Zerlang 1

Anders Zerlang
Professor Sotirakopulos
English 1102
12/14/2015
The Green Switch
Ever since the Industrial Revolution began in the early eighteenth century, Earth
has undergone a series of warming temperatures. Using results from studies conducted by
NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Energy, and the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), I will provide useful data, graphs,
and statistics to reveal the effects of climate change. I will also voice the opinions of
leading scientists in their respected fields. I will incorporate these valid sources to reveal
why the United States should transform its energy system away from fossil fuels such as
coal, natural gas, and oil, and into clean and renewable sources such as wind, solar, and
geothermal.
The first step in proposing that the U.S. should transform its energy system into
renewables is to admit that climate change exists. So, what has caused Earths
temperatures to rise? The foremost cause is the emission of carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere mainly due to the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) for
energy and transportation. However, nature also plays a role in emitting carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere; carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of
Earths carbon cycle. Yet, since the industrial revolution began in the late eighteenth
century, there has been a stark increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
and many believe anthropogenic activity is the root cause. According to

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multiple studies
published in peerreviewed scientific
journals by NASA, 97
percent or more of
actively publishing
climate scientists agree:
Climate-warming
trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities (NASA Consensus).
These warming temperatures are already causing many problems around the world.
According to NASA, Just some of these problems include rising sea levels, global
temperature rise, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, extreme weather events, ocean
acidification, and decreased snow cover.
Although these problems may not seem so disastrous now, many scientists agree
that if nothing is done to decrease our carbon footprint currently, we will see more
disastrous effects in the near future. According to the IPCC Climate Change 2014
Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers, most species cannot naturally shift their
geographical ranges sufficiently fast to keep up with current and high projected rates of
climate change and face the risk of extinction (13). Climate change is also projected to
threaten food security: Due to projected climate change by the mid-21st century and
beyond, global marine species redistribution and marine biodiversity reduction in
sensitive regions will challenge the sustained provision of fisheries productivity and other
ecosystem services (13). Along with food security being threatened, climate change is

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projected to reduce renewable surface water and groundwater resources in most dry
subtropical regions, intensifying competition for water (13). These are just a few of the
many issues climate change will bring if nothing is done to stop our current way of
polluting and consuming. However, most of these dangers can be averted if the United
States and other countries around the world end the use of dirty fossil fuels and start
investing in renewable energy.
Many countries around the world have already made huge progress in
transforming their energy system away from fossil fuels and into renewables. Some of
these countries include Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the UK, and many other
Scandinavian and Western European countries. I will focus on Denmark. One of the
foremost reasons as to why Denmark decided to invest more in renewables was the 1973
oil crisis, in which members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting countries
(OAPEC) implemented an oil embargo resulting in the increase in the price of oil from $3
per barrel to nearly $12. Denmark, along with many other non-major oil producing
countries, quickly decided that they wanted energy security and did not want to be
dependent on unreliable countries for their energy need. Thus, Denmark invested heavily
in wind. According to the Danish Wind Industry Association, Vestas Wind Systems,
Siemens Wind Power, and DONG Energy, [t]oday, more than 40 percent of Denmarks
energy supply comes from wind power and the plan is to reach 50 percent by 2020In
2050, the plan is for Denmark to be 100 percent free of fossil fuel. Denmark, along with
other countries listed before, are great examples that a renewable future is possible and
capable of providing many positive outcomes including energy security and most
importantly, a step in the right direction in combating climate change.

