Essay on Alternatives to Fossil Fuels for Environmental Protection

This essay addresses the critical need for alternative energy sources to mitigate the effects of global warming. It begins with background information on the issue and highlights the detrimental impact of fossil fuels on the environment. The essay then presents a thesis statement arguing that transitioning to alternative energy is the most effective way to protect the planet. Several arguments are put forth, emphasizing the benefits of renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydropower. The essay also acknowledges and refutes counterarguments, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic. The essay concludes by reinforcing the importance of adopting alternatives to ensure environmental sustainability, supported by references to academic sources.

ALTERNATIVES TO FOSSIL FUEL

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
According to the enlightening words of the ex-President of the United States of America, Mr.
Barack Obama, “Climate change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is
happening now.” The focal point of this quote is the pressing international issue of global
warming. The gradual increase in the mean temperature of the Earth's climate is termed as
'Global warming’. It is an indicator of change in the climate through temperature measurements
and fluctuations.
ISSUES:
“The potential issues encompassing the utilization of petroleum derivatives, especially as far as
environmental change, were viewed as sooner than you may might suspect (Benoit, 2011).” It
was a Swedish researcher named Svante Arrhenius who was the first to express that the
utilization of non-renewable energy source could add to a worldwide temperature alteration,
route in 1896. The issue has turned into a pressing one in just a span of a few decades.
Nowadays, people have grown to become more ecologically conscious and the sources of
energy are beginning to get critically examined.
This has prompted the ascent of various elective energy sources. While the feasibility of each
can be contended, they all contribute something positive when contrasted with petroleum
products. Lower emissions, lower fuel costs and the decrease of contamination are general
points of interest that the utilization of elective powers can frequently give.
The primary contribution to the human induced global warming is of fossil fuels. Through
combustion in engines and creating energy in coal plants, they release a large amount of
greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. These toxins also imminently threaten the
health of the population. This issue can be tackled through the application of alternate sources
to save the planet from an environmental crisis.
THESIS STATEMENT: Moving to an alternative energy source is the best way to prevent global
warming and protect the planet.
ARGUMENTS:
Renewable sources of energy or inexhaustible advancements seem to be the rational option for
energy source and conservative usage of the benefits reaped thereof limit its natural
harmfulness and are advantageous for dependence for current and long-term financial and
societal necessities. Sun is the prime source of everything being equal. The most beneficial
categories of solar energy are heat and light. They change forms and are consumed by the
earth in multiple processes. A fraction of the aforementioned changes are the reason for future
source of power as well, for example, biomass and hydro energy. These future source of power
innovations provide an incredible opportunity for the alleviation of ozone depleting substance
emission and lessening the chances of man-induced change in climate by substituting the
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common energy sources. For verification of the article, audit was on extent of carbon dioxide
reduction through solar cooker, water heater, dryer, biofuel, improved cookstoves and through
the usage of hydrogen.
“Harnessing power from the wind is one of the cleanest and most manageable approaches to
create power as it delivers no dangerous contamination or a dangerous atmospheric deviation
emanation. Wind is likewise plentiful, endless, and moderate, which makes it a practical and
substantial scale option in contrast to non-renewable energy sources (Fadare and Adesanya,
2009).”
Sun powered energy makes spotless, never-ending power and it is highly advantageous to the
earth. The substitutes of petroleum products lessen carbon impression within and outside the
geographical boundary, diminishing ozone depleting substances on the earth's climate. Sun
based energy is preferred as a source because of its nature conservancy properties.
A large portion of the power generated in the United States produced from petroleum based
products like coal. Separating and utilization of petroleum products is costly and unsafe to our
planet Earth.
On the other hand, sun-based vitality is abundantly available and unfathomable– if we could
store a large part of the sun's energy reaching the surface of the Earth for merely one hour, we
