Any young adult in today’s world could provide a long list of social and environmental issues that plague humankind. Among these issues would be climate change, hunger, poverty, and social injustice. To many, these problems seem impossible to solve due to their overwhelming impacts; any small steps taken by the individual are simply not enough. However, all of these issues share a common thread, as they are all exacerbated by human population growth. The World Population Balance calculated in 2017 that if the entire world population experienced “a European standard of living - which is about half the consumption of the average American - the Earth could sustainably support only about 2 billion people” (World Population Balance, 2017). Fortunately, …show more content…
The existence of biofuels is now familiar to many people as an alternative to fossil fuels, but little is understood about the true sustainability of these fuel sources. According to Ryan Georgianna and Stephen Mayfield, professors specializing in biotechnology at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), biofuels will have the most success if they can compete economically with fossil fuels (Georgianna & Mayfield, 2012). This competition will drive people to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of biofuels as compared to fossil fuels. Supported by their extensive research in biofuels, Mayfield and Georgianna state that using fossil fuels “drives climate change, exhausts finite reserves and contributes to global political strife” (Georgianna & Mayfield, 2012). These issues are already influenced greatly by the growth of the human population, so increased demand and decreased supply of fossil fuels compounds a negative effect on both society and the earth. The two UCSD professors go on to synthesize information about different fuel sources, concluding that algae biofuel would be the most successful. The major benefit of algae that sets it apart from other biofuel sources is its ability to create the oils used for fuel based on very limited amounts of easily accessible natural resources. The authors support their findings using data gathered by the United States Department of Energy and the United States Energy Information Administration, which demonstrates that algae requires a minimal land area compared to other sources of biofuel such as soy and palm oil. This data shows that algae crops take up around 0.01% of the land area occupied by soy crops (Georgianna & Mayfield, 2012). Furthermore, the authors explain that algae’s only needs are sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. The crop can be grown with
My general overview of this article is the methods used to obtain fossil fuels is hurting people and nature all around the world. People are beginning to come to a realization about how fracking is harming the world. However, people in cities like “Buffalo, New York, Pennsylvania, and the author’s hometown
This argument is supported by a list of examples showing the negative effects of the fossil fuel burned for oil demand. For example, “sea level rise, global temperature, and ocean acidification” (Hart, 26). This list of information is cited from NASA, and Hart invites the reader to further look at NASA’s research. This shows he gets his information from a government funded research base, and provides further information for the reader. He then further discusses the affect burning fossil fuel has on global warming.
Did you know that the United States may run out of fossil fuels as soon as the year 2060? Renewable energy are forms of the sun, wind, and water while nonrenewable energy are forms of coal, oil, and gas. In this essay I will be explaining to you about renewable and nonrenewable energy. First, let’s look at nonrenewable energy. Fossil fuels are easier to transport, store, and use than most other fuel sources.
It is predicted that in this century we will deplete all of our fossil fuels, which we heavily rely on today. One of the main reasons that people are not acting on creating more green energy is that they simply do not have a clear understanding of the effects of using nonrenewable resources. Many schools don't teach about anything in the area of climate change, fossil fuels or the ways that the world is changing because of them. Many people also don’t know that we are running out of these resources, and extremely
In 1960, a man named Paul Ehrlich shared his fears of overpopulation in the world through his book called, “The Population Bomb”. He made many predictions about what kind of disasters we would face if drastic measures were not taken. Zero Population Growth became a political movement that wanted to limit births and give rewards to couples without children. However, humanity has managed to survive even with the current population growth. Paul Ehrlich believes that even though his predictions didn’t happen, it doesn’t mean he was wrong.
They are two crucial aspects to the topic of energy, but are not included by the UN. A determinant reason that millions of people across the globe have to resort to biomass to cook is that the cost associated with modern energy makes it less accessible (Birol, p.1). This unfortunate situation is due to many reasons. A key reason is that many of the resources required to install energy plants are disproportionally controlled by a few geopolitical actors. This causes large fluctuations on the commodity prices all over the globe, making not only modern energy, but also other basic human development targets, such as shelters and transportations less attainable (Regnier, p.2).
INTRODUCTION: Oil is a major source of environment degradation. It pollutes the environment in its entire life cycle from the points of exploration & production (refineries), usage (vehicles) and end product (GHG, SOx, NOx and other air pollutants). According to a Nature Journal report, if we want to limit the global increase in temperature under 2C, we need to let close to 80% fuel reserves remain inside the earth. This proposal seems unreasonable in today’s world.
Through the next paragraphs, you may hear some things that you wouldn’t have heard anywhere else. This article is not a conspiracy theory kind of attention-grabbing speculation. I am sharing here what I came to realise after properly thinking it over, getting the real facts into picture and understanding the full context of the human life on earth today, all with the help of one of the greatest books that I have ever read – “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels” by “Alex Epstein”. What do we know?
Jonathan Swift’s essay, A Modest Proposal, is famous for satirically suggesting that people start selling their babies for food, which would logically solve the overpopulation and starvation problem in the world. Despite this less than feasible solution, overpopulation is a serious problem in the world, given that there are over seven billion people alive currently. The excessive amount of people living in this world has an adverse effect on both society and the environment. The environment has been destroyed by human pollution and is depleted of natural resources due to the sheer amount of materials needed to support such a large population. In fact, many plastic water bottles used by people are discarded as trash and pollute bodies of water (Soechtig & Lindesy, 2009).
Therefore, the alternative energy source, Biomass, combined with an Algae Biofuel energy source would best benefit the community in Yuma, Arizona. Biomass and algae biofuel would work well together in Yuma, Arizona because biomass has a fairly good energy efficiency of 22-40%(Electricity Generation Reading),
There is a quote by President Barack Obama saying, “To truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy,” (“151 Inspiring Environmental Quotes”). He believes as many due that nonrenewable resources are harmful to all aspects of life. The energy we use now is harmful to our planet, to humans, and to animals. Scientists are taking steps to making the world a better place. They found sources that replenished naturally in a short amount of time and are less destructive in all aspects.
It is no secret that the earth’s population is growing at a rather terrifying rate. It is expected that we will jump from 7.3 billion to almost 9.4 billion people in the next 30 years. That’s approximately 70 million more people per year. 2.1 billion more people, means masses of hungry people. The world is already struggling to keep up with the 7.3 billion we have today.
After the industrial revolution, quality of life soared dramatically. Sanitation, medication, and welfare allowed people who were previously unfit to thrive in the new world. As a result, the average life expectancy rose by 40 years, which attributed to Earth’s population of 7 billion and counting. With already
It is commonly known throughout human history that the energy used is burned from coal which creates biomass. During the Industrial Revolution, coal was an essential need to everyone, hence the discovery of oil as a substitute. Yet, the mass formation from the unearthing of oil causes more damage than benefits for the planet. Humanity had never seen a more compatible source in which came a higher demand for oil. As the public has urged to generate more oil, scientists theorized that fossil fuels will eventually run out, making way for a renewable energy route in the future (Mason).
Humans risk upsetting the ecological balance of the Earth as well as the change of regional climate. The more people there are, the more air, water, more education, housing and employment opportunities are needed. According to United Nations, it is estimated that by 2020, the world population will increase from the current 7.3 billion, to 8.2 million in 2030, to staggering 9.6 billion in 2050. The World population is rising up faster and faster every single second but this planet is unable to dilate. There are more humans, we need more food, more resources, more lands for farming, planting to supply our