Environmental Science 8

How fossil burning is causing climate change

Christopher Lockey

Grantham University

Currently, fossil fuels account for over 80% of all the commercial energy sources used, let alone energy provided directly by the sun and conventional biomass energy sources which are not traded in commerce. This deteriorating situation has not changed much over the past five decades. The energy sources of our society are both parts of the means to attain sustainability and the feared likelihood for environmental instability.

Fossil fuels such as natural gas, petroleum, coal, oil shale among others typify this inherent environmental predicament. These are our primary energy sources. Nonetheless, they are depletable on a scale that is related to human history, and albeit their utilization may be altering the ecology of the earth globally, regionally and locally, for instance changing the greenhouse effect. We dwell in an increasingly developing society that requires more energy for a variety of uses. The task is to elude the predicament by policy and technological prescriptions so that fossil fuels are utilized solely for the benefit of man, society and its environment as a whole (Seinfeld & Pandis, 2012).

Evidently, disquiet is eminent about the changing greenhouse effect that in the long run may limit the use of fossil fuels, and the subject is viciously debated since doubts pervade the entire matter. Even though the increase in the absorptions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is unquestionable, the evidence of significant temperature or climate change is not. Nevertheless, it is far too risky to do nothing while anticipating utter proof of an impending disaster; thus, doubts about the greenhouse effect and the calamitous nature of the environmental dilemma we face ought not to be used as excuses for failure to act.

Air pollution as a result of carbon particulate matter and other waste product not only impact directly on the ecology but by pollution of soil and water leads to their dilapidation. Dry and wet deposition of mineral contaminants results in acidification of environment. These occurrences increase green corrosion, affect the health of the people, and extinguish cultivated forests and soil. Most of the coniferous trees are not resilient to oxides. As a result of longer exposure leaves of withering and fall. Extensive forest cover damage has been noted in North America and Europe; a majority of cultivated vegetation is not resilient to these ecological contaminants, especially in the previous period of vegetation growth due to the effects of fossil energy use in the past half-century mainly because of industrialization (Stocker, 2014).

Looking into the history, ecological problems associated with the increasing use of fossil fuels beg the question is why they are so popular? Fossil fuels are significant energy sources. The assortment of fossil fuels coupled with the technology man has established to produce and transform them to beneficial purposes is an amazing phenomenon. Additionally, as a result of biomass production during the past, when the earth was seemingly much less warm, the reservoirs of fossil fuels were developed rather ubiquitously.

Consequently, fossil fuels were present almost everywhere, and some, for instance, petroleum, were readily transportable. Technological improvements have brought about production and discoveries from the most inhospitable regions of the world. Even though fossil fuels are gradually decreasing, the projected resources are still vast and available. Focusing on the Clean Air Act of 1970 and its constitutional revisions that were made in the years 1977 and 1990, account for some critical milestones in history with regards to air pollution control due to burning fossil fuel. Their auspices are a political reaction to the growing concern of society about the ecological impact of fossil fuel utilization. Paradoxically, it is accurately this fossil fuel use that has enabled mankind, and particularly the developed nations with the technical and economic wherewithal to attain air pollution control (Seinfeld & Pandis, 2012).

It is crucial to accentuate that technical solutions are existing today for decreasing pollutant emissions from most sources to ecologically acceptable levels. Regrettably, what necessarily constitutes "environmentally acceptable" levels of a contaminant is a subject of some endless debate. What is much more controversial, of course, is who in particular ought to pay for such emissions cutbacks. For instance, when the economy weakens, these amounts naturally have a tendency to rise. Alternatively, as the release requirements for a particular contaminant are decreased nearer and nearer to none, the cost of regulation escalates sharply. Thus, there is an apparent trade-off between the costs related to discharge criterions and the supposed benefits to the society and precisely environment (Stocker, 2014). Solutions: alternative renewable energy

Renewable energy will play a profound role in the energy industry, especially in this era and beyond. For instance companies like Royal Dutch/Shell and British Petroleum, are committed in their efforts geared towards diversifying energy sources to include renewable energy. Renewable energy specialists affirm that these alternative energy systems will not only assist cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions, but also they project that in the next fifty years, renewables may increase to supply nearly half the globe's energy. Efficaciously producing electricity by harnessing the limitless power generated by the wind and the sun has been proven to be technologically feasible (Seinfeld & Pandis, 2012).

Such energy can be collected and transformed by various means, for example, water heating for domestic use or through the means direct transformation of sunlight energy to electrical power using boilers, mirrors or photovoltaic energy cells. Such technology is advancing and is getting more and more competitive. It is noteworthy to recall that photovoltaic energy panels do not produce electricity during the night; consequently, they can be utilized to harness hydrogen during the daytime and used for other means.

Use of biodiesel also is a solution to alternative energy; this is energy made from any vegetable oil such as Soya, Rice bran, or from any animal fat and reused cooking oils. Biodiesel can be combined with petroleum diesel fuel in any given quantity for use in the conventional diesel engine vehicles; biodiesel is a clean burning fuel and with time might replace petroleum diesel fuel. According to the United States, Environmental Protection Agency biodiesel has reduced exhaust emissions compared to petroleum diesel fuel by over 65% (Stocker, 2014).

References

Seinfeld, J. H., & Pandis, S. N. (2012). Atmospheric chemistry and physics: from air pollution to Climate change. John Wiley & Sons.

Stocker, T. F. (Ed.). (2014). Climate change 2013: the physical science basis: Working Group I contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press