Sunday, 20 October 2013

The Facts and Politics of Non-renewables

The difficult position we have put ourselves in as a modern society is not to be taken lightly. Currently, the world is usurping resources that are not renewable, these are often referred to as Non-renewable energy. This consists of Fossil fuels and Radioactive fuels. Fossil fuels include Petroleum (crude oil) which is split up into several densities and types, Coal, which is the largest source of energy, and natural gas, which is fairly self-explanatory, originating from places where the creation of the gas excludes a man-made process.

These natural resources are of limited supply, a limited supply within our world, and the outcome of using these fuels as energy is wasteful and isn't ideal as a solution to our energy needs. Radioactive fuels are the other side of the coin, a same limited supply material, but completely different in context. Uranium is the material used, and has no other applicability, aside from being dangerous for humans in near contact. This makes it slightly more appealing as a fuel, since it is naturally harmful for our race. This creates the basis for a slightly more trustworthy fuel, despite it's non-renewable status. Many companies take advantage of uranium in nuclear power stations, but since there are dangers within the process and the waste product must be contained or disposed of in a correct manner, we are safer with coal, petroleum, and natural gases.








Petroleum, the finite resource used within many modern cars, is the substance behind many political debates. We rely heavily on oil companies to give us the fuel we need for our cars that take us everywhere, since walking isn't always an option, and driving is the easiest way to travel a great distance in a short amount of time. We have millions of cars in use, many of which are old, some people are still driving cars that are 20 years old and still serve as a tool to get from A to B. Unfortunately, the older models are expectedly worse for their emissions. Oilprice.com has a written piece surrounding the affects at which these oil companies do not wish to see their profits removed or change. In an article written late 2012, they are quoted saying:

"U.S. Rep. John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, received nearly twice as much financial support from donors tied to the energy sector than did the next-closest recipient, a report from the National Wildlife Federation finds. The 20-page report highlights the role it says oil companies play in U.S. politics, stating energy companies are working behind the scenes on Capitol Hill to influence legislation in favour of oil, natural gas and coal policies. The NWF report finds that the current 112th U.S. Congress has voted one out of every five times against legislation drafted in favour of environmental issues."
[Taken from http://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Big-Oil-Funding-U.S.-Politics.html]

This shocking behaviour comes as no surprise to those within the political arena, those parties that battle it out within the American's Congress just to prolong the issues that are inevitably present - not just for American companies, but also worldwide. I wish to explore these political and environmental issues, not necessarily with the intention of being uniquely different in my approach, but to help rally up support for the warped wrongdoing of the companies producing the energy we all use, and the implications of their ignorance.

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