Brittney Kalogeros Mrs.

Grant English 1102 Inquiry Project 4/28/14 Planes, Trains, Automobiles and Energy It is no secret that pollution is a growing problem in America today. We all know how we contribute, whether we forget to recycle a can here and there or drive across the street instead of walking. Every day we consciously contribute to the pollution issue in America. We justify this behavior by telling ourselves we arent doing too much damage on our own. However, our cars are a different story. Most people dont know that the majority of air pollution can be blamed on Co2 emissions, especially from transportation and energy sectors. With trains, planes, and automobiles constantly in motion and burning fossil fuels, we are reaching unhealthy levels of air toxicity in our air, land, and water. Experts Fay and Golomb say that our overconsumption of fossil fuels is leading to intense environmental issues, such as smog in China and numerous health problems. It is high time we discuss a way to ameliorate the situation. In previous explorations of this topic, we have found the source and estimated amount of air pollution, its and its effect on the environment. Scientists have long since begun seeking out alternative ways of producing energy. New technologies continue to be developed to end dependency on fossil fuels entirely, but realistically, the consequences involved may never let that happen. Many experts still look at the issue with pessimism. The major problem is that the economy lies on the shoulders of the oil

industry (Food Inc.). In our world, the wealthy control everything. The fact is that new technologies will have so much opposition due to their cost that it is necessary that we take the first steps towards accepting the idea of cleaner energy before we begin policies and laws. In our generation in America, we will have to move on from trying to reduce fossil fuel emissions to investing in a drastic change. Technologies are being developed faster than ever, and though we have not found a foolproof plan B, the research continues. We are at a point in our nation where we soon will have to choose between wealth and self-preservation. Through this essay, and with compiled sources on the matter at hand, I will try to defend why our nation must change to renewable energy sources despite the consequences that will come. I aim to open us to a radical idea and to further our thinking towards a solution in carbon emissions. The discussion at hand will soon come to an end, and it will be up to our generation to make a very hard decision. I will begin this paper by discussing the dependence on energy use in America, continuing on to energy use today, and then to the pros and cons of energy consumption. We will continue on to discuss the current status of our country relative to fossil fuel consumption. I will go over the National Research Councils (NRCs) review on what comes next. We will look at theories and plans of attack and conclude with a proposal of what needs to be altered and explored to end the fossil fuel dependency before it ends us.

An Energy Dependent Society

There was a time when to use the restroom, Americans had to head to the outhouse. To mow the lawn, Americans pushed a non-motorized contraption with wheels and blades. To wash clothes, Americans scrubbed them in nearby water and hung them to dry. Americans went to bed with the sun, because unless they had a book to read by candle light there was nothing left to do. What a simple way of life compared to today. Most Americans would think of this sort of world as punishment. As a nation, if we couldnt turn on the lights at night, or use the dishwasher, or drive, we would not make it. As a nation we have come far. We live in an era where we dont have to worry about it. As technology develops, we find safer and more efficient ways of living our lives. Americans have a crazy amount of comforts and modern conveniences. We are able to do so much more and be so much more productive with the help of all of these small technologies, and for that reason we could never let them go. Despite all of the positive outcomes of energy use, despite all of the pleasure that comes from it, we must look at the negative effects of energy on our health, the environment, and future generations. Consider your daily use of energy. Contrast it with the description of the old society above. As Americans, we over-use energy greatly. The consumption of energy can be more or less divided into four economic sectors: Industrial or manufacturing, material production, agriculture, and resource recovery, which accounts for 36%.,transportation, or cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, pipelines and ships, which makes up 27%, commercial services, which take up 16%, and residential, or our homes, which eats up 21% of our energy (Fay, 7). Electricity end energy allows Americans to live easier and more pleasant lives. However between electric powers constituting 44% of total energy use in America

combined with the transportation sector these two uses compromise 70% of total U.S. energy use, (Fay, 7). So obviously, these two sectors are where we will focus most of our attention. As we see above, it isnt all forms of energy that are the big issue; moreover, the transportation sector and electricity are the predominant emitters of carbon. The amount that we over use these modern conveniences is out of control. These emissions affect the air quality and over time will lead to big trouble as far as America is concerned. And for that reason, we must first weigh the pros and cons of energy from fossil fuels.

