Essay on Fossil Fuels and Alternative Energy Sources

Fossil fuels are an important part of life. When you turn on the lights, watch TV, or take a shower, the electricity that you are using is being generated by fossil fuels. The three types of fossil fuels are coal, crude oil, and natural gas. They all take millions of years to form, so they are considered to be â€Å"non-renewable†- eventually, the fossil fuels will all be used up. One dangerous biological effect of using fossil fuels is ocean acidification. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels can also be very dangerous. Environmentally damaging accidents such as groundwater contamination, land subsidence, and oil spills occur frequently. Global warming is another possible environmental effect. Fossil fuels have a crucial role in modern†¦show more content†¦Lignite is the softest coal. Further compression and aging caused the lignite coal to change into bituminous coal. Bituminous is a soft, black, brittle material that is extremely flammable and produces a lot of ash and sulfur when burned. This is the type of coal that is mined in the Appalachian Mountains, Great Plains, and the Colorado Plateau. Heat and pressure then turn bituminous into anthracite. Anthracite is the final stage of coal, and is composed almost entirely of carbon. Lignite and bituminous coal are sedimentary, while anthracite is metamorphic. Anthracite is only found where pressure and heat were very great. It doesn’t produce as much heat as bituminous coal, but it burns longer without as much residue. There are anthracite fields in Pennsylvania and Great Britain (U.S Energy Information Administration). The formation of the other two fossil fuels (crude oil and natural gas) took millions of years just like coal. Oil and gas come from the remains of small animals and plants. Long ago, when the animals and plants died, they sank to the bottom of the sea. The dead matter formed a large mass, which over time was covered by layers of sand, silt, and mud. As the weight of the sediment increased, the mass became more and more compressed. Then, the heat and pressure of the Earth eventually turned the mass into oil and gas. If the heat applied during the formation was low, then more oil was produced than gas. If the temperature wasShow MoreRelatedAlternative Energy Sources For Fossil Fuels2676 Words   |  11 Pages Alternative Energy Sources Emily Lazovich Gwynedd Mercy University Abstract Fossil fuels can be easily found around the globe and the production of these fuels may be cost-effective. Although fossil fuel is harmful to the environment, the United States is continuing to use fossil fuel as a source of energy. In addition to this, once the fossil fuels have all been used up, there is no chance of obtaining more. There are many types of alternative energy sources in the worldRead MoreFossil Fuel And Alternative Sources Of Energy1218 Words   |  5 Pages Energy Policy Jameisha Lyttle Gwynedd Mercy University Abstract The United States government, as well as many others around the world, have relied on fossil fuel as an energy source for a long period of time. The extraction, production, and development of these sources have contributed to the many issues with the environment. In addition to this, fossil fuel will not exist forever because there is a limited amount on earth and it cannot be restored. For this reason, the UnitedRead MoreAlternative Sources Of Energy For Fossil Fuel1432 Words   |  6 Pagesalternate source of energy to fossil fuel is essential. Humans are using up fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, faster than they can be made naturally.This means that there will be a time when all of the fossil fuels will have been used to power . To prevent a world without energy, many alternative sources have been harnessed. Six different pathways for energies were found: solar power, biomass, geothermal power, hydropower, wind power, and nuclear power. All of these are much better alternati ves to fossilRead MoreAlternative Energy Sources Of Fossil Fuels1701 Words   |  7 Pages the world has run on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are critical to global energy infrastructure due to their inherent advantages and generate significant economic value as a result. However, the negative economic and environmental implications of fossil fuels demands a permanent transition towards alternative energy. The world will continue to investigate alternative energy sources and must commit to them to avoid long-term environmental degradation. Ultimately, fossil fuels are on the way out, butRead MoreFossil Fuels : An Alternative Source Of Energy1715 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction: Fossil fuels have been keeping our country running for quite a long time, throughout our history. The reason why fossil fuels have been so instrumental in our production of energy is the increase in technology. Technology has brought the world ways to dig into the earth and extract oil, which we have been doing quite a bit more of as late. The problem with this increase in drilling and digging for fossil fuels is that there is only so much of it, and cannot be created, or reused. OnceRead MoreAlternative Energy Sources For Fossil Fuels1874 Words   |  8 Pagesconsuming energy. Currently the majority of this energy comes from fossil fuels (i.e. coal, natural gas, and oil). Fossil fuels made up eighty-seven percent of the energy consumed worldwide in 2012 (Gonzalez Lucky). There are many people who do not believe there is an energy crisis, or that there is anything wrong with depending on fossil fuels, however fossil fuels are non-renewable, which means once they are gone we are una ble to create more. In addition, the carbon that is located in fossil fuelsRead MoreFossil Fuels And Alternative Energy Sources1682 Words   |  7 PagesMost fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal are considered nonrenewable resources in that their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of years (Investopedia, 2014). As the nonrenewable resources become more and more scarce, the cost to obtain them will continue to gradually rise (Investopedia, 2014). Eventually, the price will become so high that users will no longer be able to afford them, forcing the change from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources (Investopedia)Read MoreAlternative Sources Of Energy From Fossil Fuels2846 Words   |  12 Pagestechnology requires a stable source of fuel to produce the thousands of units of energy being consumed by it. At present, this energy is derived from various sources with fossil fuels being the largest by far. According to the United States Energy In formation Administration, in 2014 sixty-seven percent of the United State s energy was converted from fossil fuels. (What is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source?) Although fossil fuels are able to meet rising energy demands, they are limitedRead MoreFossil Fuel Resources For Alternative Sources Of Energy Essay1827 Words   |  8 PagesDiminishing fossil fuel resources have prompted scientists and researchers to look for alternative sources of energy. Though several alternative sources of energy have been identified, generation of energy using combustion of fuels still remains the dominant source of energy globally [1]. In search for alternative fuels, biofuels have shown promising results to generate useful energy. However, efficient atomization of some high viscosity biofuels to yield maximum useful energy and minimise emissionsRead MoreBiology - Fossil Fuels vs. Alternative Energy Source1525 Words   |  7 PagesNicoletta Philippides March 15, 2013 Mr. Dunleavy, Period 4 The Effect of Fossil Fuels on Biodiversity Alternative Energy Resources Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon deposits derived from the remains of ancient plants and animals under enormous amounts of heat and pressure. Oil, or petroleum, is one of the most common fossil fuels utilized by people all over the world on a daily basis. Crude oil is a smelly, yellow-black, viscous liquid composed of mostly nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, which is

