- Explain the alternatives to fossil fuels for energy production.
There are many alternatives to fossil fuels in our day and world. Alternatives include; Wind, Geothermal, Ocean/Wave, Solar, Hydroelectric and there are many more. For our cars and transportation we can use ethanol and green electricity from green sources. These alternative energy sources are called Green Energy. Green energy is what many politicians, scientists and researchers is the key in reducing emissions and therefore pollution and temperatures. Many green energy concepts have been thought up as they are sustainable for the future. Wind Energy is set up by having a wind turbine set up, they are usually scattered across a field which is called a wind farm. The machines are made to pick up the wind about 30 metres high and to make the turbines turn therefore creating green electricity. Geothermal energy is the use of the earths inner core to produce heat, alternatively there are places on the earth with natural hotspots. To create the energy from these sources a pool of water or hot spring gives off steam, to create energy we place a turbine over the hotspot and this creates the electricity. The concept of this energy source was based on the coal fired power plant but this is alternatively greener. Ocean power or wave energy uses the movement of the waves in rough conditions and areas in the sea to absorb the movement through large machines. This has been recently tested in Portugal where the seas are known to be calm; the energy off these machines goes into the Portugal power grid. Solar energy is made by extracting energy from the sun by heating up water from the infrared radiation coming from the suns rays. Using the sun for our energy requirements is a very good idea and takes from the sun what is free. Hydroelectricity is an extremely clean source for our energy requirements. Hydroelectricity is made by a making a dam and from the top of the dam the water is pushed through a gap in the dam wall which spins a turbine. From there the energy is goes through a generator and then the energy is transferred from there into the power grid. For our cars we can use ethanol it is a biofuel and is derived from sugar cane or corn. Using this in our cars is not as bad as using Crude Oil as it emits substantially less carbon dioxide than oil. The downsides to these energy alternatives is that most of them are very expensive to set up, some might take up too much space. The positives can speak them selves and they include; Low/No Pollution, benefits environment and sustainable for the future.
Category 3 – Applying your understanding (15 points)
- Can you describe how you could reduce the carbon
We can all reduce our carbon intake in our homes, offices, business’ and where ever we are. To reduce our carbon we need to limit down on items that give off carbon and doing this helps the environment as well as our future. In our homes we use electricity; we get this electricity by corporations giving us our energy needs through the power grid. The way them make that electricity differs from other companies but they all make electricity. Most of the time the companies use coal power plants to obtain the energy they require for us, this is really bad for the environment but most of us are too lazy to do something about it. Just by changing from your electricity to green energy you can save all the carbon from getting in our atmosphere. This might take a bit of cash off you but you will feel good that the environment is being saved. By switching our cars to an electric car or hybrid we can limit the use of fossil fuel being burnt up, a hybrid can take up to half of what a normal car would take to run on petrol. Installing solar panels can help by cutting your electricity usage from the grid and may even give you extra cash if you pump in unused energy. Planting more trees can help our world absorb part of the problem; trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere which cleans our planet. By installing fluorescent light bulbs around your home instead of the incandescent light bulbs you can save 20% off your electricity usage as they take less electricity to run. The final thing to reduce your carbon is to recycle. Recycling is a great idea as others can use what is not needed by you and therefore it can be used again in a cycle.
Category 4 – Analysing the information (20 points)
- Find statistics for sea level rises and interpret your findings
The images I have selected are graphs of the sea level changes throughout history.
The first graph is of the recent change in sea level change, the graph indicates that the sea levels are increasing more as we head into the future. The average rise in sea levels in this graph is at 2 millimetres per year. This graph shows that sea levels have risen 20 centimetres in 23 years, in another 20 years time the expected sea level change is said to be between 25-30 centimetres. The second graph is showing the ‘Post-Glacial Sea Level Rise’. The diagram shows the change in sea levels over 24000 years from countries, cities and islands all over the world. This means that the information is coming from the sea level changes since the glaciers have been melting. In some areas in the world the sea level change is higher or lower than areas at that point in time. An example of abnormal activity of an area includes Barbados approximately 11000 years ago; Barbados has a higher sea level of about 17 metres than the average at that time in history. The last image is of a graph taken from 9000 years ago or from the Holocene. The Holocene dates back to 10000 years ago and this is the average readings taken from these times and placed in a graph. The graph shows the sea levels rising 14 metres in just under 8000 years. The readings indicate that the rising sea levels across the world have steadied over the past 2000 years and show no sign of an increase for the future. This graph goes against what the others show although this might not be as accurate as the others. All of these readings, findings and reports have been compiled together and gives us the graph.
Category 5 – Being creative with your knowledge (25 points)
3. Write a letter to the federal Government outlining your concerns for the future of our country.
Category 6 – Weighing up the evidence: Critical thinking (30 points)
- If earth has warmed and cooled throughout history, what makes scientists think that humans are causing global warming now?
Throughout history the earth has gone through many stages and periods to end up where it is today. The changes in temperature of those years are very important as they can affect the temperatures in our world today. Scientists believe that the human race is causing climate change because of the rapid increase in temperatures in the mid to early 1900’s. The temperatures quickly crept up as we were using more fossil fuels and the introduction of harsh chemicals to deplete the ozone layer. The ozone layer blocks out harsh UV rays which can increase land temperature dramatically. With the greenhouse effect growing the world had increased temperatures which had not been expected at this time. Scientists think global warming is happening now as the rapid increase is on par with increased use of fossil fuels and the pollution of the atmosphere. Climate change is a very realistic event in the 21st century and it effects all of us so we need to change that by reversing the process and reducing the use of fossil fuels and other air pollutants.
Bibliography
David K, Positives of Alternative Energy, 10/11/2008, 2008,
Chris Pearson, Top 5 Fossil Fuel Alternatives, 6/11/2008, 2008,
Thomas & Sydenham, Wind Energy, 6/11/2008, 2008
Direct NIC, Best Practical Ways to Stop Global Warming and Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 12/11/2008, 2008
David Darling, Hydroelectric Power, 6/11/2008, 2008,
Wikipedia, Sea Levels Rise, 3/11/2008, 2008,
James Davis, Sea Level Home, 2/11/2008, 2008,
Stefan Lovgren, Warming to Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Level?, 5/11/2008, 2004,
NOAA, Sea Level Rise, 6/22/2008, 2008
Neil White, Sea Level Rise, 6/11/2008, 2008,
Australian Academy of Science, Global Warming causing Sea Level Rise, 6/11/2008, 2008,
