How Important Are Fossil Fuels To Society Environmental Sciences Essay

How Important Are Fossil Fuels To Society Environmental Sciences Essay Thirst for knowledge is humans natural behaviour which has led to various inventions and discoveries. Humans need energy for doing all types of work. Without generating energy, all the luxuries of everyday life will come to an end. Fossil fuels, a remarkable discovery by humans have simplified our lives. However, the rate at which these resources are being depleted are threatening to run out soon. Fossil fuel usage began on a large scale with the introduction of industrial revolution in 1800s.Nowadays, a lot of alternative energy options are available, like wind , hydro , and sun energy. But ironically, majority of our energy is derived from non-renewable energy sources, which are commonly called fossil fuels. Like every other invention or discovery influence society, same applies to fossil fuels as well. In order to know how fossil fuels affect our society, one needs to examine it. Without fossil fuels, there wouldnt be any means of transportation, and the world and the economy would come to standstill. We need energy to heat houses, and energy is needed for agriculture and industries. Without fossil fuels, there would be no energy, no heat, and the cost on running on the alternatives would be a lot higher than what we have on fossils. Fossil fuels are comprised of hydrogen and carbon bonds. Coal, oil and natural gas, are the three kinds of fossil fuels used for delivering energy. With the increasing population, the demand for energy also increases, which increases the pressure on the environment. Another major variable, that threatens and pressurizes the energy sector to move into nuclear, solar and other environmentally friendly energy sources, is due to the fear of climate change. Coal, oil and natural gas supplies are forecasted to peak as the reserves are running out. Coal is a form of solid fossil fuel which is formed by decay of land vegetation. It is plenteous as compared to oil and natural gas. Forecasters predict every now and then, that the coal usage will increase as oil supplies becomes less. Present supply of coal might last about 200 years or more. Developing countries such as India and China, cant meet the expense of using natural gas or oil, and therefore depend on coal for delivering energy. According to IEAs world energy outlook forecast (2006), 85% of the increase in coal demand is likely to come from China. Coal consumption is predicted to increase by 1.4% yearly until 2030, with about two-thirds of the demands in India and China. According to the statistical survey done (2007), The coal consumption in 2006 was 3 billion tonnes. China, India, South Africa and Germany claimed to be the largest consumers of coal. The natural gas exploration is getting cheaper and big industries are switching to natural gas instead of coal which has other side problems, besides environmentally unfriendly. Oil is a liquid fossil fuel, formed from the remainders of marine micro-organisms deposited on the sea floor. Millions of years after, the deposits eventually end up in sediments and rock, in which oil is confined. Oil consists of a lot of organic compounds, which are altered into usable products by refining process. Oil is not found in all the places on earth, and there have been wars on oil supplies. Gulf war which happened in 1991, is a well-known example of this. The local production of oil has lowered since 1960.In 1970s the oil production has plunged reaching a peak point of 9.6 million barrel per day(Mbbl/d). Since then, oil demand has increased significantly such that industries supply less than half of all its oil that we consume. However there had been a radically change in consumption from 1960 to 1970 (from about 10 Mbbl/d to about 17 Mbbl/d) as shown in the figure. Moving to suburb and driving for miles caused an increase in consumption which was a turning point in American societys lifestyle. Nevertheless, during 1970s, demand levelled off and then declined suddenly as oil prices increased to over a dollar per gallon from $0.25. Since 1980s, oil demand has grown progressively as prices stabilized while inflation continued to grow. Currently we sit at 19.6 million barrel per day in U.S. which is about 25% of the worldwide consumption of 77 Million barrels per day. Natural gas is a gaseous form of fossil fuel which is versatile, available in plenty and relatively cleaner as compared to the oil and coal. Like oil, it is also formed from the remainders of marine micro-organisms. Natural gas is made up of methane, and is highly compressible, and is drilled to bring it on the earths crust. More coal was used until 1999, than natural gas. It has surpassed coal now in developed countries. However, humans are frightened that natural gas supply will eventually run out, like oil and coal. Predictions say that this might take place at the end or the middle of the 21st century. Unlike oil supplies, Natural gas reserves are distributed more uniformly around the planet. Energy produced by combustion of fossil fuels is converted to heat and electricity in power plants. On combustion, carbon and hydrogen reacts with oxygen to yield carbondioxide and water with heat. Electricity is produced by transforming this heat into electrical energy in a generator. Although, building a power plant needs a lot of money, the efficiency it delivers to convert fuel into energy is very high, and is worth the money spent to build it. The