Fossil Fuels and Other Energy Resources

If you haven’t heard of the energy crisis, then you might just be living under a rock. Energy is a big part of our lives. It runs our cars, keeps electricity running, and much, much more. With the need of energy going up every day, and the amount of pollution going up as well, we need to find efficient, clean ways of producing energy. This article will look at the different methods of making energy and their pros and cons.

—–Coal—–

—-Pros—-

• Abundant and easy to get

—-Cons—-

• Mining it destroys surrounding environment
• Burning it releases tons of greenhouse gasses

—–Oil—–

—-Pros—-

• Easy to retrieve
• Easy to re-locate

—-Cons—-

• Not much left
• Pollutes air a lot

—–Natural Gas—–

Read more in Issues

« The American Age of Today

Car Pollution »

—-Pros—-

• Very clean to burn

• Easy to drill

• Over abundant amount

—-Cons—-

• Hard to re-locate
• Hard to measure

—–Hydroelectric—–

—-Pros—-

• No pollution

—-Cons—-

• Has to be built be running water
• Dams can block migrating fish

—–Nuclear—–

—-Pros—-

• No air pollution
• A lot more efficient

—-Cons—-

• Risk of major accident
• Depleted uranium waste

—–Solar—–

—-Pros—-

• 100% Clean, no wastes
• Can be made into any size, big or small

—-Cons—-

• Solar panels that convert sunlight to energy run at about 15-50% efficiency
• Must be sunny