Preparing for the Future:
Our Journey to Sustainability
It is alarming that there will come a time in the future in which there will be no more oil and water in dams. Most of the energy we use comes from these resources. However, resources such as water and oil, like most of the resources we use today, are non-renewable. We cannot replace them anymore once we had used or consumed them. At this point in time, we are still fortunate enough to enjoy clean water in dams as well as large amounts of petroleum. But several decades from now may be a different story.
Sorry to say, the toll has been taken. We have been exhausting our water and oil reserves very quickly. As a result, we run the risk of using up our reserves soon. Oil prices in our country were skyrocketing these past few months. Researchers predict that the peaking of world conventional oil production will occur within the relatively near future, sometime about ten years from now. This means that oil depletion is becoming significantly inevitable. Different countries may suffer from decline in oil production in different ways.
Likewise, we had experienced a lot of water shortage these past months. Several dams, supplying water in different regions of our country, reached their critical level and worst, some even went beyond.
Reports also had it that the continued warming of the Earth would cause the Arctic ice to become thinner. If this persists, then the world’s supply of fresh water would get depleted, with more glaciers melting into the ocean.
Two new studies published last November 17, 2005 have predicted major disturbances in the world’s supplies of fresh water. According to that issue of Nature, some areas would be even drier and experience drought while some may have abundant amounts of rainfall. Researchers have also warned that changes in sustainable water availability could have considerable regional scale consequences for different economies as well as ecosystems. Water shortages are also likely to occur in areas where reservoir capacity cannot hold the increased runoff coming from melted snow and glaciers.
During these times of crisis, we must remember that the resources we enjoy today are not unlimited. Billions of people won’t be able to access water if we would lose our water in dams. We would not be able to run our factories and transportation without oil. We wouldn’t be able to make products that depend on these materials. And without them, we won’t be able to survive.
The effects of water and oil crisis are really devastating and thus, sustainability is becoming a grave concern for us. It is either we have to be able to find replacement for what we have used or consumed or we have to be able to find alternatives to our resources.
The effects of water and oil crisis are really devastating and thus, sustainability is becoming a grave concern for us. It is either we have to be able to find replacement for what we have used or consumed or we have to be able to find alternatives to our resources.
Water and oil crises are not a new issue. However, it is a fact that it involves only what has already happened in the past. Considering its historical background, the major oil crises of the world were mostly caused by wars and revolutions. Some of these include the following:
§ 1973 oil crisis – Cause: an OPEC oil export embargo by many of the major Arab oil-producing states, in response to western support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War
§ 1979 energy crisis – Cause: the Iranian revolution
§ 1990 spike in the price of oil – Cause: the Gulf War
To overcome these crises, efforts have been done to generate alternative oil and water resources. That is why scientists today have been looking for renewable sources of energy that are both cheap and efficient. Some of these include:
Hydroelectric Power
Hydroelectric power from moving water has been a good source of energy for many years. As early as the eleventh century, tidal mills have existed for grain processing in both sides of the English Channel as well as in Spain. Records also show that water wheel stalled in 1580 under the arches of London bridge had pumped a portion of London’s water supply until 1824. At the present time, energy from running water is still used to turn turbines that produce electricity.
Hydroelectric power from moving water has been a good source of energy for many years. As early as the eleventh century, tidal mills have existed for grain processing in both sides of the English Channel as well as in Spain. Records also show that water wheel stalled in 1580 under the arches of London bridge had pumped a portion of London’s water supply until 1824. At the present time, energy from running water is still used to turn turbines that produce electricity.
Tidal Power
Building more dams can damage river ecosystems. Because of this, scientists have been using the rise and fall of oceans, caused by the gravitational force of the moon and sun on the Earth, as a huge energy source. A tidal power plant has three main parts namely, a dam, power house and tidal basin. As the tide rises, ocean water enters the basin which, in turn, increases the water level. The gates control the water level and closes when the water in the basin equals with that of the ocean. When the tides go down, the gates would open again and allow the water to pass through the turbines, producing electric power. Even though this is a good source of alternative energy, their use is limited only to areas that experience high tides measuring form 3.5 to 6 meters high. Tidal power can be used in countries surrounded by strong tidal forces like France, China and Australia.
