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Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve spent over two-thirds of our planet's Natural Resources. With the invention of cars and machines, coal and oil have been used in abundance. The astounding amount of the natural resources we used is what has been causing problems today. It took millions of years for the natural resources to be created and we’ve used nearly all of them within a hundred years.
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When the world started using natural resources, the people couldn’t have imagined the consequences. China is seeing some of the worst air pollution ever recorded. In China, several large metropolises have the citizens wearing protective masks to limit the exposure to the toxic air. The citizens are many times advised to stay indoors.
Air pollution isn’t the only consequence we’re dealing with because of the use of natural resources. Water has been contaminated, made undrinkable and sometimes flammable in some areas. Some scientists even believe the uncontrollable urge we’ve had as a species to use natural resources has led to the current climate changes. (To learn more about climate change and Global Warming, click here).
We don’t need scientists or celebrities to tell us what we already know. One day the coal and oil are going to run out. We can’t stop that no matter how hard we try. Big companies, with lots of money, can convince us all they want. They can say they’ve found new reserves and that the risks are averted for years. But one day, those companies won’t be able to say not to worry because there will be nothing left.
And in the wake of the disappearance, we’ll have a planet with scars that won’t disappear. The mines will be a reminder of what once was but will never be again. We might even have polluted our atmosphere to the point where we can't breathe in the air because of the toxic fumes.
Yet, there is hope. Even with oil and coal companies lying through their teeth, people are standing up for what is right. You don’t have to be religious or politically correct to make a difference and know you’re doing the right thing. (The Guardian has written an article stating that Exxon has known about climate change since 1981, seven years before it became a public issue. To learn more click here).
Green Energy has been popping up for years. I first learned about green energy in sixth grade. My science teacher was a firm believer in Global Warming and lectured us throughout the year on why we need to stop depending on coal and oil.
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I was particularly inspired when I watched the movie An Inconvenient Truth. I felt a weird, cold sensation snake down my spine as I watched a polar bear swimming out in the ocean trying to get on a piece of ice. Though the scene wasn’t the most exciting, I started to feel bad when the camera zoomed out and the audience saw that the piece of ice, the polar bear was trying to crawl on, was the only ice for miles.
At the time, An Inconvenient Truth was a topic of much debate. I look back and wonder how my science teacher convinced the school system to allow us kids to watch it. Around the same time, the issue on evolution was a hot topic. Between religious organizations and government officials, schools were in a deadlock on if they should allow the teaching of evolution or not.
Regardless, my sixth-grade year was full of information on how to save the planet. The scientists stated that if the current climate change continues, nearly all coastline cities will be at risk of being washed away in 50 years. It’s been almost ten years since then and now scientists are saying this risk may happen even sooner than predicted.
Now, I don’t think that we can do anything to stop the rising sea levels; at least, not anymore. We need to think of the future and worry about changing things we can fix.
The change has already started. Wind, solar, and hydroelectric power are being produced all around the world. European countries have jumped into renewable energy quickly and countries like the Netherlands now sport hundreds of wind turbines.
By December 2013, the Netherlands had 1,975 operating wind turbines. Those wind turbines supply the country with large amounts of energy to power all kinds of materials and machines.
Green energy is the future. Coal and oil companies may have the upper hand today, but tomorrow they may crumble. Once their product runs out, what will you do? How will you heat and cool your homes? How will you get to work?
Renewable energy is something we never have to worry about running out. The wind will always be here. The sun will shine tomorrow and the next. The rivers will still flow. The options are out there, we now have to seize them. Will you?
