Topic > Preparing for the Future of Renewable Resources

IndexIntroductionThe Future Transition to Renewable ResourcesFossil Fuels: From Discovery to DepletionCurrent Issues: Global Warming and Environmental ImpactFuture Solutions: Deployment of Renewable ResourcesPotential of Future Energy SourcesConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionTo change and begin preparing for the future, we must know the past and the present. Currently, non-renewable resources include terrestrial minerals, fossil fuels, and terrestrial minerals. Many of these non-renewable resources were discovered early in civilization. The discovery of these resources led to many years of innovation, the beginning of the oil economy, and the industrial revolution. Although fossil fuels are still in use today, these fuels create health and environmental problems. Furthermore, we are depleting these resources to extinction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe Future Transition to Renewable ResourcesBecause the problems presented by fossil fuels can be harmful to humanity, the transition from non-renewable to renewable resources is critical to our future on this planet. Every person is affected by the availability of fossil fuels. If change is not made now, there will be no future or survival for humanity. Once our immediate existence is secured, we can prepare for the future. Preparation includes research, engineering and studying future endeavors. These preparation phases have been ongoing for many years. However, the survival chances offered by current methods have exceeded their limits. Organizations around the world are working effortlessly to further promote the implementation of new alternative energy. The formulation of new alternative energies creates many problems. These issues can include capital costs, technical setbacks, and government-imposed covenants. Even as we prepare for the future, we can learn how we got to this difficult situation. Since the beginning of time, non-renewable resources have been the main source of energy for many years. Gold Price, a gold investment website, states: "In 3,600 BC, Egyptian goldsmiths learned to make precious metals (earth minerals) from earth minerals." This area of ​​work is called metallurgy. Gold, copper and lead were produced from metallurgy. During these times, gold was not considered rare or limited. In other words, gold had no monetary value, however, it showed a position in society. Another terrestrial mineral was lead. In these times lead was used to make water pipes and linings for the inside of tanks. Because lead is not as malleable and strong as copper, Egyptians used it to make garden tools, kitchen utensils, and weapons. Despite the usefulness of these metals, early peoples did not value gold, copper, or lead as we do today. Fossil fuels: from discovery to exhaustion Fossil fuels are included in the spectrum of non-renewable resources. Fossil fuels were unintentionally produced from fossilized organic matter. Much of this organic matter comes from dinosaurs, plants, and marine fossils fossilized during the Paleogene extinction. Major fossil fuel resources include coal, oil, and natural gas. These three fossil fuels are commonly used today, but, according to Eric McLamb, CEO and President of Green Communications, states, "...these three fossil fuels were discovered by the Chinese betweenthe years 981 BC and 500 BC". first discovered fossil fuel. The Kentucky Coal Education Project, an informative website on the history of coal, states that “coal was man's first source of heat and light. Yes knows that the Chinese used coal more than 3,000 years ago. The first discovery of coal in this country [United States] was by French explorers on the Illinois River in 1679...commercial mining occurred near Richmond, IN. Virginia, in 1784." After the birth of commercial coal mining, the industrial revolution took place. Coal had now provided energy for steamships, railway engines, the formation of iron and steel. By the late 1800s, coal was being used to produce electricity, and by the early 1900s it had become America's main source of energy. Coal remained the primary form of energy until oil appeared in the mid-1900s. Oil was the second fossil fuel discovered in the world, according to Ekinteravtive, an interactive educational site on oil, states: “The Chinese had discovered oil in 600 BC, and transported the oil via bamboo pipelines... In America, Colonel Drake Herald had discovered oil in Pennsylvania in 1859. Now, with the discovery of oil, an oil economy had come to fruition . Oil had changed everything, cars had become faster, engines had become stronger and cars had been equipped with a new form of fuel. The first oil production was in the form of kerosene. Kerosene had replaced the “carbon oils” that had previously powered lamps, and by 1919 automobiles, ships and engines had switched to gasoline. Gasoline is what remains of heated petroleum (petroleum). The latest fossil fuel discovered would be natural gas. According to natgas, “It was not until 500 BC that the Chinese discovered the potential to use these fires to their advantage…Britain was the first country to commercialize the use of natural gas. Around 1785, natural gas was used to light homes and street lamps. Produced natural gas of this type was first purchased in the United States in 1816 and was used to light the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. Natural gas mainly contributed to heating homes, lighting streets, houses and also created a continuous flame for the stove and water heater. Furthermore, the Bunsen burner was invented with the help of natural gas. While we know that oil and coal can provide the same equivalents as natural gas, natural gas provides a cheaper and more convenient fuel than oil and coal. Fossil fuels and terrestrial minerals are considered non-renewable resources because once these resources are used there is no way to get them back or reform them into their previous state. Fossil fuels, as we already know, were deposited in the earth's crust millions of years ago starting with the extinction of the dinosaurs. Terrestrial minerals, on the other hand, have been present in the earth since its formation. Although both fossil fuels and terrestrial minerals are considered non-renewable resources, fossil fuels are used as a form of energy while terrestrial minerals are used for the formation of jewelry, conduction products or status symbols (luck, marital status, engagement, promises, etc...). Currently, across the world as a community, we use fossil fuels as our primary source of energy. Compared to other forms of energy, “fossil fuels make up 85.8% of the world's energy,” this is in tangent to BP's 2018 Statistical Review of World Energy. With