OUR ENERGY NEEDS:

For people to live in our planet, we need energy

We need energy for heat, for light and for transportation
When its cold, we need energy for heat
When its dark we need energy for light
When we want to travel we need energy for transportation
For example, to run our cars, we burn gasoline which comes from oil
We also need energy to run our factories
Here are some of the ways we get energy
Fossil fuels include coal, oil and natural gas.
Fossil fuels are an important source of energy
We burn fossil fuels suggest coal to generate electricity
Another source of energy is hydroelectric power
Hydroelectric powers comes from the energy of fallen water
The energy of the fallen water is converted into electricity
Nuclear power is another way to get energy
Nuclear power is another mayor source of energy
Heat from the nuclear reactions is converted into electricity
There are also others ways to get energy
Solar sells can convert sun light directly into electricity
Many people hope that the use of solar energy will increase because its safe for the
environment
However, solar energy is still expensive and underdeveloped
Wind power is also a safe source of energy
However, it is only useful in areas where there is a lot of wind
Like solar energy, the use of wind power is still quite limited
WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?
One of the main problems we now face is how to reduce the use of fossil fuels
There are several reasons why this is important
One reason is that the supply of fossil fuels is running out
Fossil fuels are not renewable
As the supply decreases the price will increase. There may even be war
There is also the problem of transport
Large oil tankers transport oil across the oceans
Sometimes there are accidents, and large amount of oil spill in the ocean
In the past few years, there have been several accidents
These accidents have caused the deaths of many fish, birds and other wildlife
Another problem is air pollution
When we burn fossil fuels, waste gases, such as carbon dioxide, are produced
The waste gases enter our atmosphere and cause pollution. Which damages our
environment
For example, air pollution causes acid rain, and acid rain is killing many of our forests
There is also the problem of global warming
When a large amount of carbon gases are in the atmosphere, our world begins to heat up
If the temperature rises, the polar ice caps will begin to melt, and the oceans will rise.
Plants and trees help reduce global warming because they convert carbon dioxide into
oxygen
If there more plants, then the rate of global warming is reduced

However, many of our great forest are being cut down or burned
Our forest are also being killed by acid rain
So as you can see. Its important for us to move away from fossil fuels as soon as
possible
Nuclear energy also has problem
One problem is safety
Nuclear reactors are not completely safe
There is always some risk of an accident
In some cases, radiation has escaped into the atmosphere and into water supplies
Another serious problem is the problem of nuclear waste
The radiation from nuclear waste products is very dangerous
If it gets into the environment, it can cause serious health problems and even death
How about hydroelectric power? Can it help us move away from fossil fuels?
Hydroelectric power is a clean source of energy
In addition, dams help us manage our water supplies
We use dams to store water and also to prevent flooding
However, building dams does change the environment
Dams can cause problems for wildlife such as fish
Therefore, the number of dams must be limited
All of us want progress and a comfortable life
However, we must also look ahead to the future and take care of our beautiful worl