By Noel Fernandez, age 10
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, every day the United States of America uses 20 million barrels of oil, which is equivalent to 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Oil provides a lot of energy even with a small amount, which allows us humans to get to our destinations in cars, buses, and airplanes. Oil is easy to store and transport. Much of our electric grid uses fossil fuels like natural gas and coal, which is how we can use Zoom and our laptops and computers.
According to The Wilderness Society, oil companies have leased over 12 million acres of public land for fossil fuel development. However, fossil fuels are dangerous to humans and animals. Burning oil leads to diseases because it evaporates, which releases particulate matter into the air, creating pollution and increasing the risk of diseases to the heart and lungs.
According to the World Health Association, around 7 million people die per year due to air pollution. The Union of Concerned Scientists states that each year, up to 30,000 premature deaths are caused just by particulate matter.
Fracking, a way to get more oil, is especially dangerous because it is connected to toxic water and air pollution, which can cause workers to get diseases. Fossil fuels also accelerate climate change because extreme weather events are linked to fossil fuels that release heat-trapping gases.
In the last 50 years, natural disasters caused by climate change have claimed the lives of over 2 million people and have cost over $4.3 trillion, according to a 2023 report by the United Nations.
We can use other forms of energy, like solar-powered energy, wind-powered energy, and hydro-powered energy, as a solution to stop all of these deaths from happening. Switching to electric-powered vehicles would greatly reduce air pollution.
