Fossil Fuels Vs. Renewable Energy Sources
We live in a world where the need for energy is continually growing. But how will we be able to meet the ever-growing demands, if we primarily depend on non-renewable resources? Today, fossil fuels supply more than 85% of the world’s energy. Sooner or later we will have to look for alternatives. It’s always better sooner than later.
Why alternatives? Two reasons - energy supply and environmental concerns. We all know fossil fuels will eventually run out. By some estimates, they may be depleted within the next 50 years or so. Fossil fuels were formed from organic materials (dead plants and animals) over hundreds of millions of years and cannot be renewed. When they run out, they are gone for good.
One of the biggest problems with fossil fuels is pollution. Coal fueled power plants are the largest source of air pollution in the U.S. Burning fossil fuels produces many pollutants - carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and many other harmful compounds. This causes many health and environmental problems - acid rain, smog, ozone hole, and global climate change just to name a few.
So what can we do? The future is definitely not in fossil fuels, we know that. It belongs to renewable energy. Solar power, wind power and hydro power are the leading renewable energy technologies of today.
Our overly dependence on non-renewable energy sources is, as we know, not sustainable. We should put in serious efforts to reduce it. There are renewable eco-friendly alternatives all around us.
One of the biggest reasons why renewable energy is not used more often is the cost. But this is positively changing. The technology is improving and the costs for solar, wind, and other renewable sources are going down.
There is no doubt, renewable energy sources are the future and it is up to us to smooth the transition from fossil fuels. The sooner we start, the better.
