Pollution is disgusting.
I'm doing my research project on renewable energy/fuels. It seems everywhere you turn, there is someone new advocating going green. But sometimes it feels like it's all just hype, and some are not really into going green. They just want to charge you more by saying they're eco-friendly. Am I being too cynical? Don't get me wrong. I'm the first to tell you that the world's resources are depleting, that we need more viable and clean sources of energy, and that we need to stop waste. It's going to take a lot though, and it's going to be a big job. That's why I think I may go into environmental engineering. I want to save the world.
Here are some tidbits from my project (quoted directly from sources):
- By conservative oil industry estimates there were almost 7,000 oil spills between 1970 and 2000, more than one each day (the real figure might be twice or three times that number). Gas flaring (burning off natural gas released by oil drilling) in the delta produces 70 million metric tons of carbon emissions a year -- "a substantial proportion of worldwide greenhouse gas," according to the World Bank.
- America's oil consumption has increased 25% since 1980—we're now chug-a-lugging 20 million barrels of oil every single day (up from 16 million in 1980).
- Coal, for example, packs a great deal of stored energy in a relatively small volume. As a result, a coal-fired plant requires only a few hundred acres of space, yet can supply electricity for 200,000 homes. By contrast, to generate equal power from wind, which is far less power-dense, you'd need a wind farm of more than 200 square miles in size.
- The entire output of every solar photovoltaic (PV) cell currently installed worldwide—about 2,000 megawatts total—is less than the output of just two conventional, coal-fired power plants.
A gift to start out your week. Have a good one
