Three Environmental Studies, Essay Example

Abstract

The paper provides a brief overview of three environmental studies. Various types of energy resources are discussed. The paper weighs the benefits and drawbacks of renewable energy sources, fossil fuels, and nuclear power. The issues of conservation and limited-resource problems are discussed.

Climate Change

Coal, natural gas and oil are fairly regarded as the three basic types of fossil fuels. Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in the world and is found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). In distinction from coal, oil and natural gas deposits can be found on every continent; however, their distribution is highly uneven (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). The impact of the fossil fuels on the environment is difficult to underestimate: coal mining results in serious land degradation; coal burning usually contributes more air pollutants than burning the same amount of natural oil and gas; burning of oil and gas leads to increased concentration of CO2 in the air and is associated with acid deposition (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009).

From the economic viewpoint, exploration and rectification of fossil fuels require substantial financial resources. The products of the fossil fuel burning cause significant economic losses due to environmental pollution. Ethically, fossil fuel exploration and consumption are associated with the major health and safety risks; oil spills are also the source of the major public concern. For the majority of consumers, fossil fuels are a convenient source of energy. Companies that work in the energy field consider fossil fuels an important source of enormous profits; countries that possess large deposits of fossil fuels have significant political advantage over other countries and states. These companies and countries are also concerned about potential safety and environmental risks that emerge in the process of exploring and using fossil fuels. The only possible solution to the limited-resource problem with fossil fuels is the development of alternative energy sources. Oil, gas and coal reserves are not infinite and, because of their natural origin, cannot be successfully replicated in laboratory conditions. Conservation could become a viable solution to the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels. However, conservation cannot be effective, until the global society has resources necessary to replace traditional fossil fuels with alternative sources of energy.

Nuclear energy is one of the most popular sources of energy on the planet. Uranium ore is the number one source of energy for nuclear plants (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). It is a nonrenewable energy source, and substantial deposits of uranium are found in Australia, Canada, the United States, and South Africa (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). Although nuclear resources do not produce any emissions directly into the atmosphere, nuclear energy is the source of radioactive waste, which presents serious health and environmental risks and requires special storage and disposal (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009).

Economically, the high cost of building nuclear plants and long cost-recovery are the two most serious economic challenges to nuclear power (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). Ethically, nuclear power is the source of health and environmental hazards for the nuclear plant workers and the community, in general. Although the risks of the major accidents in the nuclear industry are low, the public perceptions are high because nuclear plants are potentially catastrophic and the consequences of nuclear explosions are life-threatening in the short and long run (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). As the most important stakeholders, community members benefit from the use of the nuclear energy due to its relatively low cost and the lower risks of environmental pollution compared with fossil fuels. However, the risks of radioactive waste accumulation are increasingly high (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). Community members, countries, and companies that develop and use nuclear power could equally benefit from the development of alternative processing mechanisms and more effective ways of eliminating radioactive waste. Given the limitedness of the uranium ore, fusion is seen as the best solution to the limited-resource problem. Fusion implies the use of hydrogen isotopes and is preferable, because hydrogen resources are limitless and fusion does not result in the production of high-level radioactive waste (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009).

Renewable energy sources are gaining more and more popularity. Direct and indirect solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, and tidal energy have a potential to replace traditional energy sources. These resources can be found in abundance and are virtually limitless: for example, we will run out of solar energy only when the sun’s nuclear fire burns out (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). The environmental impacts of renewable energy sources are minimal or are absent at all.

The use of renewable energy sources is associated with the major economic difficulties, due to the lack of effective ways of collecting and processing the energy from the sun, wind or the water for ultimate use (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). For example, the production of biomass requires land, water, and energy (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). Cost and public resistance are the major challenges of wind energy production (Raven, Berg & Hassenzahl, 2009). Most renewable energy sources do not present any ethical dilemmas; however, because the use of hydropower implies the need to change the flow of rivers, the development of hydropower solutions may face serious public resistance. It should be noted, that renewable energy sources benefit community members, because they are limitless, environmentally clean, and safe. Companies and countries can substantially reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear energy. However, the use of renewable source of energy requires considerable financial investments. New efficient technologies are required to convert the energy from the sun, wind, and water into the energy for ultimate consumers. Not all community members understand the need to perform additional research of the renewable energy opportunities and may need additional education to develop better awareness of what renewable energy is and how they can benefit from it. Renewable energy sources are an effective solution to various limited-resource problems. Energy conservation could substantially improve the quality and efficiency of the renewable energy sources. However, much time will pass before the humanity can use available sources of renewable energy to meet its energy needs.

References

Raven, P.H., Berg, L.R. & Hassenzahl, D.M. (2009). Environment, 7^th ed. Wiley.