could provide energy to the whole world for one year! By optimizing the use of resources which
go into capturing solar energy, we can help diminish our usage of petroleum products for which
give out alarming amounts of toxins and make the best use of the free package of energy
accessible to us: The Sun.
Water has for quite some time been utilized as a wellspring of vitality, originating from Greek
utilization of water wheels more than 2,000 years back. It has been more than a century that
hydropower is utilized to create power from falling and flowing water. Hydroelectric power
comes from the utilizing the power possessed by water as it streams from a high level to a
considerably lower level, pivoting pressure driven turbines to make power. Tidal power, in spite
of the fact that not generally utilized, can likewise produce hydroelectricity by using a similar
standard.
“Hydropower is considered to be a clean, renewable source of energy, emitting a very low level
of greenhouse gases when compared to fossil fuels (The Environmental Literacy Council,
2019).” Once the system has been installed, the cost of operations is quite low and the
necessity of manpower is low as well due to automation. Apart from this advantage, the
generated power can be provided on demand because of the automated control of the flow of
water.
Situated in Sweden, tidy tech start-up NextFuel has spearheaded a technique utilizing an option
in contrast to wood pellets. “Utilizing elephant grass, NextFuel produces a CO2-negative option
in contrast to non-renewable energy source that can be utilized straightforwardly in the current
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energy foundation (Goldsmith, 2019).”
Elephant grass is a particular plant has the capacity to be as tall as four meters in only 100
days, creating a few yields to reap every year. When the grass has been reaped, NextFuel's
innovation requires almost no vitality to change it into a briquette in its processing plant. As less
carbon dioxide is discharged into the air when the fuel is copied than was caught from the
climate a couple of months sooner when the grass was developing, the entire carbon cycle ends
up negative on a yearly premise.
“Biodiesel is a sustainable power source not at all like other oil-based commodities that will
disappear in years to come. Since it is produced using creature and vegetable fat, it tends to be
delivered on interest and furthermore causes less contamination than oil diesel (Lee, Speight
and Loyalka, 2015).”
Non-renewable energy sources are constrained and will be unable to satisfy our interest for
coal, oil and gaseous petrol after a specific period. Biodiesel can fill in as an elective type of fuel
and can diminish our reliance on remote providers of oil as it is delivered from local vitality
crops. It is delivered in neighborhood processing plants which decrease the need to import
costly completed item from different nations.
COUNTER ARGUMENTS:
There are contrary views to the usage of these sources for energy. “Most hydroelectric power
plants have a dam and a repository. These structures may deter fish relocation and influence
their populaces. Working a hydroelectric power plant may likewise change the water
temperature and its streams. These progressions may hurt local plants and creatures in the
stream and ashore (Sherman, 2010).” With bio-diesel, the engine might either not be able to
start in colder regions or start after taking a couple of seconds. The filter of the vehicle gets
jammed with the residues of the solid particles of biodiesel.
REFUTATION:
Though these cons show the downside of using alternatives of fossil fuel, there are solutions
too. We should either use an additional chemical whose purpose is to better the fuel's
solidification properties with bio-diesel or else make use of a "preheater" to warm up the fuel
container and the filter. In the larger scheme of environmental issues faced by the world, they
are minor hindrances that can we can overcome to keep a check on global warming and make
the Earth a better place to live.
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REFERENCE
Benoit, P. (2011). Climate change. 6th ed. New York: Children's Press.
Fadare, S. and Adesanya, D. (2009). Sustainable environment. 5th ed. Ile-Ife, Nigeria: Obafemi
Awolowo University Press.
Lee, S., Speight, J. and Loyalka, S. (2015). Handbook of alternative fuel technologies. 7th ed.
Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Sherman, J. (2010). Hydroelectric power. 4th ed. Mankato, Minn.: Capstone Press.
Goldsmith, C. (2019). Top 5 innovative alternatives to fossil fuel. [online] Theneweconomy.com.
Available at: https://www.theneweconomy.com/energy/top-5-innovative-alternatives-to-fossil-fuel
[Accessed 10 May 2019].
The Environmental Literacy Council. (2019). Hydroelectric Power - The Environmental Literacy
Council. [online] Available at: https://enviroliteracy.org/energy/renewable-energy/hydroelectric-
power/ [Accessed 11 May 2019].
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