Members+Opinion

Erika- Whether you want to believe it or not, our energy resources are running out. For the next 2-5 years the best energy resources should be solar, wood and oil. I think solar would be a good energy source because this kind of energy is from the sun. As long as the sun does not burst, the earth will always have this type of energy if taken advantage of. When the sun produces this energy there is little to no side effects. Some of the few side effects would be when the sun is not visible or when the seasons change and the sun is not at its most effective temperature. Solar energy would be best for electricity, heating and transportation. Maybe scientists can come up with a way to produce solar energy powered cars in the next 2-5 years. This would also help with the fact of global warming and pollution with cars, vehicles and buses. The next energy resource i think is best is wood. Wood is a renewable source so as long as there are trees and forests standing, we will have wood. Wood is a very very reliable source because it is soft and can be used for just about anything including heat, building furniture and etc. Although there are certain downfalls to using this energy source, for the next 2-5 years i think the earth will be okay as long as we can encourage people to go green and plant trees! Wood fuel can be used for cooking and heating, and occasionally for fueling steam engine and steam turbines that generate electricity. Wood may not be the best alternative for things like transportation but its still good for heating and electricity. The next energy resource i think would be best is oil. Oil should be around and available for the next 5 years. The only downfall is the thought of the price rising and rising. But its not like we aren't expecting it so you might as well use it while you have it. Oil will be around for the next +5 years so i think it would be a good choice to use what we have and then move on to something more renewable and dependable like geothermal or tidal energy resources. Oil is good for transportation because it allows for vehicles and buses to run. Oil also produces a ton of pollution but using it for the next five years would be a better solution than using it for the next 50 years. For the next 20-50 years the best energy resources would be geothermal, wind and tidal. I think geothermal is the best energy resource to use because as long as the earth is around we will be able to us geothermal energy since it comes from the internal heat within the earths core. It is also a green energy source so it has literally no pollution. Geothermal energy will be available for billions of years to come. A disadvantage of using geothermal energy is that it possesses a threat when it comes to earthquakes. Another disadvantage is that geothermal systems require a massive amount of land to be used. The next energy resource is wind. Wind is an evolving energy resource which is good for the many years to come. Wind is renewable. Wind does not cause blackouts or power-failures. A disadvantage of using wind turbines is the possible decrease in our bird or any type of flying species population. This could maybe effect the food chain also because of the possible decrease in birds. The turbines also take up less room than the big huge power plants do. This type of energy resource will take up less land so i think its good for the earth and all the animals and people around them. These animals are sometimes unable to see the turbines and fly right into them, killing off what could be a entire flock of birds. Wind is good for electricity though. The next energy resource is tidal. Tidal energy will not pollute the earth because it is used in a smart way. It comes from the tides and waves within the oceans. The only downfall in this use of energy resource is the possible decrease in the marine animal life. This could possibly mean that the food chain may be affected because what predator doesn't have prey. The oceans aren't going anywhere, except rising, so i do not see a reason not to look into this type of energy resource. Tidal energy machines does not need fuel to run so this is also an advantage. This is great because that means if we end up using all the oil earlier, we dont have to worry about trying to power this thing in the ocean because it does not run on fuel. This type of energy resource may be used to take advantage of transportation and possibly heat. There is always a tide coming in and going out of the oceans. As far as i am concerned, i think these three energy resources geothermal, wind, and tidal, will out last the humans. This is a great thing because that means whatever comes after humans will have the reliable resources, that i think would be the best to use, to fall back on. When it all comes down to it, i honestly think these would be the best decisions to make for our future generations. People and scientists must work together because whether you believe it or not, we cannot depend on just one energy resource forever.

