Deadly Energy
In 2009, Pam Judy and her family allowed a gas compressor to be built on the land close to their home. After a short time, the family, who had been very outdoorsy, was suddenly quarantined in their own home, with the risk of contracting painful health conditions with even a step outside. Some of the conditions were simple, such as nosebleeds, a condition that can be caused in part by overexposure to dangerous chemicals. Don't worry, it's not the worst that could happen. Worse conditions are ones such as vomiting, and vertigo, caused by exposure to and inhaling of dangerous chemicals. Pam Judy took action, and discovered the chemicals in the air with the help of the government. But her family did not benefit as much as she hoped. They still experienced health conditions, all a result of this gas compressor. How would you feel in a quarantine? That’s how our world will end up with continued dependence on fossil fuels. Do you want to condemn yourself and future generations to a life of sickness? Fossil fuels and their extraction cause many issues with health and the environment. The use of fossil fuels creates much of the CO2 in the atmosphere, which in turn causes more of the sun's rays of heat to be trapped, which is the cause of global warming. There is an abundant amount of fossil fuel in the earth, which makes it cheap most of the time. Yet, there is still a problem. There is too much fossil fuel in the earth for us to burn. If we do, we’ll melt the polar ice caps, and have only a few scraps of land left for ~7.5 billion people to fight over. The world will be subject to insane amounts of warming and cooling, at temperatures humanity cannot survive. So do you want hot or cold so intense that you won’t be able to tell if you’re hot or cold anymore? If not, stop with the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuel use and extraction should be banned because of the negative health effects, overuse similar to addiction, industries with government connection that permits them to avoid laws, and it’s global-warming-causing emissions.
A reason why fossil fuels and fracking should be banned is because of the negative health effects caused by the use and extraction of fossil fuels. An article on Global Research by Dylan Murphy mentioned an especially shocking case of this happening to a family in Texas. The article mentions how the family was very outdoorsy, yet all that changed only three years after they moved to a new house on the countryside. The text said, “However, in 2009 that all changed when a gas compressor station was built 780 feet from her home. Within a short space of time Pam and her family were unable to spend time outside any more as they came down with all sorts of mysterious health problems.” This family was as healthy, happy and outdoorsy as they could be, and suddenly they couldn’t leave their home, as even the air they breathed was toxic. This family was forced to stay away from the area around their home by the extraction of fossil fuels, and they are not the only ones. In the article mentioned earlier, there were statistics on the components of the extraction fluids that may poison both water and air. The statistic was, “Among the dirty dozen is Crystalline Silica a known carcinogen… harmful to skin, eyes and other sensory organs, respiratory system, immune system and kidneys.” This means that a known carcinogen is used to extract fossil fuels from the ground. These companies are knowingly exposing people to dangerous chemicals that can cause people to get cancer, and chemicals that attack people’s immune systems.
Another reason fossil fuels should not be used is that natural gas, which is being used to try to edge out other fossil fuels, is just as bad as other fossil fuels, and may cause people to not switch to clean, green energy. In a Natural Geographic article, Christina Nunez writes, “...gas threatens to edge out renewables as well.” This means that if we use natural gas, there is a big possibility that it could not only edge out other fossil fuels, it could also take up the space it is supposed to reserved for clean energy. If we do not switch to clean energy, the world will end up unlivable. There is also the part of fossil fuels that seems so easy. In an BU article by Leslie Friday, this aspect is mentioned in detail. The text says, “Think of it as worldwide addiction. At least 80 percent of the energy people use to drive, heat their homes, and power gadgets comes from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas, and the consumption of all of the above contributes to global warming.” So, if we are addicted to fossil fuels, we have to suffer through withdrawal. Luckily, clean energy will cause us to have less cancer, less global warming, and a better planet.
Fossil fuels are used to make many of the things in the world today. In an AGA (American Gas Association) article, Bruce McDowell writes, “Natural gas is used to make fertilizer for ethanol. Natural gas is used to make methane for hydrogen. Hydrogen is used to eliminate soot for cleaner diesel fuel. Electric utilities use natural gas to generate clean power. Natural gas is a raw material that goes into lightweight cars, wind power blades, solar panels and energy-efficient materials.” Yet, although this is true, it just makes my argument stronger. As I said before, natural gas, which is being used to try to edge out other fossil fuels, is just as bad as others, and may cause people to not switch to clean, green energy, or in this case, clean green building supplies, such as ones that are plant based. In a National Geographic article by Christina Nunez, Henry Jacoby, an MIT economist, was quoted saying, “‘But it is so attractive that it threatens other energy sources we ultimately will need.’” He was speaking about natural gas. In conclusion, many of the fossil fuel industry’s arguments about how necessary fossil fuels are to the world are true but useless.
