Rodrigo Anda

11
th
Period 7
30/11/2012
Renewable Energy, the Future Energy
Only after the last tree is cut, the last river is poisoned, the last fish is caught Only then
we will realize what we have done with our planet. Right now we dont care about it, but in
a few years we will be facing the consequences of global warming and energy absence.
That is why Ecuador should start concerning itself about our future as a country and as
responsible humans, by the use of renewable energy, the perfect solution to these
problems. Today I will explain you, with two logic and common sense reasons, why
renewable energy is our future.
First, we have global warming, which is a problem that must be solved as soon as
possible. Some ignorant people think that it wont happen but we are actually living this
situation right now, every single day. According to some NASA studies, since 1950, the
average temperature has climbed 1.4Fahrenheit degrees around the world. As a
consequence of this fact, an Arctic ice area, which was bigger than the United States, has
melted this year! Another evidence of global warning is that the frequency and number of
hurricanes and earthquakes around the world has increased the last years. The irony of all
this is that even though we do realize what is happening; even though we know that we
are destroying our planet, we are still polluting, wasting and damaging.
You probably know that Carbon Dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main pollutant that is
warming the Earth. Let me tell you that Carbon Dioxide represents 85 percent of all gas
emissions caused by human sources. Globally, the largest source of carbon emission is
the combustion of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil for energy. On the other hand,
electricity production is the biggest generator of carbon emissions; transportation comes in
the second place, followed by industry, cars, planes, power plants, and other human
activities that involve the burning of fossil fuels, such as gasoline and natural gas. In the
past 150 years, such activities have pumped enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
to raise its levels higher than they have been for hundreds of thousands of years, causing
the green house effect to become worse.
If we keep on polluting we will have to face catastrophic problems in the future such as:
diseases caused by the migration of insects; more and stronger hurricanes and other
natural disasters will be formed because of the climate changes; Arctic ice will rapidly
disappear, actually there may be the first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier;
there will be floods because of the growth of the sea level; many animals will extinct; we
will be facing droughts and many other catastrophic and tragic problems that will change
humans life drastically. That is why we must start developing renewable energy, it doesnt
pollute because it doesnt emit Carbon Dioxide, and therefore it could be a way of
guaranteeing a safer future for you and the people you love.
On the other hand, the second logical and common sense reason about why is renewable
energy the best option for Ecuador, is that renewable energy will be the base of the
economy. According to the statistics published by the Central Bank of Ecuador, nowadays
10% of the national production comes from petroleum as well as 58% of the national
exports that also come from petroleum, meaning that petroleum is the greatest income of
our country. But what happen if there is no more petroleum?
There are an estimated 1.3 trillion barrels of proven oil reserve left in the worlds major
fields, which at present rates of consumption will be sufficient to last 40 years. By 2040,
production levels may be down around 20% of what we currently consume according to
the IME (Institution of Mechanical Engineers). It is likely by then that the worlds population
will be twice as large, and most of it industrialized (and therefore, energy dependent).
What is clear is that oil is getting harder to find and extract, and this is reflected in its
unstable prices, which are increasing more and more. It means that in forty years our main
income will be only the 20 percent of what we are getting now. It also means that the
economy of Ecuador will be completely affected, and that there will be lots of people
needing energy. So if we act smartly enough and we start developing renewable energy,
we will be able to maintain or even improve our economy and satisfy the necessities of the
people.
Now that we know that renewable energy is probably the best and only solution, I would
like to tell you a little more about it. One major advantage with the use of renewable
energy is that as it is renewable it is sustainable and therefore it will never run out as the
gasoline. Another benefit of renewable energy is that it requires less maintenance than
traditional generators. The fuel is derived from natural and available sources, which
reduces the costs of the operations needed. Renewable energy projects can also bring
economic benefits to many regions. These economic benefits may be from the increase
use of local services. Further more, renewable energy produces little or no waste products
such as carbon dioxide or other chemical pollutants, so has minimal impact on the
environment.
We can conclude that renewable energy wont just help to our planet, but it will also help
our economy and prosperity as a country. Therefore, renewable energy is our future, we
need it and we depend on it. So what are the main kinds of renewable energy? Well, we
have many such as biofuels that are made up by natural products; wind energy or solar
energy, which are free and endless types of energy; and the one Ecuador should focus on
is geothermal energy. This energy consists on using the heat of the earth to vaporize
water, making turbines move and creating energy. Ecuador is one of the best places for
this because it has lots of volcanoes from which we can use the heat of the magma. We
are lucky to have this kind of sources in our country but we dont take advantage of them.
Governors dont realize that even if these sources are expensive, not using them will be
much more expensive. Thats why we must find the way to persuade our government to
start developing green energy. We must make the governors realize what we are facing
because they know what is happening but they simply dont care about it. They think that
gasoline keeps up the economy of our country, and they still dont see that the future of the
economy will be renewable energy.
I dont know what your position according to this subject is, but I am really concerned
about my future and the future of my family and friends. We can choose one from two
roads. The first one is to keep on using contaminant fuels and as a result see people
suffering, being ill, pour and many dying; to wait in a large queue to receive a glass of
clean water; to be hungry because there is no food to eat; and to be burning in the hell we
created. Or we can develop renewable energy to live in a healthy planet with a healthy life,
improving the economy of the country and living happily and prosperously. The only thing I
ask you for is to fight for our planet and to fight for us, as human beings who deserve to
live dignified life.