What Are Renewable Resources Good For?

Renewable resources are natural resources using natural processes that can replenish themselves over a period of time. All renewable resources are a part of the natural environment and make up the eco-systems on the planet. They are threatened by industrial progress but also must be monitored so as not to exceed the natural world’s ability to replenish them. A good natural process for using renewable resources is a sustainable one.

The main reason that the world should focus on using these sustainable energies is because the current use of fossil fuels is damaging the planet. Using coal, oil and natural gas to makes electricity pollutes the world’s air, consumes and pollutes our water, destroys eco-systems, creates toxic waste and has been linked to global warming. The recent event in Japan is a perfect example of what serious risks are involved with creating nuclear power, another unsustainable resource.

Also, if fossil resources can be conserved for future generations, they may have the technology to extract that energy with minimal impact on the environment compared to our current practices.

Furthermore, we need clean air and water for healthy living. Using renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, tidal and biomass will help eliminate air and water pollution. Air pollution has been linked to asthma which is the number one health problem among children. It also contributes to heart and lung disease which causes more deaths than automobile accidents. Burning fossil fuel spreads toxic metals throughout the air which humans and animals absorb as they breath and can accumulate in fatty tissue. These toxins are linked to severe health issues such as congenital diseases and developmental disorders in children as well as nervous system damage in children and adults.

Oils spills and toxic run-off from the tar sands are also killing marine life and damaging the surrounding habitat. There have even been reports that local Native Reserves that share proximity to the tar-sands have an increasing rate of cancer among their population.

There are also economic benefits to using renewable resources. As an individual or business you can eliminate your need to pay utilities with the use of renewable resources. Moreover, if government invested in renewable resources and people supported their delivery through taxation, everyone could essentially receive free energy. Health costs would be seriously reduced because people would be healthier. Especially if food as a resource is also used sustainably through organic farming and processed foods are avoided, our health as a nation would flourish. -KATIE FLYNN

There are numerous reasons why we should use renewable resources. The question that should be asked is, why aren’t we?

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