Dear, Future President,

Modern technology today has advanced humanity in ways beyond words. Man has invented machines capable of transportation, man has flown, and man has set foot on the moon. In the near future, unimaginable technology will be created and humanity will continue to thrive; or will it? 

Today, cars, airplanes, and trucks all use an energy source called petroleum. Petroleum is an oil that is drilled from under the Earth’s surface and is nonrenewable. Other nonrenewable energy resources include coal and natural gas. Nonrenewable energy sources cannot be used again; meaning -when they run out- they are gone.

Across the world, about 12.25 billion tons of petroleum are used per year. At this rate, we will be out of oil by the year of 2052. Natural gas, another leading energy source will also absent by the year of 2060 following coal that will run out in 2088 (Gore, 1). “The number of cars on the world's roads surpassed one billion last year,” (Tencer, 1). Again, we will be out of oil by the year 2052 if we continue to use it at this rate. What then? Cars will be off the streets. Planes will be out of the sky. People all over the world will be affected negatively. Effective transportation will cease to exist until a new energy source is found. But how long would this take? Days? Weeks? Months? Transportation will not only be gone, but food, water, and clothing will start to become scarce. I believe that finding alternative energy sources should be the priority of our future President due to how much we depend on fossil fuels that are running out rapidly.

Finding alternative energy sources needs to be a top priority for the future President. If this issue goes unnoticed, America and other parts of the world will be in a predicament. For instance, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions were produced by electricity; “67 percent of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas” (USEPA, 1). However, global warming wouldn’t be the only reason to switch to renewable energy; there are significant health benefits too. With less carbon dioxide in the air, humans will be able to breathe cleaner, fresher air. According to the American Wind Energy Association, 132 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were prevented from polluting the air due to the use of windmills. “Wind energy also greatly reduces a variety of health-harming air pollutants… which helps reduce rates of asthma and other respiratory issues,” (Ward & Vaughan, 2). Simply transitioning into alternative energy sources, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power could help prevent a crisis from occurring.

Although creating renewable energy is important, it is also very expensive and time-consuming to process this energy. Getting mass amounts of power from renewable energy is challenging. “One disadvantage with renewable energy is that it is difficult to generate the quantities of electricity that are as large as those produced by traditional fossil-fuel generators,” (solarschools.net). Additionally, gathering quantities of renewable energy is often hard to keep consistent. “Renewable energy often relies on the weather for its source of power,” (solarschools.net). Meaning, if bad weather occurs, less power will be generated. Nevertheless, fossil fuels produce more quantities of energy compared to renewable energy plants today; but renewable energy is much cleaner for the environment.

The future President should invest time and money finding effective alternative renewable energy sources that can be placed across the United States to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used. These renewable energy sources could consist of wind, solar, and hydroelectric energy. 

One of the seventeen global goals, number 7, states that the world will have affordable and clean energy by the year 2030. This relates to the solution of finding clean energy sources. By finding different ways of getting energy, we can not only benefit America but help other countries work towards a cleaner lifestyle. 

Using cleaner and more reliable energy sources isn’t just a goal for the US alone. One of the United Nations (a group of 193 countries) goals is to, “{create} sustainable energy, therefore, {it} can be an engine for poverty reduction, social progress, equity, enhanced resilience, economic growth, and environmental sustainability,” (United Nations, 1). Therefore, switching over to renewable energy helps support the UN’s goals. Again, finding different energy sources should be a top priority for our future President. Along with finding cleaner energy comes fewer health problems and less environmental concerns.

Sincerely,

Emily H.