Energy: to be or not to be There are many problems with todays energy consumption and its repercussions. As far as energy goes, you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, coal is both the cheapest form of energy and the most difficult to use efficiently and cleanly, (Fay, 9). The reason we are dependent on natural resources, like gas, coal, and oil, is because, to date, renewable energy is not transportable or storable, (Fay, 9) unlike fossil fuels, which is easily commoditized. Renewable energy, such as hydro-energy, cannot be split up and sold because it isnt a tangible burnable energy. This is why coal is so easy; you have coal, thus you hold potential energy. When you burn it, you will receive energy. Similarly with gas, if you have gas, you will have energy once it reacts to heat. It is simple, cheap, and terrible for the environment. As our nation matures, our innovations mature with it. And many of those are fueled by, well, fuel. Without scientific study, we began to notice the negative effects of these energy sources on our world. Including, but not limited to pollution of air, water,

and land by byproducts of industrial activity, permanent loss of natural species of plants and animals and more recently, growing indications that global climate is changing because of the emissions of so-called greenhouse gasses, (Fay, 11). The environment is suffering greatly because of our dependency and inability to clean up our mess.

Energy and the Environment As far as pollution goes, the process of getting, refining, transporting, and consuming fossil fuels all contribute to an unhealthy environment. The extent of the pollution is vast, so we will have to focus on air pollution. Water and Land pollution are certainly large factors, but air pollution trumps them both as far as the percentage of the population that is directly effected. Air pollution has been around as far back as man could make fire, however, back then there were only a handful of fires around the world. Today in America, we have traffic, we have food processing and production, we have construction, we have general use of electronics, and above all, a thirst for more. Over 95% of 1995 global co2 emissions was energy emissions, overwhelmingly generated by fossil fuel combustion, (Muller, 149). Now, though the agricultural sector, is responsible for 48% of all 1995 methane emissions, most of those emissions are just CO2, not the more hazardous chemicals found in fossil fuel emissions (Fay, 224). To the left is a chart tracking our
Figure 9.1: Yearly Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuel Combustion

yearly carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustions to give you an idea of our recent (and drastic) increase in usage. The reason that fossil fuel emissions are such a big problem today is that we use a much larger quantity due to our technological advancements. The downfall is that it means bad news for our health. Air pollution is an issue that affects everyone, whether you know it or not. Where everyday we can see some forms of pollution, like beer and soda cans sprinkled around campus, the issue with CO2 emissions is that it is a pollutant that is less tangible. We are unaware when it is present often because we cannot see it. This is dangerous because air travels and so does air pollution. So when New York City is evidently a polluted city, it borders towns and states that will be unknowingly subjected to the air pollution. Beneath is a chart of air pollutants and their relation to human health (Fay, 234).
TABLE 9.4 Effects of Criteria Air Pollutants on Human Health, Fauna and Flora, and Structures and Materials Pollutant SO2 Health Effect Bronchoconstriction, cough. Fauna and Flora Effect Structure and Material Weathering and corrosion. Defacing of monuments.

Cellular injury, chlorosis, withering of leaves and abscission. Precursor to acid rain; acidification of surface waters with community shifts and mortality of some aquatic organisms. Possible effect on uptake of Al and other toxic metals by plant roots. NO, Pulmonary congestion and edema. emphysema, nasal and eye irritation. Pulmonary edema, emphysema. asthma, eye, nose, and throat ir ritation, reduced lung capacity. Chlorosis and necrosis of leaves. Precursor to acid rain and photooxidants.

Weathering and corrosion. N

O3 and photooxidants

CO

Vegetation damage, necrosis of Attack and destruction of natural leaves and pines, stunting of rubber and polymers, textiles and growth, photosynthesis inhibitor, probable materials. cause of forest die-back, suspected cause of crop loss. NA" NA

Particulate matter

Neurological symptoms, impairment of reflexes and visual acuity, headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion. Fatal in high concentrations because of irreversible binding to hemoglobin. Nonspecific composition: bronchitis, asthma, NA emphysema. Composition dependent; brain and neurological effects (e.g., lead, mercury), toxigens (e.g., arsenic, selenium, cadmium), throat and lung cancer (e.g., coal dust, coke oven emissions, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chromium, nickel, arsenic).

Soiling of materials and cloth. Visibility impairment due to light scattering of small particles.

These are the major pollutants that present issues for us today. The amount that each individual ingests is mostly dependent on air traffic and location. But it is eye opening to see the major health risks that come with an advanced nation. As modern medicine improves, hopefully people will realize there are mandatory standards of clean air to be upheld.

Current Regulations We have taken measures to clean the air; nevertheless, today these measures are not measuring up. The Clean Air Act, passed in 1963, (when air pollution was a far less severe issue if you note figure 9.1), As a consequence, the air quality in most developed countries is improving steadily, although what is gained in reducing emissions from individual sources is often negated by the ever increasing number of sources, especially automobiles,(Fay, 228). In later years the act has been revised so that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate emissions standards, called New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). Which regulate through having a maximum allowable emissions rate, (Fay, 228). Many preventative efforts are being made currently. The problem here is, we are treating symptoms, not curing the disease.