Solar Energy
Much of the energy we use comes indirectly from the sun. Solar energy is energy derived from the sun in the form of ultra-violet rays. Scientists are trying to use more of this energy by trapping them in solar cells. Photovoltaic or solar cells collect the energy of the sun and turn it into electricity. They were first made in the 1950s to help power space satellites. Today, solar energy is being used to make electricity for airports, houses and buildings. It should be installed in hottest areas of the country. It is a very expensive source of energy but as more solar cells are made, more people may use them.
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
Oceans can also provide us with power and electricity. Ocean temperature differences between the surface and deep water in the ocean can produce electricity. This technology is still in its early stage and research is currently under way. An OTEC plant is usually located offshore. It uses warm surface water which can make liquids boil at a relatively low temperature. It is likewise responsible for making turbines run to produce electricity. The generated electricity in an OTEC plant is then carried by a cable to the shore.
Hydel Energy
Water flowing in the rivers has kinetic energy, which is used to drive the turbine and produce electricity the power generated as Hydel Energy. Dams and run of river projects are known, as source. This is the cheapest source of electricity and is used as major source of electricity in Pakistan. Although we cannot build, big dams but we should construct the small dams for Industrial sector.
Nuclear Energy
Energy is produced by emission of radiation from the nucleus of atom. Our country should look for nuclear energy possibilities. The Philippines is one of the countries in the world who has an indigenous capability to operate the nuclear power plant. We should work on the development on this source.
Wind Energy
Wind is another clean and reliable source of energy. Windmills were once popularly used to grind corn and pump water. Today, windmills are again used to make electricity from wind power. The large blades of windmills are attached to a generator. This setup is called a wind turbine. The blades spin when the wind blows and the generator converts the wind’s energy into electricity. This energy can be also stored in batteries during times when there is little wind. However, not all places can use wind energy. Windmills need winds of at least 20 kilometers per hour. They may also stop working in stormy places where the wind is blowing too hard. The windmills in the Ilocos region are examples of this. That is why the government should pay special attention in developing this renewable source of energy.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal energy comes from heat inside the Earth. Areas near volcanoes and the boundaries of tectonic plates are very good sources of geothermal energy. Hot rocks also reach underground water and create steam. On the ground surface, it turns into steam fountains called geysers or becomes a hot spring. To get this energy, geothermal wells are being dug near geysers and hot springs. Heat from these wells turns turbines that create electricity. More than 12 countries, including the Philippines, are now using this energy for factories, farms and domestic heating.
Other recent developments in our dream of sustaining our oil resources and water in dams include the production of fuel from soybeans, jatropha, sugarcane and algae. Scientists have also discovered glycerin to be a by-product of biofuel production. Glycerin has also been proven to be an essential raw material in producing forms of biofuel such as ethanol.
In sum, several steps are being made in order to sustain our natural resources such as water and oil. The issue of sustainability has become a driving force for different groups of researchers and scientists. However, we should not fully rely on these developments and discoveries. Instead, we humans should also do our part in order to sustain our natural resources. We need to assess the environmental conditions of our oil depots and dams. We should start conserving our remaining oil and water in dams as well as devising effective ways on how to preserve them. Thus, conservation is becoming a worldwide effort. Likewise, we must take all opportunities to reduce consumption of these natural resources. With all of these measures, coupled with a continuous improvement in other areas of environmental management, we are confident that we would be able to succeed in our journey to sustainability.
In sum, several steps are being made in order to sustain our natural resources such as water and oil. The issue of sustainability has become a driving force for different groups of researchers and scientists. However, we should not fully rely on these developments and discoveries. Instead, we humans should also do our part in order to sustain our natural resources. We need to assess the environmental conditions of our oil depots and dams. We should start conserving our remaining oil and water in dams as well as devising effective ways on how to preserve them. Thus, conservation is becoming a worldwide effort. Likewise, we must take all opportunities to reduce consumption of these natural resources. With all of these measures, coupled with a continuous improvement in other areas of environmental management, we are confident that we would be able to succeed in our journey to sustainability.
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