ENMT301 Enviroment And Ecosystems Prinicples

Consequences of Our Energy Use Assignment

Instructions

In Week 5, you have learned about the various energy sources and energy uses, along with the underlying environmental problems, and calculated your carbon footprints. For this assignment, please answer the following questions clearly and concisely in your own words:

1. How are energy use and carbon footprint generally related, and why? Briefly describe in one to two sentences.

Pick up an item in front of you right now. It has a carbon footprint in terms of anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide emitted to make that product. Explain why and outline some steps that would take fossil fuel use to produce that product in no more than one paragraph.

What are three main environmental consequences of our fossil fuel use?  Provide one sentence for each of these consequences in terms of their root causes and their effects.

Consider the emissions associated with burning fossil fuels:

What are three emissions regulated in the U.S. for the burning of fossil fuels?

What is the most non-toxic emission resulting from complete combustion of fossil fuel?

What is one hazardous emission resulting from fossil fuel combustion? Describe the potential effects of this hazardous emission in one or two sentences. Is this emission on EPA’s list of Hazardous Air Pollutants (https://www.epa.gov/haps)?

Cheap fossil fuel has driven the world economy up to this point.  You learned that there are other energy sources we can use.  What do you think is the most promising alternative energy source and why? Provide one sentence each to describe three advantages and one disadvantage of this energy source compared to fossil fuels. Additionally, review the current U.S. energy data you looked at this week. How heavily does the U.S. currently rely on this energy source and what sector is it mainly used for?

Energy experts estimate that Americans could save 20% of our energy use with simple conservation measures.  How much energy savings is 20% of American energy use annually equivalent to?  Please provide a way to communicate how much energy that is equivalent to – such as how many barrels of oil that is equivalent to, or what countries that amount of energy powers, or any other form you think might be effective (such as “energy slave”).

Please document any sources used to answer these questions in APA format with both in-text citations and a reference list at end of your assignment.