To whom it may concern,
I am writing to you to talk about something that has caused me some concerns regarding the future of not only this generation, but those to come as well. The topic I will be discussing in this letter is none other than energy efficiency. More specifically, I’d like to address the United States using fewer and more convenient energy that can still accomplish the same amount of work as our current energy sources. Energy efficiency is a great thing to start now for a better future, as in the long run we will be saving our energy resources for future generations all while we avoid pollution. As things are right now, the energy needs we have depend on fossil fuel for mass transportation as well as home heating and electricity. Energy efficiency is important, but so is changing over to an alternative energy other than that produced from coal, oil, and natural gases. While it’s true that some measures have been taken; the United States now uses less energy thanks to in-place policies and new energy-efficient technology that we are able to use. Without the mentioned energy-efficient technology, we would have to rely even more on sources like oil, coal, and natural gases by either having to produce it ourselves or import it from out of the country. As the Ecology Global Network puts it, “fossil fuels exist, and they provide a valuable service. It’s not so much that we use fossil fuels for energy that is problematic, but it’s the side effects of using them that causes all of the problems."
Why is it so bad to use fossil fuels as our primary energy source? As mentioned before, the main problem with this is that ecosystems get destroyed in the process of not only mining, but also using it. Since fossil fuels aren’t renewable, it also means that they will not be able to last us forever, so all this mining and production that’s causing problems to our environment in the end will just leave us with irreparable damage. One of our current ongoing issue is global warming, and what is the greenhouse gas that has been contributing the most to it? Carbon dioxide.
Global warming has been a great impact to many areas of our environment. Currently the temperature in the Arctic and Antarctic are only getting warmer, which is causing the ice to melt. In the end, due to global warming, sea levels will increase, resulting in a change of composition to our surrounding seawater. This is only a growing problem that will impact things ranging from fishing, agriculture, as well as future settlement. This isn't even taking account all the air pollution issues, human health impacts, more frequent heat waves, and the recent increase in extreme weather events. If we, as a whole, start to become more energy efficient and begin focusing mainly on alternative and renewable energy sources, we could further prevent this to continue.
While most people don’t seem to feel connected to the reality of global warming or our energy crisis unless it personally affects them in their everyday life, it is something that will only continue to get worse. One of the reasons why we need to be more energy efficient is due to over consumption of our current energy because of overpopulation, this means that there is a growing demand of limited resources. Possible solutions to our growing problem that I believe the United States needs to start focusing on taking a stronger move towards renewable resources, as well as taking a common stand on climate change being a current issue. As Nate Lewis, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology explains, “more solar energy hits the earth in one hour than all the energy the world consumes in a year.”
Technology has advanced tremendously, and we now have other possibilities than fossil fuels. Renewable energy is the best way to go for the future, things like wind, steam, and solar energies. With all the problems due to destroying natural resources, along with running out of our current energy source of fossil fuel, “the best possible solution is to reduce the world’s dependence on non-renewable resources and to improve overall conservation efforts.”
I am writing to you to talk about something that has caused me some concerns regarding the future of not only this generation, but those to come as well. The topic I will be discussing in this letter is none other than energy efficiency. More specifically, I’d like to address the United States using fewer and more convenient energy that can still accomplish the same amount of work as our current energy sources. Energy efficiency is a great thing to start now for a better future, as in the long run we will be saving our energy resources for future generations all while we avoid pollution. As things are right now, the energy needs we have depend on fossil fuel for mass transportation as well as home heating and electricity. Energy efficiency is important, but so is changing over to an alternative energy other than that produced from coal, oil, and natural gases. While it’s true that some measures have been taken; the United States now uses less energy thanks to in-place policies and new energy-efficient technology that we are able to use. Without the mentioned energy-efficient technology, we would have to rely even more on sources like oil, coal, and natural gases by either having to produce it ourselves or import it from out of the country. As the Ecology Global Network puts it, “fossil fuels exist, and they provide a valuable service. It’s not so much that we use fossil fuels for energy that is problematic, but it’s the side effects of using them that causes all of the problems."
Why is it so bad to use fossil fuels as our primary energy source? As mentioned before, the main problem with this is that ecosystems get destroyed in the process of not only mining, but also using it. Since fossil fuels aren’t renewable, it also means that they will not be able to last us forever, so all this mining and production that’s causing problems to our environment in the end will just leave us with irreparable damage. One of our current ongoing issue is global warming, and what is the greenhouse gas that has been contributing the most to it? Carbon dioxide.
Global warming has been a great impact to many areas of our environment. Currently the temperature in the Arctic and Antarctic are only getting warmer, which is causing the ice to melt. In the end, due to global warming, sea levels will increase, resulting in a change of composition to our surrounding seawater. This is only a growing problem that will impact things ranging from fishing, agriculture, as well as future settlement. This isn't even taking account all the air pollution issues, human health impacts, more frequent heat waves, and the recent increase in extreme weather events. If we, as a whole, start to become more energy efficient and begin focusing mainly on alternative and renewable energy sources, we could further prevent this to continue.
While most people don’t seem to feel connected to the reality of global warming or our energy crisis unless it personally affects them in their everyday life, it is something that will only continue to get worse. One of the reasons why we need to be more energy efficient is due to over consumption of our current energy because of overpopulation, this means that there is a growing demand of limited resources. Possible solutions to our growing problem that I believe the United States needs to start focusing on taking a stronger move towards renewable resources, as well as taking a common stand on climate change being a current issue. As Nate Lewis, a professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology explains, “more solar energy hits the earth in one hour than all the energy the world consumes in a year.”
Technology has advanced tremendously, and we now have other possibilities than fossil fuels. Renewable energy is the best way to go for the future, things like wind, steam, and solar energies. With all the problems due to destroying natural resources, along with running out of our current energy source of fossil fuel, “the best possible solution is to reduce the world’s dependence on non-renewable resources and to improve overall conservation efforts.”