Advantages & Disadvantages of Nonrenewables! Remember the most important Nonrenewables: Oil Coal Natural Gas Nuclear Energy Yellow do not write.

The Four Nonrenewable Energy Resources Petroleum (Oil) – a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, and can be extracted and refined to produce fuels including gasoline, kerosene, and diesel oil. Coal – a combustible black or dark brown rock consisting mainly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground deposits and widely used as fuel.

3. Natural Gas – flammable gas, consisting largely of methane and other hydrocarbons, occurring naturally underground and used as fuel. 4. Nuclear Energy – the energy released during nuclear fission or fusion, especially when used to generate electricity.

Advantages of Oil: Inexpensive to find, refine, and transport. High net energy. Wide variety of uses. Can be used 24/7 unlike solar and wind power.

Disadvantages of Oil: Emits GHG’s! (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Increase in Air and Water Pollution. Can cause acid rain. Growth in terrorism and violence. Produces harmful materials during refining period. (more pollution) Oil spills!  Will use up all reserves within 50 years or so…

Why is oil still being used Why is oil still being used? Multiple reasons but one of the biggest is how much oil companies are worth. The top 5 largest oil companies are worth 2 Trillion Dollars COMBINED. Exxon Mobile is the only American Company in the top 5. It is number 5 and is worth approximately $300,000,000,000

4 Facts you NEED to know about the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill. Over 200 million gallons of oil spilled into the gulf over 87 days. (Largest in history). 125 miles out of the 400 miles of coastal land in Louisiana was polluted. Over 8,000 animals washed up on shored dead from the oil within 6 months of it happening. BP will pay out over 50 Billion Dollars because of this spill.

Do the pros outweigh the cons? Do the research! Do we have other energy resources available out there? If not keep using oil. Can we safely change over to those resources? If not find a way to make it safer or keep using oil.

Advantages of Coal: Inexpensive, easy to use, and somewhat easy to transport. Reliable energy. Large quantities of coal found throughout the world. Creates jobs (all energy resources do this).

Disadvantages of Coal: Major GHG emitter (Creates twice as much compared to natural gas) Mining coal leads to destroyed ecosystems.  *Remember Mountain Top Removal and Open-Pit Mining* Coal is the leading cause of Acid Rain. Coal Mining is a very dangerous and hazardous job *Black Lung, and collapsed Mines* Limited supplies remaining *Remember it is a fossil fuel*

So, do the Pros outweigh the Cons? Fact - Although coal is cheap, easy to move, and easy to use, it is very dangerous to extract and mine. Coal is a major polluter. Coal also releases other hazardous gases like Sulfur Oxides. Which can cause Acid Rain. “Clean Coal” removes the sulfur from the coal but is much more expensive and still releases CO2. Opinion: Coal is cheap and has a lot of benefits, but it is dangerous and destroys the environment. Coal is an archaic and dirty energy source and we should use other sources of energy whether they are renewable or not.

Advantages of Natural Gas Cleanest burning fossil fuel! Doesn’t leave behind much byproducts like soot, ash, or odors Abundant supply of domestic natural gas. Over 60% of the oil we get is imported so using domestic natural gas is better for our country. Natural gas is reliable and easy to transport over large distances. #ItsLit

Disadvantages of Natural Gas It is still a fossil fuel and still emits GHG’s and other emissions. It also is finite in sources. True natural gas is odorless, colorless, and tasteless which makes a natural gas leak extremely difficult to detect. Natural gas can be mined by fracking. *There are very few laws in place for fracking and most of the research we have seen shows that fracking is destroying freshwater supplies and is causing earthquakes!

Once again, do the Pros outweigh the Cons? Facts: Natural gas is the cleanest form of fossil fuels. The natural gas industry is growing and many believe it is the nonrenewable energy resource of the future. Because there is so much natural gas in the U.S. it is a great domestic energy which creates more jobs and cheaper energy! Opinion: When it comes to fossil fuels and nonrenewable energy, natural gas is the way we need to go. It’s a nice compromise for both sides of the political parties, and it is a great stepping stone for a sustainable and renewable future! We just need to regulate and fix fracking before there are more harmful impacts.

Advantages of Nuclear Energy NE (Nuclear energy) emits GHG’s but NOT CO2 or methane. (It releases water vapor which is a GHG believe it or not). Reliable energy, it can be produced 24/7 It is fairly cheap to get the uranium and cheap to produce the electricity so it has a high net energy!

Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy 4 Major disadvantages of NE: Radioactive Waste, Nuclear Radiation, Nuclear Destruction, Impact on Aquatic Life. Nuclear rods aren’t always efficient and we have to dispose of them. We used to dispose of in the ocean. Now we dispose of it underground usually under mountains. Example yucca mountain. Nuclear Radiation & Nuclear Destruction are both risks of NE. If a plant goes through fallout the workers and surround environment can be immensely affected. Example Fukushima, Chernobyl. Nuclear power plants are built near water so we can cool down the nuclear rods with the water. We recycle that water thoroughly but the water usually comes out warmer than it came in which is thermal pollution. Nuclear radiation uses uranium rods, we get uranium through mining and there is a finite source of it which makes it nonrenewable.

The Final: “Do the Pros outweigh the Cons?” Facts: Although Nuclear Energy sounds really dangerous it isn’t that risky at all. There are hundreds of things that are more risky than NE. Although NE is nonrenewable it doesn’t produce hydrocarbon based GHG’s. NE is increasing in the US and in other countries which will help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Opinion: NE sounds scary but it is a great nonrenewable energy. Both sides of the political parties need to learn to like it because NE is a great step forward to a sustainable future. NE has risks but also high rewards unlike other fossil fuels.

What is the Consensus? Facts: Mr. Sullivan’s Opinion: Most Fossil Fuels Suck. Coal and Oil are archaic forms of energy that are really cheap but hurt ecosystems and people. Natural gas is the way of the future when it comes to Nonrenewables, but we need to regulate hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Nuclear energy has been around for a bit, and it is a very efficient form of energy with low risk and high reward, but it can fail and it causes immense destruction when that happens. Facts: We have decreased our Fossil Fuel use in the last few years. It is now at 65% of electricity generation. Nuclear has also increased to almost 20% of the U.S. electricity generation. Renewable energy has increased as well to almost 15% of the U.S. electricity generation.