Its Time to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels Essay - 742 Words

Its Time to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels to Environmentally Friendly Energy Sources Fossil fuels, the main fuel for firing power stations for electricity, heating homes, and providing fuel for transport, have been used for many years. Despite their relative inexpensiveness, fossil fuels have major drawbacks. They introduce a myriad of negative implications including environmental degradation, global warming, acid rain, health problems, and ecosystem destruction. Even though fossil fuels are cheaper today than renewable sources of energy, it is well worth spending the extra money on these more environmentally friendly types of energy. After all, who wants to live on an unhealthy planet? The main component of†¦show more content†¦Exposure can lead to dizziness, headaches, nausea, fatigue, birth defects, and even death by suffocation. The burning of fossil fuels can cause particulate matter to be released into the atmosphere. This can cause irritation of the tissue of the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. (Walker). Carbon dioxide is the leading cause of the greenhouse effect. Mean global temperatures have risen between 0.2 and 0.5 degrees Celsius per decade as a result of carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases (Hemsley-Flint). Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere. U.S. temperatures could increase another 3 to 9 degrees by the end of this century if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. Because of the warmer temperatures higher levels of evaporation would be possible, and the incidence of drought could also increase. The national drought from 1999-2002 was among one of the most prolonged droughts in the last 40 years (â€Å"The Consequences†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). As a result of the higher global temperatures, there would be greater incidences of heat waves, which could lead to more heat-related deaths. Warmer conditions could also aggravate local air quality problems. Disease-carrying mosquitoes have increased in number because the warmer temperatures allow them to thrive in formerly uncongenial environments (â€Å"TheShow MoreRelatedFossil Fuels And Its Effect On Our Health1195 Words   |  5 Pages Currently, Fossil fuels are the primary source of energy in Canada because of the inexpensiveness, but they are immensely affecting our society and environment. Fossil fuels have been our primary source of energy from a long time which accounts for a substantial amount of the carbon dioxide in the air. The demand for fossil fuels is still high and the supply is slowly decreasing since we have been using it. We should retire fossil fuels and standardize the use of alternative energy. AlternativeRead MoreThe Effects Of Climate Change On Our Planet1172 Words   |  5 Pagesand disappeared. People have had to change their way of life many times as plant and animal life changed. 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