demand of electricity varies throughout the year, and provisions should be made to meet the demand in peak load. When the demand surpasses the capacity of power plants to generate electricity, momentary blackouts are experienced. In 2001, California experienced shortage of electricity, drawing attention to the crude oil and natural gas shortage. In the past, fossil fuels were present in abundance and were easy to obtain and deliver. The present trend of using these energy resources by mankind is one of the important issues questioning its long term sustainability. We have created a horrible situation for ourselves, by denying the fact that these resources will not be running low, and trying to run away from the reality rather than facing it. People are afraid of the consequences of what may happen if the fossil fuels actually run out. Fossil fuel combustion contributes to a lot of environmental issues that are also high on political agenda these days. Examples of these issues include emission of greenhouse gases, acid rain, air and water pollution, and ozone at ground level. These environmental concerns are caused by the burning of fossil fuels, which produces impurities like nitrogen, sulphur, and organic volatile compounds. These bi-products influence people and our atmosphere in many harmful ways. Like a glass in a greenh ouse, these pollutants build a barrier and prevent the excess heat from earth to escape. The temperature of the earth increases with the increase in this barrier, resulting in global warming. Global warming has become a serious issue, which could threaten our existence. Have people ever thought that why Antartica experienced the warmest years in all of history? Have people thought of rising sea level, which resulted due to melting of ice? The intensifying sea level could lead in floods and hurricane. If these changes are not enough to alert humans, the effect on agriculture around the world might be frightening. Production of maple is decreased by 10% because of warmer and shorter winters. A study comparing the yields of six main staple crops was done at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs and Stanford university. Study showed that for every one degree rise in temperature, there will be a decline of about 3% to 5% in the yield of those crops. Those six crops is responsible for abou t 55% of non-meat calories consumed by people, and about 70% of the animals feed all over the world. Acid rain is caused by the emission of sulphur and nitrogen, by burning fossil fuels. Acid rain is a combination of dry and wet deposition from the sky which contains higher amounts of nitric acid and sulphuric acid than normal. It makes the lakes and streams acidic, which leads to destruction of trees at higher altitude and soils. Acid rains also contribute to the decay of buildings and sculptures, decreases the visibility and have harmful effects on publics health. Acid rain not only cause damages where it falls, but it affects all over the planet, since lakes and streams transport the water throughout earths crust and finally to the ocean. The plants and animals that are dependent on this water to survive are affected and may decease if the chemicals in the water are present in extreme excess. Another problem resulting from fossil fuel usage is Air pollution, resulting in smog. Apart from human sickness, smog also affects the crops, by seeping through the leaves protective layers and destroying the essential cell membranes. This makes the crops weaker and decreases its yield. Combustion of fossil fuels produces nitrogen and other organic gases that form ozone. Ozone is formed near the surface of the earth causing air pollution. According to the CESI report (2006), Ground level ozone has affected the health of Canadians including respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, premature deaths and over 6000 hospitalizations. All above discussed issues are caused by the emission of impurities that are present in the structures of fossil fuel .Presently, combustion of oil accounts for about 30% of carbondioxide in the environment. The maximum emission of pollutants is caused by the burning of coal. Natural gas consists of methane structure, due to which it doesnt emit as much carbondioxide as compared to oil and coal. The question arises, that looking at these consequences, why are we still using fossil fuels to such large scale? The answer is simple; because fossil fuels are comparatively cheaper than using alternatives we know so far. People have made their lives so much dependable on fuels, that if these run out, the human civilization will come to an end too. Also, digging fossil fuels from earth surface is dangerous, as digging of mines and wells could result in change of surroundings and may fetch immense quantity of salt water to the earths surface, which can result in damaging the ecosystem in clos e proximity with no appropriate treatment and sequestration. There are procedures to follow to minimize the hazards, but it is hard to completely eradicate them. However, regulations are not enough, we should continue researching new technologies for fossil fuels and renewable sources both, to add increasing conservation measures. Few environmentalists predict that because of insufficiency, fuel prices will increase exponentially in the coming century. We cannot completely stop using fossil fuels, but we must make some changes in our consumption pattern by avoiding oil products and favouring available alternatives for our sustainability.

