Energy Crisis
- Submitted by: wilsont
- Views: 430
- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 01/24/2014 08:17 AM
- Pages: 8
- Report this Essay
America’s Energy Crisis
Our country is currently using a massive amount of electricity in a daily basis, which is costing us an incredible amount of money and vital resources. The U.S. government spent $1.233 trillion on energy in 2007, and the spending has been increasing ever since (“Total Energy…”). In 2009, fossil fuels generated seventy percent of the electricity available for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes (Newell). Fossil fuels have been the main source of energy for years, but they have several drawbacks.
The fuels are a limited resource. At the rate fossil fuels are being used, experts predict that the world’s supply of oil and gas will be depleted in thirty-seven years (Shafiee). Coal is predicted to be gone in one hundred and seven years (Shafiee), but coal only generates twenty-one percent of the energy in the U.S. (Newell). Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels, along with deforestation, is rapidly adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, bringing on global warming (Jacobson). Global warming causes drastic changes to the climate and the environment, effecting plants, animals, bugs, and humans. Without any change, America will be dealing with economic, energy and environmental crises simultaneously before the end of the decade.
Some believe that these problems are being dealt with or that these problems will not affect them in their lifetime. Some people would point out that alternate sources of energy are being used and more are being searched for. It is true that energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, biofuel and geothermal are used today, however they are only responsible for eight percent of the energy produced in the U.S., and experts predict this number will only increase to thirteen percent by the year 2035 (Newell). This thirteen percent will not be enough to support an entire country once fossil fuels are gone. Even nuclear power is only responsible for nine percent of the national energy, and that...
Our country is currently using a massive amount of electricity in a daily basis, which is costing us an incredible amount of money and vital resources. The U.S. government spent $1.233 trillion on energy in 2007, and the spending has been increasing ever since (“Total Energy…”). In 2009, fossil fuels generated seventy percent of the electricity available for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes (Newell). Fossil fuels have been the main source of energy for years, but they have several drawbacks.
The fuels are a limited resource. At the rate fossil fuels are being used, experts predict that the world’s supply of oil and gas will be depleted in thirty-seven years (Shafiee). Coal is predicted to be gone in one hundred and seven years (Shafiee), but coal only generates twenty-one percent of the energy in the U.S. (Newell). Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels, along with deforestation, is rapidly adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, bringing on global warming (Jacobson). Global warming causes drastic changes to the climate and the environment, effecting plants, animals, bugs, and humans. Without any change, America will be dealing with economic, energy and environmental crises simultaneously before the end of the decade.
Some believe that these problems are being dealt with or that these problems will not affect them in their lifetime. Some people would point out that alternate sources of energy are being used and more are being searched for. It is true that energy sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, biofuel and geothermal are used today, however they are only responsible for eight percent of the energy produced in the U.S., and experts predict this number will only increase to thirteen percent by the year 2035 (Newell). This thirteen percent will not be enough to support an entire country once fossil fuels are gone. Even nuclear power is only responsible for nine percent of the national energy, and that...