Kennedy- Throughout the years many environmental and economical complications have arose affecting energy. Thus being said, it is very important to conclude what resources are appropriate to use in the next 2 to 5 years and the next 20 to 50 years to come. Some resources are non-renewable, some are not. Some are costly but worth the price while others aren’t so expensive but quick to use. The problem with resources is that you never know when they are going to end or what complications the will bring. It’s highly important for people to plan on the types of resources that should be used. I think that three sources of energy that should be included for the next 2 to 5 years are: wood, oil, and hydropower. Wood is a reliable resource. Trees are planted all over the place therefore enabling a large supply of wood. Yet, this could perhaps be detrimental if we rely on wood too much hence the reason for this resource to be used in the next 2 to 5 years. Although wood is easy to obtain and to buy, it is softer than most resources. It can burn quickly which means you’d have to buy more wood to keep heat and furniture. Wood is cheap and is a great material for cooking but it burns too fast. Another resource needed to be used in the next 2 to 5 years should be oil. Oil is a resource that is used heavily in cars. It allows cars to drive at greater speeds and greater lengths. Yet, oil can be very harmful to the earth. It is also not very cheap and will become scarce if drilling continues. It is highly dangerous. Not only is it dangerous to humans but it is also very dangerous to wildlife. Oil is not going to stick around for much longer. However, it is good while it lasts so you might as well use it up. One more resource that would be good to use throughout the next 2 to 5 years would be hydropower. This depends all on water. This can hurt if a drought comes along. It is good to the earth, very friendly. Economically, it costs a lot to install but not so much to actually operate. One great thing about this energy resource is that is creates absolutely no air pollution what so ever. But of course there is a negative side to this type of resource. The marine life and destruction of the natural world are included and can hurt our planet terribly. What’s life without fish? To me, that’s nothing because I love fish. Whatever the case may be, I truly believe that these three things (oil, wood, and hydropower) should be used in the next 2 to 5 years. Why these three you may ask? Well, I will tell you why. It is because of their disadvantages and possible threats to our life here on earth. You never know what can happen in 2 to 5 years. Having said that, the future is not too far away. The next 20 to 50 years could bring huge amounts of new and healthy sources of energy. The energy sources now can be the building block for new sources to come. Three resources that are fresh in my mind are the following: solar, wind, and tidal. To start off, these three types of resources are very reliable. For example, they are all renewable. In particular, solar is a great source of energy to use in the next 20 to50 years. Solar focuses all on the sun. While the sun shining so bright there is a guaranteed amount of energy being acquired. Solar panels are honestly the bomb.com in this case. Economically it is a little risky but hey prices can come down at any time. Discounts anyone? These solar panels allow your home to get electricity. The initial cost is damaging but the cost of your utilities will be so low especially if you live in a sunny climate like Florida or California or Arizona. Solar energy not only provides electricity but it also provides heat and light and hot water. And get this, cooling systems are also included. The only downfall is the amount of sun you receive a day. Without the sun solar energy is erased. But no worries because I do not believe the sun is going anywhere for a long time. In addition to solar energy, I think it would be quite necessary to use wind as resource in the next 20 to 50 years. In all honesty, wind is going nowhere. I mean if you live in a place with little wind you might not want to consider this but let’s be real; every place has some wind at some point in the day. Wind energy causes zero black outs or power-failures. Its cost is very cheap and affordable. Also, it creates new jobs and does not rely on foreign affairs to enable energy for our country. Wind turbines on the other hand can be a bit harmful. They can hurt birds. They can break down over time. And they are pretty noisy. Yet, even with all of these disadvantages, wind is a great way to keep the energy on top of the game. One last resource that is a good contestant for the next 20 to 50 years is tidal energy. Tidal energy is a form of hydropower. This is great because it converts the energy of tides into energy. It also decreases the reliability us humans have on those stupid fossil fuels. We wouldn’t have to depend on them so much and instead we could depend on the tides to just go with the flow. This type of energy is pretty costly at first but it is all worth is in the end. But c’mon people, it is renewable and it’s just what we need to keep energy going steady in the next half of a century. In conclusion, energy is for real and it is something that we need to wrap our brains around before we run out.