this information provided, this means that only the14.2% of the world's energy is renewable, this shows how important fossil fuels are in our daily lives. So while fossil fuels provide the world with energy, they also pose a number of problems for the future and present. Looking ahead, fossil fuels are running out and there is no way to replenish them fast enough. Tibia Puiu, a science author, states: “…oil will run out in 53 years, natural gas in 54 and coal in 110 years.” At this rate of depletion there will be no more fossil fuels (energy) to power homes, cars, factories, businesses, hospitals or anything that requires these types of fuel. This can prove very catastrophic for many people who thrive on the use of fossil fuels, whether it be in their businesses, fuel for transportation, or the energy needed to run healthcare equipment, all energy-based equipment will be rendered unusable. Current Issues: Global Warming and Environmental ImpactNow we can see the future of fossil fuels, let's talk about the current issues we face regarding fossil fuels. Currently, the use of fossil fuels leads us to the global warming epidemic. Global warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the Earth's atmosphere due to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Fossil fuels are what we call hydrocarbons, hydrocarbons are a carbon-based compound that produces carbon dioxide as a byproduct. Since hydrocarbons are the primary source of energy and its byproduct, carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide produces the largest greenhouse gas that affects global warming (climate change). If the use of hydrocarbons is not reduced, our ozone layer will gradually begin to deteriorate. After the ozone layer has completely disappeared, UV rays will be able to penetrate the earth with a stronger frequency causing childhood deformities, cancer and a variety of health problems, in addition to these problems, we will have temperatures ranging from 120 degrees Fahrenheit to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit from the boiling point of water. Future Solutions: Deploying Renewable Resources Now that we have discussed fossil fuels and the problems they present, we can now talk about Earth's minerals and how they can impact the present and future. Earth's minerals are almost never seen in their natural state of matter unless we mine them. Normally we see terrestrial minerals in the form of terrestrial minerals, terrestrial minerals are elements derived from terrestrial minerals. For example, how many people have seen the earthly mineral Bauxite? Probably none! But if we were to ask, who has seen the earth's mineral, aluminum? Almost everyone would agree that they have seen some shape or form of aluminum. Aluminum is a terrestrial mineral (terrestrial element) derived from the terrestrial mineral, bauxite, through the processes of extraction, refining and disposal. Earth-based minerals such as gold, copper and lead do not have as detrimental an effect on the global environment as fossil fuels do. However, the process in which we acquire our dose of Earth's minerals poses a threat to our immediate surroundings. We acquire terrestrial minerals through the processes of extraction, refining and disposal. Each process creates a specific problem depending on the mineral. The first process, mining, is the physical removal of underground minerals. Mining procedures involve the use of heavy machinery that opens large holes in theland. This procedure damages thriving ecosystems in the immediate vicinity of the mining site. While the mining procedure has taken place and the earth mineral is extracted, the refining process takes place. Refining is the process of isolating earth minerals from earth minerals. This process uses acidic concentrates to acquire the desired minerals. After acquiring the desired product, the counterparts must be disposed of by creating the “disposal process”. The disposal process consists of disposing of debris from mining sites, by-products of acid solutions and metal particles from refineries. These three byproducts, if disposed of inadequately, contaminate water sources. According to MIT, an educational technology institute in Massachusetts, “water is contaminated in three ways: sedimentation, acid drainage, and metal deposition.” To avoid global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel depletion, water contamination and health problems, we must use renewable resources. We can implement renewable resources in the future; some of those used today include wind energy, biomass, hydropower, and solar energy. These resources provide an alternative form of energy that can replace the non-renewable forms we use today. This renewable energy can be produced in many different ways. Conversion to alternative energy is the best way to save the future environment. According to Enerdata, a global statistics website, the global energy consumption graph is relative2018 shows that 26% of the world's energy is renewable. This includes solar energy, hydropower, wind energy and biomass fuels. Solar energy uses the sun's nuclear fusion energy and the use of photovoltaic cells to produce electricity. Although solar energy is very promising, the initial cost of the product is very high. This can prove problematic for most people. Hydropower, another renewable energy, uses circulating water and a pump-like mechanism to produce electricity. While hydropower creates a lot of electricity, it also endangers wildlife habitats, fish migration and water quality. Wind energy, the most advanced renewable resource, uses windmills to generate electricity. However, windmills are known to be very noisy and cause a high mortality rate among bats and birds. The last of the four renewable sources is biomass fuels. Biomass fuels are produced by the process of photosynthesis of organic matter. Ethanol, a fuel we use for our cars, is a product of a biomass fuel. This fuel is very environmentally friendly but takes time to create, this can prove to be a problem when you have millions of cars and trucks needing fuel. Every renewable energy produces some problems, we must improve our current renewable sources or introduce new forms. While the renewable energy we have today may be more powerful and efficient, they will always have their little problems. The introduction of other renewable energies, which have not yet been implemented, may prove beneficial to our survival and the environment. Futuristic forms of energy that can be developed and eventually used include space solar power, hydrogen energy, and energy from nuclear waste. While there are many other forms of energy that can be introduced, these three forms may have the greatest impact on our energy composition and do not produce/