Ray Percival Free Essays

I think that Ray Percival’s article, â€Å"Malthus and His Ghost: When He Formulated His Theory, Malthus Ignored the Ingenuity of Man† (August. 18), in which he attempts to silence the Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus and his pro-population-control fanatics, the neo-Malthusians is a work of art. Paul Ehrlich and the other nay-sayers portray man as a gluttonous consumer. We will write a custom essay sample on Ray Percival or any similar topic only for you Order Now Yet, by default, every healthy human being is born with two hands every stomach comes with two hands attached. As Ray Percival asserts, by producing more than he consumes man has worked his way up from the near-universal poverty that was his fate two centuries ago. In my opinion, only one argument in Percival’s article needs to be revised. In his dismissal of Ehrlich’s simple-minded declaration that â€Å"more people = more famine,† he suggests that there have been â€Å"at most 15 million famine deaths† in this century. In fact, there has been nearly twice that in China alone. Most of which occurred from 1959 to 1962, following the Great Leap Forward, a campaign undertaken by the Chinese communists between 1958 and early 1960 to organize its vast population, especially in large-scale rural communes, to address China’s industrial and agricultural problems. It was the scheming of men, not the impulses of nature that led to mass starvation after the Great Leap Forward. This, of course, is a familiar story, told in the Ukrainian famine, the Cambodian famine. We live in an age in which governments, more specifically one-party Communalist rà ©gimes, deliberately cause famines. Percival’s optimism about the ability of free human populations to feed them could not be more accurate: it takes significant malicious geniuses to create economic systems and policies which render people incapable of providing for their basic needs. The population-control advocates have come to treat their body of belief more like a religious system than a scientific theory. It is impossible to convince anyone operating within neo-Malthusian constraints of its falsity by rational or pragmatic argument otherwise. They are intensely hardened in their narrow-mindedness by the abundance of funds to which they have access, since they have managed to convince many governments and foundations that they hold the key to mankind’s success as a species: reducing the numbers of living, breathing and loving human beings. How to cite Ray Percival, Papers

Black American Slave Trade Letter free essay sample

Britain has been active in the slave trade for over 100 years with about 47,000 slaves traveling to America from Africa with our ships every year and on average 1 slave ship sailed every week from a British port. From 1 698-present around 18 million slaves have been taken against their will and this is what we want to stop. I feel very strongly against the slave read as I have read some first hand accounts of the terrible manner in which the slaves are being treated.Let me give you some insight into how these men are being treated, first of all on a ship it is very dark and you see people die everyday, it smells of urine and sweat and slaves are not allowed to go to the toilet, they are chained tightly side by side and when they go up on deck saltwater is thrown over them to sting their cuts from the whips and they are forced to dance in front of the crew for their entertainment, they get fed toting more than gruel just enough to keep them alive twice a day. We will write a custom essay sample on Black American Slave Trade Letter or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I have a story I would like to share with you about the horrible people involved in the slave trade. On September 6th 1781 the slave ship Gong sailed from Africa bound for Jamaica in the West Indies, on board were 17 crewmen and 440 slaves. By the end of November the Gong was nearing Jamaica, however 7 of the crew and more than 60 slaves had died and others were badly ill, instead of sailing top speed to Jamaica the ships captain, Cowlings, turned around cause he knew no one would want to buy his slaves and therefore the ship owners would lose money.He also knew that the slaves were insured but the insurance wouldnt pay if they died of natural causes, so Cowlings had a thought if his crew threw the sick slaves overboard he thought the owners would be able to claim money back, they would pretend they were short of drinking water and they had to save what was left for the fit slaves. In the next few days 133 slaves were thrown overboard into the Atlantic.When the Gong finally arrived i n port it was exposed that the ship had 420 gallons of water left! Unsurprisingly the insurance did not pay up. More horrendously no action was taken against Cowlings who should have been tried for murder! This is the sort of thing we want to prevent from happening ever again, so am appealing to your sense of Christian morality for our fellow human beings to stop the slave trade.