Napassorn Esharoe

Semih Eser

Egee 101H

April 10th, 2017

Final Essay

Based on my initial essay, I had a general understanding of energy and how it intertwines

with daily life. However, the energy and environment 101 course takes the context of energy to a

deeper level and examines the different aspects of energy throughout each time period. What had

stunned me was the context taught in class; it goes beyond the comprehension of facts in relation

to energy and even covers calculation methods. This makes this course suitable for all

individuals with different interests. At the beginning, I had the initiative to gain more knowledge

towards the framework of the system of energy and how that readily impact the environment.

Relatively, when facts are presented in relation to energy, it is crucial to use a holistic

approach to comprehend and analyze the benefits and costs of different alternatives. Just like

how there are different forms of energy, which is a capacity for doing work, generating heat, and

emitting radiation. The measurement of energy also comes in various forms such as British

thermal unit, calorie, and joule. These three units are interchangeable where 1 btu is equal to

1055 joules and 0.252 calories. The different forms of energy consist of mechanical, thermal,

chemical, electrical, nuclear, and electromagnetic. Once electromagnetic energy changes to

chemical, photosynthesis occurs to support plant and animal life on earth. Moreover, energy

comes with two different laws, which are 1st law of thermodynamics and 2nd law of

thermodynamics. 1st law of thermodynamics heavily relies on quantity and needs the energy to
get energy. It simply conserves energy since energy cant be created or destroyed, but it can be

converted into any form of energy. Economically, the principle of 1st law of thermodynamics

serves the same meaning as theres no such thing as free a lunch. On the other hand, 2nd law

of thermodynamics focuses on quality. It covers the motive of wasting energy in order to get

usable energy or in other words entropy in the universe always increases. It similarly reflects the

economic principle of you cant have all you paid for.

Universally, energy consumption has risen from mid 19th century to the present very

rapidly. Overall, petroleum is most consumed, which consists of 36%. Apart from that, natural

gas takes 26%, coal 20%, renewable energy 9%, and nuclear electric power at 8%. A source of

energy can be applied to more than one sector that uses energy sources (transportation 28%,

industrial 21%, residential and commercial 11%, and electric power 40%). There is always an

energy balance around the earth, especially when there is an increase in energy consumption. Of

the 100% of incoming energy, 32% is reflected out. As a matter of fact, 23% of energy is

absorbed and 45% is radiated at night. The increase in energy consumption comes with a

consequence of the rise in greenhouse effect. An average global temperature without greenhouse

effect is originally 0 degrees Fahrenheit. However, with greenhouse effect, the average global

temperature becomes 59 degrees Fahrenheit. This, leads to the problem of global warming.

People often idealizes greenhouse effect as a negative terminology despite its positive qualities.

As a matter of fact, greenhouse effect isnt the problem, but the enhanced or how much

greenhouse effect rises is. Once there is an enhanced greenhouse effect, global warming is

created, which affects the global climate change. The repercussions of climate change are floods,

droughts, increase ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, changes in precipitation, and coral
bleaching. The consequences have struck the attention of many scientists and led to many

protocols such as the Earth Summit in 1992, Kyoto protocol, and Paris agreement.

To examine the current outrage of energy consumption, it might be beneficial to

understand the root or history behind exosomatic energy conversion processes. The first form of

energy could possibly be fire, where it was first used 1.5 million years ago to provide warmth,

prepare food, and protection against wild animals. However, energy conversion from fire doesnt

exist until the 18th century or the 2nd industrial revolution. During the 4th century BCE,

windmills were created by generating flowing water to grind grains and mine materials. From

this creation, sails and waterways become a new mode of transportation but only seasonally.

Apart from that, steam engines were created as an external combustion for mining,

manufacturing, and transportation from 18th century. This mode of energy conversion doesnt

involve or depend nature. On top of that, power plants come in place for electricity generating

and petroleum burning for fuels and nuclear fission for bombs and submarine transportation. All

in all, power generation was dominated by fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), where many

corporations funded high quantities of fossil fuels to establish businesses and control markets.

According to Lewis Mumford, three epochs of evolution of machine sand technology exist to

differentiate different prime movers and social effects. Eotechnic phase during 1000-1750 AD is

one of the oldest and earliest form with waterwheels and windmills as prime movers.

Paleotechnic phase during 1750-1890 is another early evolution, which involved steam engine

with iron as the basic resource. Lastly, the neotechnic phase that still exists today that originated

from late 18th century involves the use of electricity and internal combustion engines as prime
movers. The trend of energy evolution has prevailed the global economy where the main

maneuver of corporations is revolved around power, speed, and convenience.

The rise in fossil fuel use positively affects the market of consumers and producers, but

has also effected the environment negatively. The storage of fossil fuel has created numerous

amount of gasoline leaks in underground tanks. The end use of fossil fuel omits many pollutants

such as sulfur and nitrogen oxides, fly ash, soot, and carbon monoxide. Other than that, fossil

fuel also creates acid rain and causes major air pollution. Even though energy conversion was

purely created from human intelligence and intuition with nature, it also readily effects the

environment in an opposing way. Since communities around the world are already aware of the

possible effects, it is not impossible for everyone to implement few changes to help the

environment. Until now, I still believe in the aesthetic of discoveries and human connections

with nature. Some of the human creation of energy conversion depends solely on nature; which,

involves both the input and output. Therefore, it is crucial for us to conserve this connection and

dont entirely exploit natures generosity.