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Global Warming. Almost every one of us has heard of this phrase- in school, news, newspaper, etc.
According to environmentalists, scientists, and other fields that work on "Global Warming", global
warming basically means "..an increase in the average global temperature." (which is approximately +0.5º).
The increase is caused by the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases. These gases are generally not bad;
we actually need it to warm our HOME SWEET HOME! But like we said, "too much of everything is bad".
Too much gas means more heat is trapped near the earth's surface. If this is so, then it generally means that
the average global temperature will rise. What causes this? Of course, it is the human, or rather our activities
So what if there is an increase in the average global temperature? We have already experienced
"heat"/ El Niño during summer times, so why worry? No pal, that's not the point. The real point is that we
are talking about the global change in the average climate, not the usual change in the local climate. What's
more worrying is that there are a lot of drastic effects on the globe, both living and non-living. Some of them
are:
First of all, it poses threats to human health. For example, since there are less trees due to
temperature rise, then there will be more Carbon Dioxide (CO2) that are not converted to Oxygen
(O2), which us humans need. Plus, more diseases are carried by warmer zones than the colder
to heat. When a 0.3 meter (1 foot) rise on the sea level occur, it would cause flood on many low
So much for global warming. Let's go to the main topic- the impact of renewable/ non-renewable
Renewable resources basically mean that certain resources can be used over and over again, and
seem not to be run out in stock. Just like water- it never runs out, and are always readily available (in some
cases). Vice-versa goes for non-renewable, just like coal, since it takes millions of years before another set
of coals are produced. Let's take up first some known renewable resources and their corresponding impact
on global warming:
1. Solar Energy
We all know the sun can be a source of energy, right? Many things now are solar-powered,
thanks to the solar panels, just like houses, batteries, furnaces, calculators, even cars! The downfall? Why,
come to think of it, it's not twenty-four hours that the sun shines! Plus, solar stations are very expensive to
put up and you'll need an appropriate place to set it all up. But hey, it somehow lessens the threat of global
warming (although it not yet widely-used by many factories, 'coz that will mean less time to manufacture
stuff...) because it does not produce waste- just point the solar panels to the direction of the sun's rays, then
the panels will convert it into electrical energy and snap!- there's your electricity that you need.
2. Geothermal Energy
Using the power of technology, geothermal factories extract steam or very hot water from the
Earth's crust, and then use it for producing electricity. The advantage is that it is pollution-free, so it does not
contribute to global warming, plus the stations do not take up much space- a relief for the environment that
is. But the problem is that, to have a good supply of steam, you're going to need "..hot rocks of a suitable
type, at a depth where we can drill down to them. The type of rock above is also important, it must be of a
type that we can easily drill through". But who cares? At least it doesn't contribute to global warming! :D
3. Hydropower
Water's all around us, la la hee hee what a-… ahem… Basically, we know that water has
many uses- drinking, cooking, swimming, and others. It also can be used for making energy- it's all free,
creates no pollution, inexpensive, and a lot of energy can be produced! But of course, there is the "bad" side:
it depends on the waves itself, and you're going to find a site where there is a consistent stream of waves.
This means that it also must withstand bad weather… But it still rocks… hahaha… : P
4. Biomass
What comes to your mind when you hear the word biomass? To make it clear, biomass
means (in the field of environmental science) plant materials and animal wastes that are used especially as a
source of fuel and energy. The good thing in here is that it makes less hassle to Mother Earth, since we just
don't dump the wastes and leave it there but we find other uses for it. Now, the thing is we burn the fuel, so
1. Coal
It's one of the ever so-famous non-renewable resources: coal (one of the fossil fuels). What is
so special about it anyway? Well, let me tell it to you: Very large amounts of electricity can be produced
from one coal. Cool, isn't it? Now hear this: Whenever a coal is burnt, it produces not just steam to make
energy, but also CO2, which contributes mainly in the global warming. Yes, it may be a great source of
energy, but the coal source itself is depleting. It will take millions of years to make pal! Besides, it's
hazardous and dangerous too for the miners, plus the mining activity itself destroys the environment, by
2. Uranium
Ever heard of it? Uranium basically is an element- a silvery heavy radioactive polyvalent
metallic element to be exact. Since it is radioactive, then it must be poisonous too, which it really is. Don't
worry; it does not produce smoke or CO2. It is even almost as inexpensive as coal! Here's the gate-crasher:
Even if it produces small amounts of waste (which is very, very dangerous), that waste must be sealed up
and buried deep for many, many years to allow the radioactivity to die away. Remember the Chernobyl
disaster? It can be like that if the factories don't spend much and pay much attention to the safety of the
factory itself. Accidents can be prevented; it's just that people put a lot of money for the safety alone, so it's
Now that we're finished with the two kinds of energy resources and their impact on global warming,
let's decide- what has a larger impact? Renewable or non-renewable? You can say renewable, since some of
them do produce wastes. You can also say non-renewable, since almost all of them produce wastes. But
keep it in mind that it is my opinion I'm about to say in here, and I'm to say that for me, non-renewable
resources makes a larger impact on global warming. Remember the fossil fuels? The coal, oil and gas? For
me, they have a larger impact on global warming since they produce much greenhouse gases. Burning coal
produces more CO2 than burning oil or gas. The same coal also produces sulfur dioxide, a gas that
contributes to acid rain. Acid rains are bad for the environment; it can even damage plants and aquatic
animals! Plus acid rains contaminate the water, making it unsafe to for us to drink.
See what I mean? Basically for me, non-renewable energy resources have a larger impact. But does it
really matter if it has a larger impact? Well, maybe yes, but what matters the most is that we have to prevent
any sort of process that can add the percentage of the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. I have already
discussed some of the things of what may happen if the amounts of greenhouse gases rise up, haven't I? So,
the thing is, we have to prevent the global warming, so we have to prevent the plants and factories that
So what now? Remember, if we don't act now, I don't think anyone will. We can't continue to be
blind- the evidences are clear. Let's save our Home Sweet Home, our Mother Earth. :>
Sources:
http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/index.htm
Recommendation:
It talks about the global warming… Its causes and effects to our world in the past, present, and even future.