Where is the Alternative Energy; the Renewable Energy? Most Americans have heard of renewable energy. But with all of these negative effects of fossil fuels, why have we not made the switch to renewable energy? We still have not found the right alternative. There are hundreds of different ways of creating

renewable energy that are being looked into, yet we have not yet to find a realistic solution. Alternative energy can be made; it is a thousand times proven. There are cars that run on water, vegetable oil, solar panels, etc., but the issue is discovering the solution that is realistic for our country. As the study modeling the transition to alternative vehicles and fuels puts it, which type of vehicle ends up on the market will depend on a range of factors, including the extent of progress in the different vehicle and fuel technologies, market conditions in gasoline and other fuel markets, that will effect cost and competitiveness, consumer preferences over vehicle and fuel characteristics, and government policies towards this sector, (NRC, 128). The board conducted a model to test out how America would accept these changes and had very interesting results. The do say, and I must repeat here, that everything in these studies is uncertain. It is a very educated guess but by no means tells the future of America. Statistics only translate so far. Their findings seem very plausible. To sum up their findings, they admit that further research will be required, and will continue to be more essential in the upcoming years. Their data suggests that, reductions in petroleum on the order of 70 to 90 percent are possible given very strong policies and continued advances in the key technologies, (NRC, 128). Despite this potentially excellent news, there are lots of factors involved. The biggest factor keeping us from the switch is money. As we all are very aware, the global economy and our nations economy are not exactly in a good place right now to make enormous financial decisions. We will eventually have to choose between money and the good of human health (which one would think is an easier decision, but greed seems to be almost as alive in America as self preservation). The NRC stresses that our

countrys future with renewable energy relies on large government subsidies to stabilize the transition economically. If sufficiently large subsidies are not applied to overcome the early cost differentials, then the transition will not occur and these subsidies will have been wasted, (NRC, 129). The biggest issue with the switch to renewable technology is that it is an all or nothing deal. As a nation, we are going to have to put a lot of trust and money on the line to save our world, and most Americans will not be comfortable with that. Alas, this change in inevitable. There are currently no articles of books published on what will happen to our economy despite my thorough search. We an only make informed guesses on how hard the economy, government, and people, will suffer when we have to make the switch. However, we can infer that the outcome of this kind of change will be detrimental to our economy. Given that the oil industry is the second most powerful industry to food in the US, and the food industry will be directly affected by this change (Processing, packaging, and transportation all require energy and fuel), (Food Inc.). our economy will suffer. We will see a loss of jobs, less food, and possibly another depression. The Government will have to put down enough money to keep us stable, although they are already in so much debt that there is really no telling how this will pan out. This will be a gradual change, but regardless, financially, we will all be affected with no telling on the severity.

Closing Thoughts As a society, we grossly overuse energy and transportation. This is bad news for our country because this is what has lead us to the current environmental issues we have today. Our land, water, and especially air pollution is out of control and is leading to

major health issues in Americans. This is often an issue that Americans sweep under the rug because what you cant see wont bother you. Air is clear, air travels, and dangerous chemicals emitted into the atmosphere will jump aboard for the ride. As we se with the EPA, we can put limits and filters and whatever we want to reduce pollution, but what we really need to do is start at the source. The NRA has shown us through extensive research that the cure to our nations issues with pollution from fossil fuels is to change our source of energy. This is the only way we will be able to maintain our energy-rich lives. Whether we like it or not, the US will not have gas for much longer. There are many different numbers flying around, but with the rise is sources needing energy, we will run out of fossil fuels somewhere between 6 and 20 years from now. The only way for us to switch will be through an enormous amount of fait and subsidies. We are a nation obsessed with money. We started this country to be free men, but in worshiping the dollar, we are slaves. In order to save the country, we will have to make sacrifices and it will not be easy. Unfortunately, it is not an option but a reality. As far as our nations future goes, we will have some trials ahead, but if we survived the mayflower, Ellis Island, numerous wars, overcame sexism and racism, I know we have the ability to see what must be done.

10

Works Cited Bartsch, Ulrich, and Benito Muller. Fossil fuels in a changing climate: impacts of the Kyoto Protocol and developing country participation. New York: Oxford, 2000. Print. Fay, James A., and Dan S. Golomb. Energy and the environment. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print. Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Magnolia Home Entertainment, 2009. . National Research Council. "Modeling the Transition to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels." Transitions to alternative vehicles and fuels. Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2013. . Print.

11