Our Energy Use and Associated Consequences Research Paper

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CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ENERGY USEConsequences of our Energy Use1) Relationship between Energy Use and Carbon FootprintEnergy use is generally related to carbon footprint given that carbon dioxide emissions account for the total anthropogenic emissions. This is more so the case given that as energy is consumed, carbon dioxide is also released. In essence, increased consumption of energy leads to increased emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (Chontanawat, 2020).2) Carbon footprint in terms of Anthropogenic Source of Carbon Dioxide Emitted to make LaptopsDespite the fact that laptops do not consume a lot of electricity, they still contribute towards carbon dioxide emissions – especially when we think in terms of their building and shipping. With regard to laptop building, Circular Computing (2021) estimates that manufacturing of laptop produces approximately 75 to 85 percent of the entire footprint. In particular, most of the said emissions are produced from the materials used in production of display, SSD, and the motherboard. When it comes to shipping, emissions associated with the same account for approximately 6-12% of the total carbon footprint of laptops (Circular Computing, 2021).3) Environmental Consequences of our Fossil Fuel UseBurning of fossil fuels has largely impacted the environment – especially in relation to air pollution, acid rain, and greenhouse effect. With regard to air pollution, Cohen (1990) found that the said air pollution is caused by sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide. Burning of fossil fuels releases sulfur in small amounts which reacts with oxygen to produce sulfur dioxide. On the other hand, as temperature increases in the atmosphere, nitrogen combines with oxygen to produce nitrogen oxide. Apart from nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, Cohen (1990) also suggests that air pollution is caused by unlimited combustion of carbon leading to unburnt carbon. The said unburnt carbon comes off in the form of small particulates that float in the air. After some time, the small particles in the air combine with nitrogen oxide forming ozone and other compounds such as PAN (Cohen, 1990). Air pollutants are associated with various health problems which are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; empysema, bronchitis, asthma, colds, coughs, pneumonia, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses - all of which lead to increased mortality rates.

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Like air pollution, acid rain is also caused by nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide which are produced when nitrogen and sulfur reacts with oxygen. According to Cohen (1990), sulfur dioxide happen to be the most common cause of acid rain in the atmosphere. The author further suggests that a chemical reactions may then occur leading to a reaction between sulfur…

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…U.S., nuclear plants are not widely used owing to the high cost associated with their construction. Among the few constructed nuclear plants in the U. S., nuclear energy is used in production of electricity which is used in sectors which are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; factories, businesses and homes – with the utilization in this case being in place of coal (EPA, 2022).6) Conservation of EnergyThe ‘conservation hypothesis’ can only be achieved when energy consumption is reduced. This aligns with what Chontanawat indicates, that decreased energy consumption leads to decreased carbon dioxide emissions. The total energy use in United States, for instance in the year 2021, was 97.33 quadrillion Btu (Energy Information Administration, 2022). Therefore, as suggested by various experts, if the U.S. were to reduce its energy consumption by use of simple conservation measures, then it would save up to 20% of its energy use. Essentially, 20% savings in energy use would mean that the 97.33 quadrillion Btu would reduce by 20%. This would be equivalent to 19.466 quadrillion Btu of oil saved annually. The following calculations show the number of barrels of oils that would be saved:Since 1 barrel of oil is equivalent to 5.8 million Btu, 19.466 quadrillion Btu would be equivalent to:19.466×1000000000=19466000000 million Btu÷5.8 million Btu=3356206896 and….....

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