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How Non-Renewable Energy Destroys Our Future

/ Blog, IoT Battery / By

We, as human beings, tend to overthink our futures. Such question we ask ourselves are as follows: What am I going to eat for dinner? Is my business going to be successful? Will my children have a bright future ahead of them? (Why People Worry Much More Than They Need To, 2018)

However, this future we talk about is insignificant compared to the grand-scale of things. If we worry this much about what’s going to happen a week from now or a month from now, why don’t we worry as much about the future we will have after a lifetime? (Dorrier, 2013)

A lifetime from now, pollution from the burning of fossil fuels is estimated to cause 200, 000 premature deaths. A lifetime from now, fossil fuels are estimated to still meet 78% of the earth’s energy demands. A lifetime from now, all the fossil fuels used to meet 78% of the earth’s energy demands will not be replaced yet. In fact, it would take numerous lifetimes before the number of used fossil fuels will be replenished. (Heger, 2015, Fossil Fuels, n.d. & Non-renewable energy, 2013)

That’s a lot of years! It is evident; the usage of fossil fuels is like a ticking time bomb.  The more we use these fossil fuels, the faster the bomb is ticking – the bomb that eventually destroys our future. This future is the future of our children, great-grandchildren, and the future of our species. (Non-renewable energy, 2013)

Here are the AFD — the three destructive ways that non-renewable energy destroys our future:

  1. Air Pollution

As found out by studies, 19 000 people die from air pollution caused by fossil fuels, every day! (Harmful Effects of Non-Renewable Resources on the Environment, 2017)

The burning of such fossil fuels emits harmful particles into the atmosphere. While some of these harmful particles are caught, the majority of them escapes into the atmosphere. (Non-renewable energy, 2013)

Coal is considered the worst offender of all, among the different kinds of fossil fuels. This is because it emits the most amount of carbon dioxide when burned. The burning of coal constitutes 71% of CO2 emissions from the electric sector, as compared to the 28% emitted by natural gas. (Harmful Effects of Non-Renewable Resources on the Environment, 2017)

Coal is considered the main source of energy that meets the current energy demand. This doesn’t help our future as the carbon emissions of burning coal continue to contribute to climate change – a real phenomenon that has major consequences for humans. (Fossil Fuels, n.d.)

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, carbon emissions, in the form of carbon dioxide make up more than 80% of the greenhouse gases emitted in the United States. (Consequences of Carbon Emissions for Humans, n.d.)

As a greenhouse gas, this unusual amount of carbon in the atmosphere traps heat inside our planet, instead of reflecting it back to outer space. This is why we are experiencing hotter days, more intense storms, and crazy weather patterns! (Non-renewable energy, 2013)

And as we burn more fossil fuels that emit carbon into our atmosphere, the days will become hotter and hotter, storms will be more and more devastating, and weather will eventually cause droughts that will make people suffer. (How climate is changing, n.d)

  1. Finite energy

Non-renewable energy, as the name suggests, is energy that is not replaceable and one of the destructive ways to destroy our future. It is limited in amount, and we will inevitably run out of the energy reserve that we have tapped into since the Industrial Revolution. (Non-Renewable Energy Sources, n.d.)

What happens then if the energy reserve becomes empty? We will face dire consequences as the majority of our energy demands are powered by non-renewable energy. Once we have exhausted everything that we have, the production of energy will no longer be easy anymore. (Non-Renewable Energy Sources, n.d.)

In fact, it is estimated that the current coal reserve that we have will only take us as far as 2088! That is just 69 years into the future, and just one lifetime! (When will fossil fuels run out? n.d.)

When there is no longer an easy method of producing energy, the production of goods will no longer be easy as well. Electricity will be scarce, cars and automobiles will no longer be used conveniently, the manufacturing of your iPhones will be inhibited. (Prasad, 2016)

The current system will become apocalyptic. While the energy that is available for now is dirt cheap, when energy inevitably becomes scarce, the price will ramp up to unbelievable prices. (Flinn, n.d.)

For one, our transport system heavily relies on these fossil fuels. Without diesel, large-scale international trade will inevitably shut down as trucking, rails, and transport of goods will become impossible. Trade is responsible for the ebb and flow of money in exchange for commodities – the basic makeup of a nation’s economy. (Flinn, n.d.)

In this apocalyptic era, there are two aspects of life that will invariably suffer: food and the environment. (Flinn, n.d.)

Without global trade, we would have to settle for local food. The exportation of Asian cuisine to the West would be impossible. If one lived in a fishing area, then you would have to get used to eating fish mostly. This will alter the diet of everyone. Fast food chains would struggle to work as well. (Flinn, n.d.)

  1. Destruction of habitats 

The construction of fossil fuel power plants takes a lot of resources: land space, water and it would have to be near a reserve, too. (When will fossil fuels run out? n.d.)

The majority of these fossil fuel power plants are located in forests, near mountains, and geothermal active areas – where the majority of plant and wildlife is located. (When will fossil fuels run out? n.d.)

With the constant construction of such power plants, the habitats of plants and animals are being destroyed, to the point that such wildlife is forced to look for other homes elsewhere. (Losing their homes because of the growing needs of humans, n.d.)

This destruction of habitats causes the extinction of such species, as food and security for animals are receded. (Losing their homes because of the growing needs of humans, n.d.)

This leads us to a future where our children could no longer live in the same era as tigers, Poison Ivys, and other constituents of wildlife. (Habitat Loss, n.d.)

The future with non-renewable energy sounds bad, like a post-apocalyptic movie where humans have left no choice but to fend for themselves. But there is still away! (Flinn, n.d.)

Technology has successfully introduced to us green energy – energy that does not rely on these fossil fuels. Green energy is currently responsible for meeting 10% of the energy demands. As this ten percent grows, the remaining 78 percent for non-renewable energy will shrink, extending our energy reserve to a bright future. (Harvard University, 2012)

Such technology is applied to Anzena, a battery pack that makes use of sustainable energy. With Anzene, we are creating a future devoid of the horrifying events depicted above.

Anzene, powering up your future.

 

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