of coal formation is long and the accumulated debris first turns into peat. The process of turning peat into coal is known as coalification and refers to both the sedimentation of plant debris and later the exertion of heat and pressure on the peat to turn it into coal (Shepherd).

Evident environmental impacts of the use of fossil fuels

While the process of formation of fossil fuels is long and the process of their consumption quick, the use of these fuels presents hazards to the environment. For fossil fuels to provide required energy, they have to be burned. The combustion process leads to the production of waste products. These waste products are produced because the fossil fuel contains impurities. Some of the waste products that are released when fossil fuels are burned include “sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds” (“Environmental aspects of fossil fuel use”). The pollution that results from the burning of these fuels is harmful to the environment in various ways. Since all fossil fuels contain carbon, combustion leads to the release of this carbon into the environment. Emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is blamed for increasing global warming and climate change (“Environmental aspects of fossil fuel use”). The hazards resulting from global warming, which is a direct result of the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases can therefore be blamed on the burning of fossil fuels. Moreover, the extraction of both coal and oil lead to digging and drilling which can cause permanent damages to the surroundings. In the case of the sea, drilling could lead to the movement of salt water to the surface and the nearby areas. Where proper treatment of this water is not carried out, the surrounding ecosystems could be destroyed (“Fossil fuels”).

Biological impacts of the use of fossil fuels

One of the results of increased carbon dioxide emission is increased acidification of the oceans (“Ocean acidification – another undesired effect of fossil fuel-burning”). Acidification of the oceans has negative impacts on biological life in the oceans. It negatively affects “calcifying organisms such as corals, mussels, algae and plankton” (“Ocean acidification”). As a result, these sea creatures receive less carbonate ions leading to the thinning of their shells and skeletons. While research on the results of ocean acidification is ongoing, there are suggestions that higher marine forms of life get affected leading to changes in food webs. This has consequences for ecosystems and could lead to the disruption of fisheries and other coastal economies. Moreover, ocean acidification leads to destruction of coral reefs which serve as a natural protection against the destruction brought about by adverse weather conditions such as Tsunamis (“Ocean acidification”).

How to reduce dependency on fossil fuels

The world’s dependence on fossil fuels can be reduced by the development and exploration of alternative sources of energy. Where oil is used to fuel automobiles, alternative sources of energy, such as electricity should be sought. It is thus encouraging to note that efforts are being advanced to develop electric cars and that hybrids are also sold in ever-increasing numbers.

The world could also reduce dependency on fossil fuels by engaging in production of biodiesel from algae. Garlington has identified that some species of algae are good sources of oil. These algae are not only easy to grow but can also be grown in a variety of conditions (Garlington).

In addition, the world could reduce dependence on fossil fuels by extracting fuel from renewable sources. An example of this is the production of succinic acid from corn, wheat, sugar and other renewable feedstocks. Succinic acid can be used to produce products that are currently only available from fossil fuels such as plastics, polymers and resins (“Bio-based succinicacid plant: Reduce dependence on fossil fuels”).

Technological inventions to reduce dependency on fossil fuels

The pollution caused by emissions from automobiles has led to a frenzied search for alternative ways of fueling automobiles and one of the greatest inventions being explored is the development of the electric car. Major automobile manufacturers are involved and the example of General Motors shows the trend in the industry. By 2010, GM expects to supply to the market the Chevy Volt, an electric vehicle (“General Motors research may yield Chevy Volt Electric Car”).

Alternatives to fossil fuels are also being sought. The efficacy of oils from plant seeds is being explored. One of the recent attempts to test the ability of these alternatives is the test carried out by Air New Zealand in January 2009. The airline fuelled their jet with a “50-50 blend of ordinary fuel and one made of seeds from the African desert” (“Jet test should spark quest for new biofuels”).

While wind has been used as a source of fuel, innovations are at an advanced stage to increase the use of this natural source of energy. Wind turbines are continuously being developed to power plants and to provide energy for domestic use.

The pros and cons of alternative energy

Alternative sources of energy are sought because of their ability to eliminate or mitigate the harmful effects brought about by the use of fossil fuels. To reduce dependency on fossil fuels, one of the alternatives that has been studied is the use of ethanol from corn (Tverberg). While ethanol has its advantages, Tverberg notes that it takes a huge amount of corn to produce only a small amount of ethanol. To grow corn for production of ethanol, fossil fuels are used and, using statistics from the production of corn for ethanol production in 2006, Tvberg notes that “the net gain to the fuel supply in 2006 was virtually nothing”.

The challenges posed by ethanol production as a substitute for fossil fuels are experienced for other fuel alternatives. An alternative like nuclear energy has advantages over fossil fuels but with it also come concerns about disposal of nuclear waste. Where energy could be generated from hydroelectric sites, Tverberg notes that in most of the US the sites that could be used have already been utilized and the room for expansion is limited.

In a nutshell, while alternatives to fossil fuels exist, each alternative comes with several challenges that need to be addressed before we can fully utilize it. For the world, however, the development of alternatives to fossil fuels is not a matter of choice – alternatives must be developed.

Works cited

1. “Bio-based succinicacid plant: Reduce dependence on fossil fuels”. Oilgae. Web.
2. “Environmental aspects of fossil fuel use”. The Greening Earth Society.
3. “Fossil fuels”. Environmental Literacy Council.
4. “General Motors research may yield Chevy Volt Electric Car”. Oilgae. Web.
5. “Jet test should spark quest for new biofuels”. Oilgae. Web.
6. “Ocean acidification – another undesired side effect of fossil fuel-burning”. European Science Foundation.
7. Shepherd, Roy. “What are fossil fuels? How do they form?“ Discovering fossils: Bringing the prehistoric world to life.” Web.
8. Tverberg, Gail, E. “What are our alternatives, if fossil fuels are a problem?” Energy Bulletin.