The Non Renewable Energy Sources Environmental Sciences Essay

Non-renewable energy sources is widely used for its relatively cheap price, it is readily available, its location, integration, and economic benefits. Nonrenewable energy sources are a lot cheaper to mine and utilize versus the alternative renewable energy resources. The United States Energy Information Administration states that power plants fueled by coal and other nonrenewable energy sources produce electricity at a cheaper cost than when generated by renewable energy source, wind for example. Biofuels, derived from plants, are more expensive to produce and yield a worse miles per gallon rating than non-renewable source petroleum. Many people have supported the use of renewable energy, but have not thought of the negative effects it can bring to society if it were to completely replace non-renewable energy sources. It can lead to an increase in unemployment if this were to happen. Fossil fuel industries employ millions of people and generate more than a trillion dollars in revenue. The transition of adopting an alternative energy will provide jobs but the magnitude of such action will only be hard to do. Renewable energy can only be sited in certain location and its distribution is no readily available to that of petroleum. Petroleum, a fossil fuel, can be easily distributed through pipelines to most areas at a relatively low cost. This provides a better alternative than that of alternative energy sources. Take wind turbines as an example, an electric-producing generator that requires areas that have significant amount of winds are not as effective as utilizing oil that is readily available. Global infrastructures are designed to use non-renewable energy and the integration of renewable sources is one that is hard to implement. Making this transition will require wholesale changes in energy production and its distribution. Biofuel, an alternative energy, requires its own pumps and well which require a huge investment of capital on part of the seller. Just like non-renewable energy, sources have its advantages it also has its disadvantages (http://www.ehow.com/list_7221490_benefits-nonrenewable-energy-sources.html).

Non-renewable energy sources, fossil fuels, is highly sought for being the cheapest alternative other energy, but many disadvantages exists with its use. The issues entangled with such energy source are that it is a finite source, produces pollution, environmental issues, and human dependency. Non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels will eventually run out and humans must shift to other alternatives. It takes millions of years for fossil fuels to form and we are consuming them at a fast rate. Once this finite source runs out, humans will need to invest in alternative energies and if not done in time, it can stunt economic growth. Fossil fuels when utilized produce a byproduct known as carbon dioxide, which is the culprit to hurting the human health. Many industrial companies produce tons of carbon dioxide and sulfur oxide into the atmosphere causing a “greenhouse effect”. The “greenhouse effect” is the main contributor to global warming, the process of earth’s increase in temperature due to the destruction of the ozone layer. This contributes to the melting of ice caps, which in return will raise the ocean and destroy habitats. During mining for coal and drilling oil there are many dangers to the environment involved. It creates an imbalance to our ecosystem by destroying the land and the surrounding habitats. Oil spills caused by drilling in the oceans damages the marine life and the natural balance of the underwater ecosystem (http://www.ehow.com/info_7823431_disadvantages-nonrenewable-sources-energy.html). Non-renewable energy source mainly consist of coal, oil, gas, and nuclear power.

In the United States and many other countries the most well-known fossil fuel is coal. Coal has been used as a power source since the dawn of the industrial revolution. Coal was formed from plant life buried in the Earth millions of years ago and it is carbon based.

(http://www.universetoday.com/73708/what-are-fossil-fuels/#ixzz2MtbMpSsF). It is the largest non-renewable energy sources consumed in the United States. “During 1997, U.S. coal production reached a record high of 1,087 million tons, an increase of 2.3 percent, or 25 million tons, above 1996 production levels” (PDF). Coal is commonly used to produce electricity in power plants, fuel for heating, and for making steel. Many chemicals derived from coal are used to produce and manufacture nylon, paints, plastics, and rubber among other products. Coal is ranked based on the amount of heat it produces. It is ranked, in increasing order, brown coal, subbituminous coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite. Bituminous is the most common type and is soft coal. Just as coal is sought for its properties and use, oil is also a strong non-renewable energy source.

