Must fossils be fuel? — Mary and Forrest Heaton Publications

This is the first post in a trilogy on fossils.

Fossils

There’s a world of difference between now and then,

When fossils stayed fossils until harnessed by man;

Now seven point five billion extract, make and burn,

And our planet’s temperature has taken its turn;

Unless we act soon it will be too late,

Forget political blame, we will have sealed our fate.

As of this writing, the United States relies on coal, oil and natural gas for eighty percent of its energy—fossil fuels of dwindling supply and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) negative effects on climate/environment. If readers will please put aside politics, this is a plea for us to swiftly act as intelligent people to save our fragile spaceship Planet Earth before catastrophic climate change permanently kills millions of living species and makes large portions of the earth uninhabitable for humans. This potential catastrophe is already underway. Yes, we need increasing energy for our increasing population. But it can come from renewables—energy sources which are constantly replenished, have no GHG emissions and will never run out!

Solar. The sun has been producing energy for all 4.6 billion years of the earth’s existence; its energy is completely free and renewable. As of 2018, solar accounted for only two percent of U.S. energy usage. Steps in the right direction at the state level for harnessing this resource begin with California. California leads the states in installed solar with 23 gigawatts providing seventeen percent of its electricity and employing more than 86,000 people. (A gigawatt is a unit of electrical power equal to one billion watts.) Support those working on the best methods to capture, store and use this remarkable resource.

Wind. Windmills were used in Persia, now Iran, as early as 200 B.C. The Netherlands hasn’t done a bad job with them either. It seems about time we got with it. As of 2018, wind accounted for seven percent of U.S. energy usage, the largest of the contribution from renewables. In 2018, renewables accounted for seventeen percent of U.S. energy usage. Some steps in the right direction at the state level include Texas where, in 2017, wind accounted for twenty percent of operating electric generating capacity. You’ve got it: Support those working on the best methods to capture, store and use this remarkable resource.

We’ll discuss skeptics/critics in the second post in this trilogy. In sum, they ignore or discredit the science and use old, misleading or erroneous data to support their claims. The world will come to realize they have the displaced and deceased on their conscience; their behavior is unconscionable. Please, at the local, state and national level: vote out those who promote fossil fuels; vote in those who promote renewables! It is that simple and that important! When you do this, will you sometimes get policy or legislation that doesn’t speak to your ideology? Yes. But, at the same time, you will be giving those you love and those who will come after you a place to live.