A third reason why fossil fuels should not be used is that there are loopholes that companies can find in laws which would prevent them from destroying the environment and people’s health. In an article on Global Research, Dylan Murphy writes how many loopholes have been discovered by these companies. The text says, “Meanwhile, Congress has agreed not to apply the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to fracking fluids which contain hundreds of poisonous chemicals. Oil and gas companies keep from the public which chemicals are used claiming they are ‘trade secrets.’ By its own admission the EPA has been ineffective in protecting the public from this rapacious industry which has plans for massive expansion all over America and the rest of the planet.” If these companies have so much power that they don’t have to tell people what they are poisoning them with, they need to be stopped. If even the EPA cannot control them, they will wreak havoc on the earth. Another example of this is, “Oil and gas industry lobbyists have successfully fended off effective regulation of their industry and won exemptions from most environmental regulations: Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act [RCRA], Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act [CERCLA], Emergency Planning Community Right to Know Act, and National Environmental Policy Act.” This shows that we need stronger laws, and to take back the enormous amounts of power we give to these companies. The continued and allowed evasion of laws by this industry is shocking, and needs to stop.
A final reason is that global warming exists and is caused in a large part by fossil fuels. In an article from The Guardian, Duncan Clark writes about global warming. He writes of fossil fuels being the cause, and that it exists. The text says, “...every science academy in the world accepts the mainstream view of man-made global warming.” This shows how global warming does exist, and that it is scientifically proven. Clark also mentions, “Even if we… just burned the ‘proven’ oil, coal and gas reserves...we would emit almost 3tn tonnes of carbon dioxide…. we would shoot well past 2C and towards 3C or even 4C of warming…. It is impossible to say what changes another three or four degrees would bring, but the impacts could very plausibly include a collapse in global food production, catastrophic droughts and floods, heatwaves and the beginning of ice-sheet melt that could eventually raise the sea level enough to wipe out many of the world's great cities.” This means that even if we only burn the fossil fuels we have available to us now, we will experience extreme warming, that will ultimately make our planet unlivable. If we destroy this planet, we don’t have a backup. Fossil fuels cause all of this, so should we continue using them?
Some may believe that climate change is impossible, and that we can only get colder. Alan Carlin writes “It is rather part of an ideology that they are attempting to sell which would harm humans, particularly less affluent humans, and ultimately result in less environmental improvement and less protection against the only realistic climate change we really need to fear—a new Little Ice Age or ultimately even a new ice age.” Truly, this is a faulty belief held by many skeptics. This is practically impossible. Duncan Clark says, “...including a collapse in Arctic sea ice coverage more severe than even the most pessimistic predictions from just a few years ago.” This is saying that ice is melting, and if we have no ice, we won’t cool at all. In conclusion, climate change is totally possible, and not only possible, but happening right now.
Skeptics may believe that pollution is not caused by CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. In an article, Alan Carlin writes, “The much maligned carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, as EPA and Obama claim, but rather a basic input to plant photosynthesis and growth, which is the basis of life on Earth. Decreasing atmospheric CO2 levels would decrease plant productivity and therefore the food supply for the rest of the ecosystem and humans, and vice versa.” This is a true statement, yet irrelevant to the topic of climate change. The amount of CO2 released in the atmosphere is directly related to the warming of the earth, contrary to this perspective that it is only used by plants, because there is too much CO2 for plants to absorb. In an article published by The Guardian, Duncan Clark writes, “...the amount of warming we will experience goes up roughly in proportion to the total amount of carbon that global society emits….” Concluding, we will keep getting warmer because of CO2, because it is not innocent.
We should ban the use of fossil fuels in favor of energy sources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass for many reasons, such as the negative health effects, overuse similar to addiction, industries with government connection that permits them to avoid laws, and its global-warming-causing emissions. Fossil fuels have caused many problems in the world. There have been wars fought over oil. People have died because of the emissions and the fuels themselves. The power that fossil fuels bring has corrupted people. We need to stop using fossil fuels. There are many resources you can find online to help you see what you need to change about your lifestyle involving fossil fuels. There are also many ways to change the way we view and use fossil fuels, from protesting and getting stronger laws passed, to buying an electric or hybrid car. Although these are good ways to reduce your own emissions, it’s not only you who’s causing this problem, it’s the world. A strong effective plan would be to try to pass legislation to slowly make clean energy usable everywhere. We would end our dependence on foreign oil and natural gas. The US government can begin this change by placing wind turbines in rural and windy areas, adding water turbines in dams, even passing legislation saying that every building built starting at a certain date needs solar panels on its roof. By 2066 at the longest, we should be fully independent of fossil fuels. That’s 50 years, which is more than long enough to save the world.
Works Cited List
Nunez, Christina. “Can Natural Gas be a Bridge to Clean Energy?” National Geographic. Natural
Geographic Society, March 18 2014. Web. February 25 2016.
Murphy, Dylan and Jo Murphy. “Fracking Destroys the Environment and Poisons the Air We Breathe.”
Global Research. Centre for Research on Globalization, March 1 2014. Web. February 25 2016.
McDowell, Bruce. “Environmental Benefits of Natural Gas.” American Gas Association. American Gas
Association, 2016. Web. February 25 2016.
Rinkesh. “Advantages of Fossil Fuels.” Conserve Energy Future. Conserve Energy Future, 2015. Web.
February 25 2016.
Friday, Leslie. “Breaking the Fossil Fuel Habit.” BU Today. BU, March 3, 2013. Web. February 25 2016.
Clark, Duncan. “Why can’t we quit fossil fuels?” The Guardian. The Guardian, April 17, 2013. Web.
February 25 2016.
Carlin, Alan. “Why Skeptics Should Encourage Energy Use From Fossil Fuels Where Economically
Justified.” WUWT. WUWT, May 20, 2015. Web. February 28, 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment