Save Fuel for Better Environment

Every day millions of people across the planet travel or move from one place to another. Some use cars, two wheeler or even aeroplanes. But they all require the energy to function and they get it from the burning of fuel. The most common resource for fuel is ‘Black Gold’. And, practically we have only five decades left before it gets exhausted.

This indeed sounds alarming and catastrophic. The gravity of the situation demands that we save this important resource. But we require it too. Burning of these fuels is directly related to the contamination of the environment. Thousands of plants and animals become extinct. If the rate of combustion of fuels keeps on increasing this way, then one out of ten animals is going to be extinct within 2050. That is quite alarming as we are losing the ecological balance.

The biggest cause for air pollution is burning of fuels. Even the quality of abiotic factors like water, air, soil as well as minerals is degrading. The greenhouse gases emitted pollute the air, which is indirectly affecting our health to a great extent. The number of people suffering from respiratory diseases is increasing by the minute. Since, the increase of pollution there have been a lot more diseases. There have been more than 100,000 deaths due to air pollution. Most of the new and incurable diseases are actually related to the pollution caused by the emission of greenhouse gases. Our health is very much dependent upon the environment. Rate of cancers have swelled up lately.

In addition to the combing of carbon and oxygen to form CO2 and other greenhouse gases which are the major cause for the depletion of the environment, burning of fossil fuels involves other processes. Both, coal and oil contain sulphur and when it mixes with air, it may create sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These contribute to acid rain. This rain water, when absorbed by the soil, contaminates the ground water. This is again absorbed by the plants. As a result, we are also getting overdone by it.

There are certain other effects on the earth, because of fuels. As the demand for fuel is increasing, the mining process is becoming larger. As the abandoned mines below cave in which causes buildings on the surface to crack or some even get completely destroyed. Mining also scars the land which changes drainage patterns and the land becomes unfit for farming. Coal or any other fuel when extracted or burnt creates a lot of waste. Most of these do not decompose and burn causing air and soil pollution. It affects the health of the entire population nearby.

But the most important health impact of coal mining is black lung disease. This disease causes lots of discomfort. However it is not fatal. It leaves miners exceptionally susceptible to emphysema and a variety of other lung diseases. Underground miners have more risk of death by lung diseases caused by exposure to dust, and about 2.5 times the normal risk of dying from bronchitis, pneumonia, or tuberculosis. At younger ages, coal miners are healthier than the average person their age, but as they age the situation reverses; coal miners die an average of 3 years younger than the rest of the population of the same socioeconomic status.

The problems continue. The only solution is to use less of cars and vehicles and machines which produce chemicals and substances harmful for the habitat. For covering shorter distances, bicycles should be used. Nuclear power plants are coming up to solve the matter but at the same time we should also reduce the usage. We all should have a minimal contribution to save our planet. The ozone layer depletion, melting of ice sheets and glaciers are all negative signs. As science develops, let’s join our hands together to conserve this precious resource and save our Mother Nature.