Saving energy saves the environment:
- Between our energy use and the environment, there is a direct connection, although it may not be that apparent.
- By consuming less power, the amount of toxic fumes released by power plants is reduced, the earth’s natural resources are conserved and ecosystems protected from destruction.
- You will be contributing to a healthier and happier world by taking steps to reduce your energy consumption.
Climate change prevention and protecting the air:
- Decreasing power plant emissions is maybe the most notable way energy reducing helps the environment.
- Most power plants burn coal, crude oil or other fossil fuels for generating electricity. This is a relatively inexpensive way of creating energy, but our planet pays the price. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen oxides are just a few of the by-products that come from the traditional methods of power generation.
- Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which accounts for the majority of all airborne pollution. When released into the air, the sun’s warmth is absorbed and the heat is kept in our atmosphere.
- The effects of greenhouse gas emissions include:
- Rising temperatures, heat waves and drought
- Smog and acid rain
- Abnormal weather patterns
- Higher sea levels
- Increased intensively of natural disasters
- The amounts of electricity power plants have to make are reduced by cutting back on energy consumption. This will eventually reduce the amount of fossil fuels that are burned each day.
Conservation of limited natural resources:
Cutting back on energy use also helps conserve limited natural resources. Lesser demand for harvesting fossil fuels are created by a lesser demand for energy. As fossil fuels become increasingly scarce, they will become extremely expensive.
Save ecosystems and animals:
Animals and ecosystems can also be harmed by excessive energy use. Habitats on land and in the ocean are destroyed by mining, logging and material extraction associated with the provision of fossil fuels. One of the main reasons that biodiversity is disappearing at 1,000 times the normal extinction rate is human-induced air pollution. Oil spills, which often occur during the transport of fossil fuels, wreak havoc on underwater species and throw of the chemical balance of our oceans, making it dangerous for humans to swim.
Consume less, conserve more:
Reducing electricity use in your home- or going off the power grid with solar energy-can benefit the environment, conserve resources and save lives. Although your own energy saving adjustments may seem inconsequential, small steps become great leaps when multiplied by 7 billion.