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Energy

Energy Sources and Policy. Energy. What is energy?. Energy- Fossil fuels and other resources used to make electricity Some energy sources use energy in order to make more energy!

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Energy

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  1. Energy Sources and Policy Energy

  2. What is energy? Energy- Fossil fuels and other resources used to make electricity Some energy sources use energy in order to make more energy! The electricity coming into your house might be created by burning coal, by capturing energy from the sun, or by the force of rushing water in a river. Worldwide energy consumption increases every year. Energy-efficient products and devices help reduce consumption, but the number of devices that use fuels or electricity is always increasing.

  3. How much energy do we use? Running your Xbox 24/7 for a year uses more than 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity 1 That’s the same amount of energy it takes to run 2 refrigerators! At that rate, a power plant would have to burn more than 2,000 lbs of coal every year just to run your video games2

  4. What’s wrong with that? Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil releases greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and causes air pollution. Extracting fossil fuels from the earth can be harmful to the environment. Percentage of world-wide energy usage by resource: Oil – 35% Coal – 25% Natural Gas – 20% Nuclear – 6% Climate Change

  5. Oil Pros: * Efficient energy source * Easy to store and transport * Affordable and readily available (for now) * Base for many other products (like plastic) Cons: * Non-renewable * Burning oil releases harmful compounds into the air * Drilling for oil can harm the environment * Accidents while transporting can cause large-scale problems Status Quo

  6. Coal Pros: * Affordable and readily available (for now) * Easy to store and transport Cons: * Non-renewable * Old power plants pollute the air * Greenhouse gas emissions, acid rain * Mining coal can be dangerous to humans and the environment Status Quo

  7. Solar Pros: * Fuel and pollution-free * Potentially unlimited supply (as long as the sun keeps rising) Cons: * Expensive * Inefficient * Requires sunlight (sorry Seattle) Alternatives

  8. Wind Pros: * Relatively cheap * No pollution * Unlimited supply Cons: * Wind reliability * Aesthetic and Environmental Impact Alternatives

  9. Hydroelectric Pros:* Cheap, efficient Cons:* Can harm river systems * Floods or changes geography Nuclear Pros:* Low fuel costs, low emission Cons: * Expensive to maintain * Mining uranium is a dirty process * Storing used radioactive fuel is dangerous * Meltdowns Alternatives

  10. Hydroelectric Oil Wind Coal Wind Natural Gas Wind Natural Gas Mountaintop removal Oil Solar Oil Natural Gas Offshore oil drilling

  11. Energy in the media Headlines sell newspapers and boost TV ratings. The media love a good disaster! Nuclear energy’s image suffered a meltdown Three Mile Island, Chernobyl West Virginia and Chilean coal miners Stricter regulations and more investigations What gets covered, what gets left out?

  12. West Virginia Coal Mining

  13. A biased argument While the media often show both sides of an issue, it’s important to understand the point of view “experts” bring to news stories. • Industry vs. Environmental groups • Democrats vs. Republicans • Conservatives vs. Liberals • Jobs vs. Environment

  14. Quickwrite: • Did the newscast show bias? Towards which side? Why do you think this? Explain!

  15. What’s Really Going On? In June 2010, as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was still expanding, BP and Greenpeace both put these pictures on their Flickr pages. Are they telling the same story? Why would an oil company show scientists saving animals? Why would an environmental group show an oil rig on fire?

  16. How is the government involved? The federal government regulates the energy industry through energy policy. This includes legislation, tax incentives, and guidelines for conservation.

  17. Environmental Protection Agency • Established in 1970 by Richard Nixon • 10 regional offices around the country • Writes and enforces regulations, gives out fines to offenders • Monitors air pollution, drinking water, auto fuel economy, radiation, and more

  18. Quick Write: • Using one or more specific examples from the notes or your outside knowledge, explain how the media impacts policies in the US. Do you think this is a good or a bad thing? Why?

  19. Sources 1 NRDC “Lowering the Cost of Play” http://www.nrdc.org/energy/consoles/files/consoles.pdf 2 US EIA http://www.eia.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html 3 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/coal/index.html?scp=1&sq=coal%20electricity&st=cse 4 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/energy-environment/oil-petroleum-and-gasoline/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=oil&st=cse 5 http://fossil-fuel.co.uk/coal/the-disadvantages-of-coal 6 http://www.odec.ca/projects/2006/wong6j2/solar.html

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