http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-dismantling-obama-environmental-regulations/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/29/trumps-rollback-of-obamas-environmental-legacy-is-all-kinds-of-unpopular/?utm_term=.0b430aedc471 http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/energy-environment/326256-trump-wont-save-coal-jobs-he-will-put-america-on-the Trump is rolling back environmental regulations passed during the Obama administration. On Tuesday, he signed his executive order which “directs the EPA to suspend, revise, or rescind the Clean Power Plan.” It also “lifts the moratorium on federal coal leasing, rescinds restrictions on hydraulic fracking, and eliminates the National Environmental Policy Act.” Trump has declared that he is putting an end to the war on coal while arguing that he is increasing jobs through his executive order. Trump’s Energy Independence Executive Order also mandates that every agency conducts a 180-day review that identifies all regulations and rules that “impede” energy production; the reports will supposedly be used to create an energy blueprint. Trump’s claim that more jobs will be provided to Americans with this executive order is extremely inaccurate and ignores economic realities. Jobs have been lost in the coal industry because of automation and efficiency. In fact, “the largest coal mining machine in the world can extract 4,500 tons of coal per hour and requires only 27 people to operate.” I agree with Michael Brune that the best way to protect workers and the environment is to invest in growing the clean energy economy and to help workers make the transition to other energy jobs. I do not see anything beneficial in this executive order as it will harm the environment and will not actually save coal jobs.
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All energy has an environmental impact. All fossil fuels have carbon dioxide emissions when burned. Furthermore, all energies use land and water. The biggest area for improvement is the reduction of emissions. A successful future depends on protecting the environment while keeping energy available and affordable. Nuclear makes about 20% of the energy in the US, and it has 0 emissions. The fuel is plentiful and very powerful which makes its cost per kilowatt very low. Nuclear has potential environmental hazards, but the track so far has been mostly good. Despite the low cost of nuclear fuel, there is a large cost involved in building a nuclear plant. Although nuclear energy provides high amount of energy and has lower emissions, it has multiple risks and disadvantages. Nuclear radioactive waste cannot be stored or disposed safely. Today, nuclear waste is stored at the reactor, but we need a long term solution. It is possible for some new technologies to run on nuclear waste, however. Breeder reactors could produce less waste. Accidents and proliferation are at risk with nuclear energy despite the fact that nuclear energy is less deadly per kilowatt hour than all other sources. Natural gas is versatile and abundant as its supply is increasing. Natural gas has multiple uses; it plays a role in industry, electricity, and transportation. Hydraulic fracturing allows for natural gas production in areas such as China, India, and the Unites States where natural gas is not found. Although many scientists are okay with natural gas usage, they do not support fracking. Currently, fracking is taking place on a larger scale which raises the concern of water contamination. Natural gas is a greenhouse gas 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide. However, it serves as cheap source of energy which can help reduce our carbon emissions in comparison to coal and oil. Oil has caused large economic development by serving as a great transportation fuel. Other than transportation, oil can also be used for heating and power production. Although oil is relatively cheap, billions of dollars are spent in attempt to stabilize oil regions each year. Oil has environmental costs such as oil spills, smog, air pollution, and CO2 emissions. The largest challenge with oil is that it is our only transport fuel which means that it has large economic influence. The solution is to diversify transportation fuels. While oil has built our success in the 20th century, our prosperity now will depend on diversifying transportation fuels . Coal is is accessible since it is easy to mine, store, and convert to electricity. This makes coal electricity the cheapest in the world. Coal’s inexpensive price is its greatest advantage. Coal can help lift developing countries out of poverty, but it has many drawbacks. Coal mining is dangerous, and coal burning produces large amounts of pollutants. In fact, burning coal produces about half of all CO2 emissions. Overall, coal is cheap but has negative environmental impacts. http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/03/world/cost-of-bread-conversation/
In a new study published in the journal Nature Plants, researchers analyzed the supply chain of a regular loaf - from seed to sandwich and discovered that more than half its environmental impact comes from the production of the raw material, the wheat grain, instead of food processing. In fact, food actually causes about a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. The large environmental impact of food is largely affected by fertilizer; for example, ammonium nitrate fertilizer alone accounts for 43% of all the greenhouse gas emissions. Large amounts of energy and natural gas are needed to produce fertilizer and nitrous oxide is released when it is degraded in the soil. The problem can be ameliorated by reducing the amount of fertilizer used in agriculture. This can be accomplished by recycling agricultural and human waste as manure to retain the nitrogen. Also, organic farming and precision agriculture can be employed to lessen the problem. I found the article to be very insightful. I never actually thought about the environmental cost of food production, so all of the facts were alarming. Food production is definitely a large contributor to greenhouse emissions, but the problem is difficult to solve. For instance, fertilizer aids farming greatly so reducing its usage will be a difficulty for farmers. Gradual improvements in farming such as employment of organic farming techniques may help reduce the problem, however. |
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May 2017
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