Time to Act on Global Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Time to Act on Global Sustainability - Essay Example Consumption of these resources has now reached their peak. Hubert's curve of oil production, a natural finite resource, shows that man's peak consumption and production of oil will be from years 2005 to 2010. After which it will decline at an exponential rate meaning that oil, which is as scientists calculated, used in about 500,000 different processes, will be finished. Can you even imagine a world without oil in it Look around you and try to spot anything which has not used oil in its production. You won't be able to because even if you see one thing in your room, you still used your car to go get it from the store didn't you Get my point This has actually created quite a stir in the world. People are actually predicting a third world ending in destruction of the earth as a result. But being students and having minds to think of creative solutions instead of brooding over our problems, there might actually be a way out. The best way to replace Mother Nature is Mother Nature! In other words, we need more Sustainable Resources. Let me explain. Oil other important resources that we are using presently are all finite. This means finding resources which are renewable and recyclable. The best thing is that we already use these resources, even if they are in a minute amount. So the primary research is already taken care of. Sustainable resources are those which keep on going and don't run out. A very simple example is of a forest. If you cut a tree, it will grow back in time. The forest then, has "sustained" itself. The key to this idea is to use these resources in a manner that they are not over consumed (used faster than they can be replaced naturally). Optimum consumption of these resources is the maximum use they can be put to, where the consumption rate is equal to the renewal rate. There are several types of sustainable resources: Hydro Power This is officially the largest source of renewable energy. Currently there is a production of 77,000 megawatts by this resource which is equal to providing 35 million homes with energy. It works by converting the flowing water into electrical energy with the use of turbines. Although it does not create any sort of pollution, it can harm aquatic life and displace landscapes. So it's not completely a guilt free way of producing power. Bio Energy As the name suggests, it is created by organic life decomposing. This source produces about 7000 megawatts of electricity of the world. This too produces sulphur dioxide gas but les of it in comparison with coal. Geothermal Energy Geo means earth and thermal translates to heat. This adds up to mean that geo thermal energy utilizes the steam and hot water found near the earth's core and turns it into electricity with the use of turbines. The only issue with this is that land sites with such a unique feature are very rare and setting up the plant is very expensive. However, it still produces about 2800 megawatts of energy annually. Wind Energy This produces about 2500 megawatts of energy. It works on the principle of a windmill. Simply put, wind rotates the blades which powers up a generator. The main disadvantages of this resource include very expensive machinery, hazardous for birds and unreliability of the wind because it's not present throughout the year. Solar Energy, photo voltaic cells These cells harness energy from sunlight by freeing electrons from unstable atoms in the