TEAM B
SCI/362
2 February 2015
JULIET KNOWLES
Case Study
Feasible alternative fuel development is essential to sustainable resource management and the alternatives to fossil fuels as presented in Watershed offers promise and hope critical to the survival of our ecosystem. Brief History
Before the Industrial Revolution, the human species relied on the sun for heat along with biomass (typically firewood) straw and dried animal dung. Horses provided muscle power to do things outside of human strength, like pull plows to till the land. …show more content…
It is predicted that the concentration of CO2 will triple to what the pre-industrial average of 280 ppm. Currently, according to the CO2 detector on Mauna Loa Observatory is registering 398.78 ppm. Kaster (1998) states that,” Of the 7.1 gigatons of carbon released each year about 3.3 Gt C accumulates in the atmosphere.” An increase of air pollutants is a result of continued use of fossil fuels. Air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and hydrocarbons are produced as fossil fuels are used (Union of Concerned Scientist, n. d.). Carbon monoxide causes headaches and aggravates people with heart disease. Nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxides create smog, a yellowish-brown “cloud” layer that settles on the ground. And these substances irritate lungs causing issues like bronchitis and pneumonia. Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are the primary components of acid rain and snow that affect plants and buildings. Hydrocarbons are another pollutant made from burning fossil fuels. Smog is also tropospheric ozone, which affects lungs, and crop yields. In addition, fossil fuels produce small particles that irritate the lungs. Pollution also impacts water and land. Oil spills leave shorelines uninhabitable for animals. Coal mining adds water pollutants by adding sulfur …show more content…
Also, that the effects of what we have burned so far are not clearly obvious in global temperature records (Kaster, 1998). It is predicted that the concentration of CO2 will triple to what the pre-industrial average of 280 ppm. Currently, according to the CO2 detector on Mauna Loa Observatory is registering 398.78 ppm. Kaster (1998) states that,” Of the 7.1 gigatons of carbon released each year about 3.3 Gt C accumulates in the atmosphere.” If the world uses all of its reserves of coal, oil and natural gas then it is reasonable to think that the CO2 concentrates will be about 1100 to 1200 ppm roughly 400 to 800 years from now (Kaster, 1998). An increase of air pollutants is a result of continued use of fossil fuels. Air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and hydrocarbons are produced as fossil fuels are used (Union of Concerned Scientist, n. d.). Carbon monoxide causes headaches and aggravates people with heart disease. Nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxides creates smog, a yellowish-brown “cloud” layer that settles on the ground. And these substances irritate lungs causing issues like bronchitis and pneumonia. Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are the primary components in acid rain and snow that affect plants and buildings. Hydrocarbons are another pollutant made from