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Some skeptics of anthropogenic climate change and proponents of the oil and
natural gas industry in the United States argue that any attempt to diminish the fossil fuel
industry would only result in economic setbacks and an increase in unemployment.
According to a 2014 Vendor Survey Findings Report of U.S. businesses that constitute
Americas domestic oil and natural gas supply chain, the American Petroleum Institute
(API), found that [o]verall, as of 2011, the oil and natural gas industry supported 9.8
million full-time and part-time U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy (2). I
recently interviewed Greg Rob, a former oil trader for CITGO who spent most of his
career working for the company. I asked Greg to elaborate on some of the benefits that
the industry provides to the economy. Greg was quick to voice his opinion that too many
policymakers are too focused on increasing taxes on the industry rather than its capability
to create more jobs and grow the economy. To him, Greg views the fossil fuel industry as
an ever-growing industry with great potential to create well paying jobs. Greg also
touched on the advantages of hydraulic fracturing - a newer process of drilling that is
capable of attaining shale oil deep underground. Although Greg did not mention any of
the environmental hazards that are associated with hydraulic fracturing which include the
injection of toxic chemicals into the ground, he did say that it is a great way for the
United Sates of securing energy independence and security. As a result of recent domestic
hydraulic fracturing, the United States has now become the worlds largest oil producer.
However, the renewable energy industry also plays a big role in the economy: an
increase in the use of renewable energy around the country can actually create jobs and
expand the economy, something that proponents of the fossil fuel industry tend to not
acknowledge. According to research done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 2.2

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million people in the United States were employed in the green energy industry (direct
and indirect) as of 2009. Keep in mind that this was almost 7 years ago and that number
has only increased since then. According to the Environmental and Energy Study
Institutes fact sheet titled Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, the
Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory in Berkeley found that renewable energy
creates more jobs per megawatt (MW) of power installed, per unit of energy produced,
and per dollar of investment, than fossil fuel energy-based sector (Methipara et al.1). In
summary, renewable energy has the possibility of creating many new jobs and is more
cost effective than jobs associated with the fossil fuel industry.
There is great potential for renewable energy in the United States. Often times,
people view various renewable energy sources as something that is unattainable or even
straight out of a sci-fi movie. However, it is important to understand that the technologies
are already here; the only thing preventing these technologies from being put to use is the
right policies and infrastructure. According to key findings from the Renewable
Electricity Future Study, published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL), technologies that are currently available today, in combination with green
policies, have the capability of supplying 80 percent of total U.S. electricity generation by
2050. As of 2014, the U.S. Energy Information Administration stated that fossil fuels
provided 66 percent of electricity generation in the United States, whereas renewables
only accounted for 13 percent. What is so great about the United States is that it contains
an abundance of natural resources and there is great potential in expanding current
renewable sources that are already in place around the country. Geothermal, for example,
is one of the least explored renewable energy sources in the United States. But, how

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exactly does geothermal energy work? One of the simpler forms of geothermal energy
includes the capture of steam from one of the many hot water reservoirs underground.
Once the steam is captured, it rises up and spins an electric generator, creating electricity.
As mentioned earlier, geothermal is one of the least used renewable energy sources in the
United States and has great growth potential in assisting the energy transformation away
from fossil fuels, as there are countless hot water reservoirs in the United States.
An undoubtedly large percentage of scientists from all around the world agree that
anthropogenic activity is the leading catalyst driving climate change. Scientific data has
proven that there are dangerous levels of carbon dioxide in Earths atmosphere and
temperatures are rising too fast for Earths many ecosystems to adapt. If countries around
the world do not stop the current rates of fossil fuel combustion, we will face the many
problems as addressed by the IPCC. As mentioned before, there are no technological
barriers to converting the United States to clean, renewable energy sources; the
technology is here. The question is whether our politicians and policymakers have the
will to listen to the scientific community and acknowledge that we must do something to
divert the current path we are on. After all, we only have one Earth.

Works Cited

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Methipara, Jasmy, Amy Sauer, Chrissy Elles, and Frederic Beck. "NREL Helps Apply
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technologies Worldwide (Fact Sheet)."
Ed. Carol Werner. (2010): n. pag. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Web.
14 Dec. 2015.
Rob, Greg. Personal Interview. 16 November 2015
Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymakers. Synthesis Report
and Data. IPCC, Dec. 2014. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
Economic and Job Growth (n.d.): n. pag. American Petroleum Institute. Web. 14 Dec.
2015.
"Overview of the BLS Green Jobs Initiative." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"Renewable Electricity Futures Study." NREL: Energy Analysis -. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Dec. 2015.
"Scientific Consensus: Earth's Climate Is Warming." Climate Change: Vital Signs of the
Planet. NASA, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis."
What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source? U.S. Energy Information
Administration, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.
"A WORLD-LEADER IN WIND ENERGY." Wind Energy -The Official Website of
Denmark. Denmark.dk, Nov. 2015. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.

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