Illustration by Reid Shniderman ’20 | Oil pumps and drills not only emit air pollution when burned, but also can cause disasters such as oil spills.

By Frankie Pastor ’19

THE ROUNDUP

Let’s face the world’s reality – it’s in danger. We have negatively changed the world’s climates by our use of fossil fuels. 

Sea levels and temperatures are rising, the poles are melting at unprecedented rates, and climates in specific areas in the world are changing affecting the inhabitant biodiversity and lifestyles. 

The United States Department of Energy defined fossil fuels as “energy sources including oil, coal, and natural gas are non-renewable resources”. We use fossil fuels to produce electricity and for fuel for heating and transportation. 

However, in order to gain access to fossil fuels, companies and countries must drill or mine into the earth, with techniques such as offshore drilling or burning the fossil fuels. By drilling offshore or on land, we are risking damaging the environment. 

Offshore drillings can have pipe leaks and waste runoffs, leading to a catastrophic outcome such as degrading land , water resources, and the animal population. 

With burning fossil fuels, we are producing air pollution, which in turn affect the air quality and world temperatures . 

For example, global warming has increased from the use of fossil fuel. The animal population in the oceans are deteriorating, such as the Coral Reefs in Australia, which provide shelter and food for other animals. 

Because the Coral Reefs are collapsing, the number of animal populations are decreasing . 

We must stop or at least decrease our demand and consumption of fossil fuels in order to prevent such global issues. 

We must use alternatives to create electricity and fuel for our electronics, heat, and transportation. 

Through the use of solar energy and biofuels, we can stop the demand for fossil fuels. 

In 2015, 195 countries came together to combat the environmental changes that fossil fuels were bringing. 

Sadly, the United States is set to back out of the agreement in 2020, in order to continue the use of fossil fuels.

If we truly care for this world and its resources, let us find other means to gain our energy.