Crude oil comes in a variety of characteristics it ranges from a very fluid volatile liquid to a viscous like fluid, close to semisolid. Their density varies, according to how dense the crude oil is, it is described as heavy, average or light. The lighter it the density the more gasoline it contains, a preferred refined product. It can come in multiple colors in its crude state. Colors consist of black, green, yellow, or even transparent. “Gasoline, also known in its raw form as petroleum is another fossil fuel. Everyone knows about gasoline because the important role it plays in our economy. Gasoline powers the majority of automobiles and vehicles on the planet today. The combustion engine made using gasoline a cheap and efficient source of energy for powering these vehicles” (http://www.universetoday.com/73708/what-are-fossil-fuels/#ixzz2MtbCUaYE). Crude oil, a hydrocarbon, is composed entirely of carbon and hydrogen with some minor impurities of sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen. It has multiple applications, once refined, such as gasoline, kerosene, furnace oil, and many other types. Petroleum is a crude oil that can be distilled to make lubricating oils, asphalt, and other products. Along with coal, it is one of the major producers of energy. “In combination, coal and petroleum produce 60 percent of U.S. energy consumed today and their use is expected to generate 20 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity by 2015, up from a 1995 level of 11.4 trillion kilowatt-hours” (PDF). Another non-renewable source composed of hydrocarbons is Natural gas. Natural gas is a mixture of flammable gases, mainly the hydrocarbons methane and ethane that occurs beneath the surface of the Earth. Natural gas is commonly found in association with petroleum due to the same favorable condition they are found it. It can be manufactured directly from coal and petroleum as well. Natural gas is favorable as an energy source because it inexpensive to transport via pipelines from one place to another. It is estimated that about 100 million metric tons of natural gas are reserve, estimated to last about 100 years. Another non-renewable energy source was expected to a clean and cheap alternative but lacked support.

Nuclear power does not produce pollution such as greenhouse gasses compared to fossil fuels. Many believed this energy, at one point, be cheaper and outlast many other non-renewable resources. Many electrical power plants take advantage of nuclear energy as an alternative for producing electricity. Nuclear reactors provide the energy to heat the water that is converted into steam, which then drives a turbine-generator to produce electricity. The fission of uranium atoms allows the production of heat in the reactors to also produce the steam. Uranium is the fuel for nuclear reactors. It is an abundant and naturally radioactive element found in most rocks and as it decays it produces heat inside the Earth’s crust. This process is similar in a nuclear reactor. Heat is produced in a nuclear reactor when neutrons strike uranium atoms, causing them to split in a continuous chain reaction. There are several commercial reactors distributed around the United States whose design consist mainly of heavy steel pressure vessels surrounding the reactor core. This reactor core contains the uranium. Nuclear power, a non-renewable energy source, deemed to be the best compared to others in terms of clean efficient energy but its lack of management stunt its growth. Construction costs and the numerous regulation imposed by the government led this project to more expensive than originally predicted making it a nonprofit source, something not acceptable. Along with its poor management there posed many dangers with handling nuclear power. Nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania and the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant in Ukraine raised many concerns about its safety. The United States has not built a new nuclear facility in over twenty years, a relatively complex energy source (http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/How_Does_Nuclear_Energy_Work).

Non-renewable energy as a source has been controversial for many reasons but humans are highly dependent of it. There are not any alternative and more efficient energy sources that can provide the world with cheaper and more readily energy than fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are frowned upon for the pollution they create. Even strong supporters of fossil fuel use will agree. The pollution leads to climate change, health risks from overexposure, and the highly controversial global warming. Whether it is about the release of greenhouse gases being release or spills of petroleum in natural habitats, the dangers are very real. “We can assume that increased coal production and consumption will lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from fossil fuel power plants. Thus, not only is coal consumption increasing but, more importantly, carbon dioxide (CO2), a major greenhouse gas emitted from burning coal, will also increase” (PDF). Scientists are looking for better ways to harvest and use fossil fuel. Some include a hybrid mixture of a non-renewable source with a renewable source. The mixing of gasoline with biofuels have shown to provide a cleaner form of carbon fuels such as natural gas and bio matter from livestock (http://www.universetoday.com/73708/what-are-fossil-fuels/#ixzz2MtbWMHIE). Besides the negative environmental impact of fossil fuels, the economic impact also is very damaging. Non-renewable are becoming more scarce and this will increase the price to obtain such needed energy. Non-renewable sources such as coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power will eventually run out or harder to produce leading humans to find more efficient renewable sources (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/nonrenewableresource.asp#ixzz2Mtc6J7RE).