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  1. Should alternative energies be given priority over fossil-fuel energies? Why or why not?
  2. Consider the pros and cons of individual alternative energies including nuclear, solar, wind, and others. Which are best to use? Explain your answers.
  3. Compare and contrast nuclear energy to renewable energies. Which do you think should be used? Explain your answer.

Take Action

  1. Consider the Natural Resources Defense Council’s article on renewable energies.
  2. Explore TED Talks on alternative energies.
  3. Analyze the data from the Pew Research Center about the dominance of fossil fuels.
  4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
  5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. senators and representatives.

Sources

  1. Richard Heinberg, The Party’s Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies, 2005
  2. Energy Information Administration, “History of Energy in the United States: 1635–2000,” eia.doe.gov (accessed May 20, 2009)
  3. James C. Williams, “History of Energy,” fi.edu, Apr. 25, 2006
  4. Lidian Chen, “China’s Petroleum Industry,” worldenergysource.com (accessed July 21, 2009)
  5. Robert W. Righter, Wind Energy in America: A History, 1996
  6. Lewis Mumford, Technics and Civilization, 1934
  7. U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Primary Energy Consumption by Source,” eia.gov (accessed Sep. 28. 2023)
  8. Sarah Kaplan, “World Is on Brink of Catastrophic Warming, U.N. Climate Change Report Says,” washingtonpost.com, Mar. 20, 2023
  9. United Nations, “Renewable Energy—Powering a Safer Future,” un.org (accessed Feb. 14, 2024)
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  11. Government of Iceland, “Energy,” government.is (accessed Oct. 3, 2023)
  12. Silvia Morimoto, “The Case of Paraguay: Innovation and Energy Efficiency for Sustainable Development,” undp.org, Nov. 8, 2021
  13. International Trade Administration, “Costa Rica’s Renewable Energy,” trade.gov, Jan. 11, 2022
  14. International Energy Agency, “Norway 2022: Executive Summary,” iea.org, 2022
  15. International Trade Administration, “Uruguay—Country Commercial Guide: Renewable Energy Equipment,” trade.gov, Sep. 22, 2022
  16. International Trade Administration, “Democratic Republic of the Congo: Energy,” trade.gov, Dec. 14, 2022
  17. DENA German Energy Agency, “Factsheet: Renewable Energy in Albania,” unece.org, June 2021
  18. The Borgen Project, “Renewable Energy in Nicaragua,” borgenproject.org, June 26, 2020
  19. International Trade Administration, “Kenya—Country Commercial Guide: Energy—Electrical Power Systems,” trade.gov, Aug. 19, 2022
  20. International Energy Agency, “New Zealand Can Use Its Clean Electricity Strengths to Decarbonise Its Energy System, Says New IEA Report,” iea.org, Apr. 27, 2023
  21. International Trade Administration, “Denmark—Country Commercial Guide: Renewable Energy Products,” trade.gov, Dec. 2, 2022
  22. International Trade Administration, “Energy Resource Guide: Germany—Renewable Energy,” trade.gov (accessed Oct. 4, 2023)
  23. International Trade Administration, “Morocco—Country Commercial Guide,” trade.gov, Nov. 11, 2022
  24. Georgina Kyriacou, “How Much Do Renewables Contribute to the UK’s Energy Mix and What Policies Support Their Expansion?,” lse.ac.uk, June 25, 2023
  25. Climate Council, “11 Countries Leading the Charge on Renewable Energy,” climatecouncil.org.au, Aug. 15, 2022
  26. Henry Thacker, “Top 5 Countries with 100% Renewable Energy in Electricity Generation,” thecsrjournal.in, Feb. 6, 2023
  27. Swedish Institute, “Swedes Use a Lot of Energy, yet Emissions Are Low. The Key? Renewable Energy.,” sweden.se, Nov. 11, 2022
  28. Julia Pyper, “Trump Signs Legislation to Promote Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology,” greentechmedia.com, Oct. 1, 2018
  29. Michael Shellenberger, “Why Renewables Can’t Save the Planet,” quillette.com, Feb. 27, 2019
  30. Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser, “France: CO2 Country Profile,” ourworldindata.org (accessed Oct. 24, 2023)
  31. U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Germany,” eia.gov, December 2020
  32. World Nuclear Association, “Nuclear Power in France,” world-nuclear.org, Aug. 2023
  33. Frank J. Macciarola, “API Statement on Climate Proposal from House Select Committee,” api.org, June 30, 2020
  34. International Energy Agency, “The Role of Gas in Today’s Energy Transitions,” iea.org, July 2019
  35. Timothy Gardner, “U.S. 2022 Power Plant Emissions Fell on Switch from Coal to Gas -EPA,” reuters.com, Feb. 27, 2023
  36. Cornelis van Kooten, “ ‘Renewable’ Energy Can’t Replace Fossil Fuels,” fraserinstitute.org, Dec. 13, 2021
  37. U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Primary Energy Consumption by Source,” eia.gov (accessed Sep. 28. 2023)
  38. Sam Winstel, “Common Sense Approach to Reliable, Low-Emissions Electricity,” api.org, July 31, 2020
  39. Union of Concerned Scientists, “A Brief History of Nuclear Accidents Worldwide,” ucsusa.org, Oct. 1, 2023
  40. Natural Resources Defense Council, “Nuclear Power 101,” nrdc.org, Jan. 5, 2022
  41. World Nuclear Association, “What Are the Effects of Nuclear Accidents?,” world-nuclear.org (accessed Oct. 24, 2023)
  42. Gregory Jaczko, “I Oversaw the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry. Now I Think It Should Be Banned.,” washingtonpost.com, May 17, 2019