On the Continued Use of Fossil Fuels
Steven Krosley
Mr. Martinez
Honors Civics
13/November/2010
On The Continued Use of Fossil Fuels
Everybody knows fossil fuels aren’t the best to use, but not everybody knows how severe the impact is.
Currently, 90% of America’s energy comes from fossil fuels, and we use more than 20% of the energy of the word,
compared to a 5% population. Fossil fuels generate pollution and environment issues, along with contributing to
global warming. This, in other words, says that America is creating a major problem in the environment. Even
though fossil fuels are cheap, they contribute to global warming which creates problems such as melting ice caps
and water crises, and also creating health problems as well, so they should be refrained from being used.
A. Cheap
a. Abundant
b. Easy Access
c. Available to the masses
B. Melting Ice Caps
a. Loss of biodiversity
b. Raising Water Levels
c. Changing Eco Systems
C. Water Crises and Droughts
a. Prediction of long drought
b. Desertification
c. Human Migration
D. Health Problems
a. Malignant Particles can enter bloodstream
b. Harms human’s ability to function properly
c. Respiratory Problems
d. Predictions of future deaths
Fossil fuels are slowly destroying our planet, so slowly that many people don’t notice. However, they’re
easy to use and cheap, so everyone wants them. However, it could harm the human population in ways so that some
people won’t be able to use them and admire their availability, because they’ll be dead. To sum up, fossil fuels
create too many environmental problems that are hazardous to everything living, so they should stop being used.
Krosley #3
Steven Krosley
Mr. Martinez
Honor Civics
13/November/2010
On the Continued Use of Fossil Fuels
Everybody knows fossil fuels aren’t the best to use, but not everybody knows how severe the impact is.
Currently, 90% of America’s energy comes from fossil fuels, and we use more than 20% of the energy of the word,
compared to a 5% population. Fossil fuels generate pollution and environment issues, along with contributing to
global warming. This, in other words, says that America is creating a major problem in the environment. Even
though fossil fuels are cheap, they contribute to global warming which creates problems such as melting ice caps
and water crises, and also creating health problems as well, so they should be refrained from being used.
The main reason fossil fuels are being used is because it’s cheap and easy. They are abundant around the
world, so “supply and demand” lowers the price. Also, the infrastructure of countries makes it so that it is very easy
to access the fossil fuels for their own use. Finally, because of their accessibility, they are available to the masses.
Transportation and almost everything electric comes from fossil fuels, so they are rather necessary to the economy.
However, even if they are cheap, they have a very severe environmental impact, largely in the form of global
warming.
From global warming, the ice caps have been shrinking, as much as 20% from 1979. The loss of ice due to
melting has caused a variety of problems, one that leads into another. Large ice shelves are now cracking and
breaking off, slowly decreasing the overall land area of the North Pole. This breaking has accounted for a loss in
biodiversity of the North Pole, when a rare freshwater lake with a unique ecosystem drained into the ocean when the
ice shelf it was on broke off. Also, melting adds to the sea level, slowly raising it higher. Several towns may be
uprooted due to flooding if this continues. Finally, there has been a large change in the overall ecosystem of the
North Pole, as animals are now changing migration and feeding patterns, making them more difficult to hunt. This
will create land issues for the indigenous of the North Pole, a problem also seen for the coming water crises.
There have been many predictions of coming droughts and water crises over the years, all pointing to the
drying up of rivers or such caused by global warming. So far, Britain climatologists predict that there will be a large
drought in the next 100 years, with poor regions predicted to be hit hardest. This certainly won’t help humans
survive. Also, “desertification” of some parts of the earth’s crust are predicted, or the turning of land into desert.
30% of the land would become unusable for agriculture should desertification occur, so that food that was once
grown on that land is gone. Without enough food to eat, there will be a famine. This desertification will likely lead
people to migrate from those areas to areas with water, but this would cause overpopulation and would overwhelm
smaller countries. If there will be a drought, people will receive serious health issues, which also comes directly
from fossil fuel production.
There is a major problem for humans that come from a by-product of the fossil fuel industry and not from
global warming, so humans are being affected directly as well. Particles from the fossil fuel industry are able to stay
suspended in the air because they are so small. They are also small enough that when inhaled, they can irritate the
lungs or enter the bloodstream. These particles are toxic to the human body, and prolonged exposure may hinder a
human’s ability to transfer oxygen and rid itself of pollutants. Another malignant factor of these particles is that it
can cause respiratory diseases and illnesses. In 1990, respiratory diseases were the leading cause of disabilities and
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illnesses alone. Finally, the World Resources Institute predicts that future deaths will occur from this air pollution,
estimating 8 million between 2000 and 2020. Fossil fuels are hurting the human’s ability to maintain themselves
properly, something humans should be more concerned about.
Fossil fuels are slowly destroying our planet, so slowly that many people don’t notice. However, they’re
easy to use and cheap, so everyone wants them. However, it could harm the human population in ways so that some
people won’t be able to use them and admire their availability, because they’ll be dead. To sum up, fossil fuels
create too many environmental problems that are hazardous to everything living, so they should stop being used.
Krosley # 5
Works Cited
Blue Gold. Dir. Sam Bozzo. Documentary. Purple Turtle Films, 2008.
Douglass, Jerome. "Global warming to cause massive drought over next 100 years, say climatologists." Independent news on
natural health, nutrition and more. 06 Oct. 2006. Natural News. 09 Nov. 2010 <http://www.naturalnews.com/020649.html>.
"Fossil Fuels." University of Michigan. 7 Apr. 1998. Environmental Studies 320. 13 Nov. 2010
<http://www.umich.edu/~envst320/fossil.html>.
"Fossil Fuels." University of Michigan. University of Michigan. 08 Nov. 2010
<http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/fossilfuels.htm>.
"NRDC: Global Warming Puts the Arctic on Thin Ice." NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council - The Earth's Best Defense.
22 Nov. 2005. Natural Resources Defense Council. 08 Nov. 2010 <http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/qthinice.asp>.
"Profiles--Fossil Fuels » Explore More: The Future of Energy." Iowa Public Television. 2004. ExploreMore. 08 Nov. 2010
<http://www.iptv.org/exploremore/energy/profiles/fossil_fuels.cfm>.