In recent times, we have been hearing a great deal about energy efficient cars. Everywhere we go, that seems to be the catch phrase, “For a cleaner and greener world”. What does this mean? How can we make this world cleaner, or greener? This clean and green world refers to a world less polluted by us, human beings. With the dawn of human evolution and the discovery of fire, man started to pollute. Mother Nature has given us an amazing array of natural riches. We took it for granted, and turned a blind eye towards the repercussions of using up all that we have been provided. The thing is, all the natural resources that we take for granted, they are not never ending.
Of all the resources that we have, the most important are fuels. The human civilization is entirely dependent on energy. And up until now, we can only harvest the energy nature has stored over billions of years as coal, oil and natural gas. These altogether are called fossil fuels. The reason behind this name is that they were formed from the fossils or remains of trees that died millions of years ago. At that time dead trees sank to the bottom of swamps, lakes and oceans. These trees decomposed and formed layers of “Peat”. These were spongy materials in masses. Over hundreds of years covered with clay, sand and other garbage, this peat turned into “Sedimentary”, a solid rock like substance. Piled in layers, these sedimentary began to get squashed and squeezed under their own weight. As the pressure built up, they became more and more compressed. And eventually in millions of years these turned into fossil fuel(Bender, 2003). Fossil fuels are humanity's most important sources of energy today. They alone provide about 66% of the world's total electrical power, and 95% of the overall energy demands with coal providing 28%, oil 40% and natural gases about 20%.( The Ozone Hole Organization)
The fact is that we are using up fossil fuels at an alarmingly increasing rate. And this will eventually result in them running out. If we run out of fossil fuels now, we will be no other suitable source to replace them. The ones we do know about are nowhere near as efficient as fossil fuels are.
The consumption of coal, oil and natural gases has some terrible effects on the environment. Gradually the world’s temperature is heating up due to the greenhouse effect. The definition of the greenhouse effect (World Book Encyclopedia, 2000, V 8) is a warming of the lower atmosphere and surface of a planet by a complex process involving sunlight, gases, and particles in the atmosphere. The ‘greenhouse’ effect received its name from the similarities it has to the effect that happens in a greenhouse. A greenhouse is a small glass house that lets the sunlight in and doesn’t let the heat escape, usually to keep plants warm in winter or to grow tropical fruits and plants. Within the atmosphere water vapor and certain gases, such as carbon dioxide (emissions from the burning of fossil fuels), nitrous oxide and methane, trap the energy that the sun puts out, resulting in the rise of the earth’s temperatures. Without the natural greenhouse effect, the earth’s temperature within the atmosphere would be about fifteen and a half degrees Celsius less than it is now, which would make it impossible for humans to live on some parts of the earth’s surface, Greenhouse gases in balance are a necessity for the production of temperatures humans have been acclimatized to. With the burning of fossil fuels, the carbon dioxide emissions add to the greenhouse effect, along with exhaust fumes from vehicles, the spraying of aerosol cans, Infra-red radiation from phones, computers etc.
Energy is more than numbers on a utility bill. It is the foundation of everything we do. We use energy every day- for transportation, cooking, heating and cooling rooms, Manufacturing, lighting and entertainment. We rely on energy to make our lives comfortable, productive and enjoyable. To maintain our quality of life, we must use our energy resources wisely. There are many things we can do to use less energy and use it more wisely. Two main ways to save energy are energy conservation and energy efficiency. Many people think these terms mean the same thing, but they are different.
Energy conservation is any behavior that results in the use of less energy. Turning the lights off when you leave the room and recycling aluminum cans are both ways of conserving energy.
Energy efficiency is the use of technology that requires less energy to perform the same function. A compact fluorescent light bulb that uses less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light is an example of energy efficiency. The decision to replace an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent is an example of energy conservation.
Fossil Fuels are a major part of the world today. They are a valuable source of energy, but if they are to be used in the future, better ways will have to be found to reduce the pollution they cause.