The Condition of Women During the French Revolution :: Essays Papers

The Condition of Women During the French Revolution In Women and the Limits of Citizenship in the French Revolution, Olwen H. Hufton expresses her intention to show that women's responses to their various situations during the revolution "transformed and modified the entire history of the period 1789-1815."(1) In order to demonstrate her point, Hufton evaluates the Paris "engendered crowd" and their interest in popular sovereignty, the gender complexities of the revolutionary reform policies, and the "guerilla warfare" of women in the provinces.(2) The complexity of women's roles in the French Revolution, she notes, did involve bread rioters, members of political clubs, and defenders of religious traditions, but she resists the "simple evolutionary view of a revolutionary woman," such as the politically incompatible woman whose involvement became a "serial disaster" (3) or the fanatical woman of political clubs and religion.(4) In 1789, bread rioters marched to Versailles, dried their rain-soaked clothing in the assembly hall, disrupt ed the proceedings with rowdy behavior, invaded the queen's bedroom, and pressured the king into a humiliating journey to Paris, where the "chief baker" could be coerced into providing bread.(5) A crowd of women in 1789 removed the king from the Versailles court where he could be influenced by his wife's foreign family and established Paris as the center of French politics. However, Hufton concludes that "the most persistent ghost of the French Revolution," the "spectre" that would "haunt" future politicians and deprive women of the right to participate in elections, was the subversive woman of 1795-96. (6) I will show how Hufton develops her theme of women in specific situations that impact the condition of women during the French Revolution, especially the 1795-96 counter-revolutionary woman that other historians of the French Revolution, such as Suzanne Desan, recognize to be significant in the changing trends in the condition of women during the French Revolution. Joan Wallach Scott and Susan Dalton contribute insights into the roles of Olympe de Gouges and Madame Roland, Darline Gay Levy and Harriet B. Applewhite develop the subtheme of militant women in Paris, and Joan B. Landes discusses women in the "public sphere," while Suzanne Desan explains how women created a public sphere through religious activism. Despite the legal prohibition of participation of women in the public sphere after 1793, some women succeeded in influencing French policies regarding religion through clever, courageous activist efforts. Women did not succeed in acquiring the right to participate in elections until 1945, but they took advantage of other informal, or even illegal means, to influence French society.

Home School vs. Public School Essay

I prefer home schooling over public schooling; which one do you prefer? There are both pros and cons for both Home Schooling and Public Schooling. I am going to explain this all to you in my essay. I personally was home schooled for a few years during middle and high school. All of elementary school and part of middle school I went to a regular school. My reasoning for choosing to be home schooled is I have Agoraphobia which is an anxiety disorder caused by situations where people perceive the environment as being difficult to escape or get help. As soon as I would walk into a class room I would have a panic attack. One thing I liked about public school was being able to play volleyball. I loved playing it for the little bit of time that I was in middle school. Even though I wasn’t really all that great, So I didn’t play very much. That is one con of being home schooled. You cannot play sports affiliated with any school. A pro for public schooling is you have a group environment to learn in with others to help you. On the other hand with home schooling you are on your own. In home schooling you have less choices of curriculum as you would if you were going to public school. You also have more diversity in public school. When going to public school you have a higher student to teacher ratio, now with home schooling there is a small teacher to student ratio. In home schooling you are free to choose your schedule, as in public school your schedule is strict and chosen for you. Public school chooses the curriculum for you. Unlike in home schooling you can choose your own. There are now roughly millions of children being home schooled. Being home schooled teaches students to be independent in their learning choices. Sometimes home schooling can be more expensive than going to public school. Teachers are not always qualified to teach all subjects, and colleges sometimes have stricter admission policies concerning home schooled students. It is also harder to provide social interaction when being home schooled. Like I had stated before I prefer home schooling but everyone has their own opinions. This is the reason why I have enrolled myself into the University of Phoenix online. So that I can have the flexibility of my classes, this way I can work around my everyday life and not miss out when it comes to spending time with my boys. I hope that the information in my essay was helpful to you.

Is College Worth Your Time - 2444 Words

Nicholas Pecarina Professor Wood ENGL 1302-83030 06 May 2016 Is College Worth Your Time? Is graduating from college and paying thousands of dollars while at the same time going into student loan debt worth it? Is a college education worth the price tag? What benefit does college provide an individual? What is the risk of obtaining a college degree but not finding a job? There are so many questions to answer because college is a big investment of time and treasure. A college degree enables a person to live life comfortably, to take advantage of multiple choices of employment, and to pursue the American dream. Let us start by answering how college will be worth your time and how college is worth your money, followed by a deeper look at how a college student evolves and benefits through the trials of a college education, and then explore counterarguments to the concept of going to college. Time is a precious commodity. You graduate from high school and find yourself needing to get that ticket to your career. You are ready to start getting paid for your time, but you must have that ticket to a higher paying job to be able to start out on your own. The decision to travel down a four-year-long road to that ticket, a college degree, is a tough proposition for someone who just four years before was in junior high school. Four years is one fifth of an eighteen year old teenager’s life. However, this road, although its long, is an opportunity for the college student toShow MoreRelatedWhy College Is Worth Your Time And Money?1069 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish 1302 2017 February 6 College: The key to Success Attending college has its advantages and disadvantages once applying and getting accepted. Education is depicted on the type of people in society that are willing to set forward the work that comes along with wanting to be successful. Is college worth people’s time and money? 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