Brief Summary:
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In this week's lesson, we looked into the factors regarding energy that drive world change. In the past, the inability of wood to supply us with enough energy led to the discovery of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. In today's society where it becomes increasingly clear that our pool of fossil fuels are inevitably going to run dry, the world has to once again look towards other sources of energy. That would be renewable energy which includes sources such as biomass, wind and energy from the sun.
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With the shift to renewable energy, countries who traditionally sell oil as a source of national income would have to start developing new sources of energy. We would also want to see how the poor can be positively affected, and also how the transport industry will evolve in the future due to this change.
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Interesting points:
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One fact that caught my attention was about how the shift from traditional wood to coal and oil actually helped preserve our forests on earth. This is in contrast to the general view of the public, where many believe that the use of coal and oil have brought devastating effects on our planet. Of course this view is also not entirely wrong. The use of coal and oil have released significantly more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the search and excavation of oil/coal mines have destroyed natural habitats and drove many animals from their homes. However, the video shown during class has shown me that there was more to coal and oil.
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If we had continued with using wood as our primary source of energy, with the increase in energy consumption over the years, there would have probably also been no more forests left in the world. Does this not also result in a negative impact on our environment? Furthermore, coal and oil were one of the few driving forces in the industrial age and without it, many technologies we see today would not have been possible. Man's greed have caused us to over exploit these resources, hence causing these fossil fuels to deplete quickly as well as many other envirnmental problems.
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Key takeaways:
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Over the past few years, the world has taken massive steps towards the building of a sustainable environment. Countries such as Germany have encouraged this by introducing policies that have made the market for renewable energy more attractive. In our search for new sources of energy, I feel that it is also important to turn away from potential sources of danger such as nuclear energy. These sources might sound lucrative, but if things go wrong, many innocent lives could be lost and negatively impacted. This has been exemplified in incidents such as the Chernobyl disaster.
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Discussion questions:
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Although the topic "Energy for the poor" was briefly mentioned, I feel that it could have been a topic that we could have dwelt deeper into. As renewable energy is generally more costly than traditional energy, would the poor have the ability to have access to these sources of renewable energy? Installing solar panels for example, is expensive and it would not be practical for poor people to install them. What would happen to poor countries if and when sources of coal and oil are to run out?
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Ratings:
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I would give this lesson an 8/10. The lesson has been very beneficial in introducing new ideas which are developed to act as alternative sources of energy. While some sources are relatively safe, others bring about huge risks such as the use of anti-matter as a source of energy. The question we have to ask ourselves is "in spite of the risks involved, should we still be using this as a source of energy?".
-
In this week's lesson, we looked into the factors regarding energy that drive world change. In the past, the inability of wood to supply us with enough energy led to the discovery of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. In today's society where it becomes increasingly clear that our pool of fossil fuels are inevitably going to run dry, the world has to once again look towards other sources of energy. That would be renewable energy which includes sources such as biomass, wind and energy from the sun.
-
With the shift to renewable energy, countries who traditionally sell oil as a source of national income would have to start developing new sources of energy. We would also want to see how the poor can be positively affected, and also how the transport industry will evolve in the future due to this change.
-
Interesting points:
-
One fact that caught my attention was about how the shift from traditional wood to coal and oil actually helped preserve our forests on earth. This is in contrast to the general view of the public, where many believe that the use of coal and oil have brought devastating effects on our planet. Of course this view is also not entirely wrong. The use of coal and oil have released significantly more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the search and excavation of oil/coal mines have destroyed natural habitats and drove many animals from their homes. However, the video shown during class has shown me that there was more to coal and oil.
-
If we had continued with using wood as our primary source of energy, with the increase in energy consumption over the years, there would have probably also been no more forests left in the world. Does this not also result in a negative impact on our environment? Furthermore, coal and oil were one of the few driving forces in the industrial age and without it, many technologies we see today would not have been possible. Man's greed have caused us to over exploit these resources, hence causing these fossil fuels to deplete quickly as well as many other envirnmental problems.
-
Key takeaways:
-
Over the past few years, the world has taken massive steps towards the building of a sustainable environment. Countries such as Germany have encouraged this by introducing policies that have made the market for renewable energy more attractive. In our search for new sources of energy, I feel that it is also important to turn away from potential sources of danger such as nuclear energy. These sources might sound lucrative, but if things go wrong, many innocent lives could be lost and negatively impacted. This has been exemplified in incidents such as the Chernobyl disaster.
-
Discussion questions:
-
Although the topic "Energy for the poor" was briefly mentioned, I feel that it could have been a topic that we could have dwelt deeper into. As renewable energy is generally more costly than traditional energy, would the poor have the ability to have access to these sources of renewable energy? Installing solar panels for example, is expensive and it would not be practical for poor people to install them. What would happen to poor countries if and when sources of coal and oil are to run out?
-
Ratings:
-
I would give this lesson an 8/10. The lesson has been very beneficial in introducing new ideas which are developed to act as alternative sources of energy. While some sources are relatively safe, others bring about huge risks such as the use of anti-matter as a source of energy. The question we have to ask ourselves is "in spite of the risks involved, should we still be using this as a source of energy?".
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