A good way to reduce pollution from vehicles is to design new engines that are more efficient so they burn fuel more completely and allow less unburned fuel to escape. More vehicles these days are fitted with engines that burn unleaded petrol. Cars will have catalytic converters, which remove pollutants such as nitrogen and sulphur oxide from their engine exhausts. People that own petrol-driven cars are being forced not to use them in some towns or cities. Public transport is being promoted and government funded ( Stoke-on-Trent City Council).
Every American throws away about 1,000 pounds of trash each year. The most effective way for the consumers to help reduce the amount of energy consumed by the industries is to decrease the number of unnecessary products produced. Another approach is to reuse them whenever possible. Purchasing reusable products can reduce energy use to a great extent in the industrial sector.
The 3 R’s of an energy-wise consumer are easy to put into practice. Reduce, reuse and recycle. These help protect the environment and save money, energy and natural resources.
Reducing is buying only what you need. Buying fewer goods mean you throw away less. It also results in fewer goods being produced and less energy being used in the manufacturing process. Buying less packaging also reduces the amount of waste generated and the amount of energy needed.
Reusing is using products repeatedly. Buying items that can be used again rather than use and throw away items saves natural resources. It also reduces the energy needed to produce them and the amount of wastage.
Recycling means to use something again. Newspapers can be used to make new newspapers. Aluminum cans can be used to make new aluminum cans. Glass jars can be used to make new glass jars. Recycling often saves energy and natural resources through conservation.
It almost always takes less energy to make a product from recycled materials than it does to make it from new materials. Using recycled aluminum scrap to make new aluminum cans, for example, uses 95 percent less energy than making aluminum cans from bauxite ore, the raw material used to make aluminum.
Natural resources are riches provided courtesy of Mother Nature. Natural resources include land, plants, minerals, and water. By using materials more than once, we conserve natural resources. In the case of paper, recycling saves trees and water. Making a ton of paper from recycled stock saves up to 17 trees and uses 50 percent less water.
There are a number of organizations working in the arena of efficient energy use: For instance, the Department of Energy in America. It is committed to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and developing energy efficient technologies for buildings, homes, transportation, power systems and industry. The mission of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is to strengthen America's energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality in public-private partnerships that: enhance energy efficiency and productivity; bring clean, reliable and affordable energy technologies to the marketplace; and make a difference in the everyday lives of Americans by enhancing their energy choices and their quality of life. EERE leads the Federal government’s research, development, and deployment efforts in energy efficiency. It's role is to invest in high-risk, high-value research and development that is critical to the Nation's energy future and would not be sufficiently conducted by the private sector acting on its own. Program activities are conducted in partnership with the private sector, state and local government, DOE national laboratories, and universities. EERE also works with stakeholders to develop programs and policies to facilitate the deployment of advanced clean energy technologies and practices.
Energy efficiency offers a powerful and cost-effective tool for achieving a sustainable energy future. Improvements in energy efficiency can reduce the need for investment in energy infrastructure, cut fuel costs, increase competitiveness and improve consumer welfare. Environmental benefits can also be achieved by the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions and local air pollution. Energy security can also profit from improved energy efficiency by decreasing the reliance on imported fossil fuels. For these reasons, energy efficiency is one of six broad focus areas of IEA's G8 Gleneagles Programme. The IEA has submitted 25 policy recommendations to the G8 for promoting energy efficiency that could reduce global CO2 emissions by 8.2 gigatonnes by 2030. And in this regard, we must play our part in using energy in a more efficient manner to ensure that our future generations may enjoy the natural resources that we do.
References:
World Book Encyclopedia. World Book, 2000, V 8. 382.
Bender, Marty. "What will come after fossil fuels?" Prairie writers circle 21 August 2003.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council. "Public Transport - Promotion and Information." 09 May 2009 .
The International Energy Agency. "Energy Efficiency Policy 2008." The International Energy Agency Website. 08 May 2009 .
—. "IEA's G8 Programme - Aiming at a Clean, Clever and Competitive Energy Future." 09 May 2009 .
The Ozone Hole Organization. "Fossil Fuels." The Ozone Hole Organization website. 09 May 2009 .