Fossil Fuels And Alternative Energy Sources :: essays research papers fc

“Shifting Power'; Since the beginning of industry humans have been in search of fuel to power machines and generate energy. Fossil fuels, such as crude oil and coal, discovered beneath the Earth’s surface were found to be an excellent source of fuel. These fossil fuels are burnt in order to generate the energy required to complete various tasks. However, we are now realizing the problems that are created by using fossil fuels to generate energy. These problems are so great that they will force humans to find an alternative source of energy in order to avoid the inevitable disasters that lie ahead. Every day millions of people drive their automobiles to work where they spend the day in a well lit workspace. Yet, they never give a second thought to the source of the energy that their daily lives depends on. Over eighty-five percent of the energy that powers the planet is derived from the burning of fossil fuels (Information 16). Fossil fuels contain impurities and these “impurities such as sulfur also burn and produce potentially dangerous oxides'; which are released into the air (Burning www 1). Releasing these oxides into the air has many consequences including smog, which is the most noticeable of these problems. The hazy smog that hangs over us in the summer is actually ground level ozone; the most harmful pollutant of our air (Information 59). Pollutants of the air we breathe are very dangerous and cause many problems especially to people with breathing disorders. For instance, the E.P.A. estimates that emissions of toxic material like these “oxides'; cause some 2000 cancer deaths a year (Information 61). The rainwater that falls through this polluted air also poses a major risk. Industrial plants and automobiles emit chemicals that mix with the moisture in the atmosphere and form acids that eventually fall to the Earth (Information 89). The same sulfur and nitrous oxides that cause the smog at ground level form nitric and sulfuric acids in the atmosphere (Burning www 1). Upon arrival to Earth this acidic rain damages everything that is falls on. The evidence of acid rain is extremely visible in the damaged forests, polluted soil, and the contaminated plants and animals that are spread around the globe. This acid rain is so damaging it is also blamed for destroying the ancient Greek structures that have previously remained intact (Burning www 2). To add to the list of health and environmental problems associated with the burning of fossil fuels, global warming is also a major threat.