The United States has been one of the top polluters in the world, and many of the reasons are because of our huge use of non-renewable energy sources. If we continue to waste like this, we are going to run out of fuel and have to spend a lot of money to fix it. However, recently scientists have done some calculations and found out that the United States could gain $342 million! This could be done by adapting the Renewable Energy Standard policy from other places like Europe who have already established this.This is a twenty percent rise for our economy, which would definitely help us in times like this. By using renewable energy sources more efficiently and more often, we would also be helping the Earth.
http://cleantechnica.com/2010/12/08/us-would-gain-342-billion-from-a-national-renewable-energy-policy-pew-report/
Susan Kraemer
December 8, 2010
Reflection:
I think that this is a great idea to gain money AND help the environment at the same time, but not very realistic. From what I got out of the article, it seems that narrowing down our energy sources to mostly or all renewable is a long shot. Maybe later in the future when we have more information and research we will be able to, but right now it seems close to impossible. The article also didn't take into account the expenses in building and maintaining these sources. I don't really think they explained all the information well enough, and more research should have been done before making it an article. But in general I personally think that it would be a really good idea to power homes and big factories that use up a lot of energy. I know that my home uses a lot of electricity.
1) Do you think that this is a realistic goal to have for the United States? Why or why not?
2) Why do you think other countries already have this policy established and are more advanced in this field?
3) Do you think that we should aim for this goal, or continue to use non-renewable sources? Is the $342 billion worth it?
Reflection: I was really surprised when I read this, I never knew that we could help the environment and earn money at the same time!I think this is great because it sort of bribes us to help the environment, so we might start to switch to renewable resources so we can recieve the money. However, we should take care of our environment without the offer of money. The fact that we have to be bribed with money to switch to renewable resources is kind of sad, because it shows we don't care enough about our environment to take action, unless there is an award. This does seem very unrealistic as of right now, but maybe in the future we will be able to switch entirely to renewable sources. I hope we can.
ReplyDelete1. As of right now, no I do not think this is a realistic goal because we use so much resources in just a single day, and they are non-renewable. So it would be very difficult for us to just stop using all of those resources - we basically live off of them. However, it may be possible in the future with newer technology and research, so we should begin trying and starting today, because you always need to start somewhere.
2. I think other countries already have this policy established because they are not as industrialized as us, so they do not need as much resources such as electricity and heating. Therefore, this was not as difficult for them to accomplish. We are one of the most - if not the most - industrialized and advanced countries in the world. Therefore, we use a lot of natural, non-renewable resources and it is a lot harder for us to completely stop using them and switch to renewable resources.
3. I think we should definitely, aim for this goal because it would be great for the environment. Although it may seem unrealistic now, there is nothing wrong with trying, and I'm sure that in the future it will become more realistic. However, we shouldn't wait for the future, we should start trying today. The longer we wait, the less of those non-renewable resources we'll have and the more polluted our earth will be. If we start trying to achieve this goal today, we will be one step closer to achieving it. $342 billion/million (in the summary it said million but in the question it said billion) is definitely worth it, because thats a lot of money, however I think we should do because its good for the environment, regardless of the money. It will be difficult, and maybe we won't be able to completely stop using all non-renewable resources,but we can at least start by using them less.
Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible to only use renewable resources. We live in a country where resources are taken for granted. People almost never think about the day that our precious resources will run out. While this is a good idea, it just doesn't seem realistic. Perhaps other countries have been able to do this because they are scientifically more advanced than the United States and are actively working on studying alternative fuels. Since a resource's status as renewable or non-renewable is based on usage, they can potentially make their currently non-renewable resources renewable by using these alternative fuels. However, I think we should stop trying to limit our usage of non-renewable resources. They're going to run out someday no matter what, so we need to come up with a better plan than just using less. I think we should follow other countries and start looking into alternative fuels.
ReplyDeleteYes I think that it is possible. I don't think that we could completly change to all renewable energy. I think we could power more then half of the USA on renewable energy. I think other places are already changeing because they are think about the earth and how there is only one and it is our job to protect it. Yes we should aim for this goal. The money is worth it and like what Marisa said it is something we need right now.
ReplyDeleteI think is possible to reduce almost to 10% the use of non renewable resources. There are many ways, solar, wind power, ocean energy and more.
ReplyDeleteWe´ll get other 2 goals like reduce carbon footprinting and earn carbon credits
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