Recommended For Ages 11 - 17

Without energy lights or machines will not work. Without energy, we could not make a car, plane, train or anything else move. Without energy we couldn't keep a building warm. Without energy, we would not be able to make anything.

Energy might come from many sources. Some other examples of energy sources used by humans include: falling water, wind, coal and other fossil fuels, wood, atomic bonds (used as an energy source in nuclear plants), heat from within the earth, the sun, and food, which provides energy for your body.

Fossil fuels, (coal, oil, and natural gas) come from ancient plants and sea life that lived many hundreds of millions of years ago, mostly before the time of the dinosaurs. When these plants and sea life died, there remains were slowly buried over millions of years deep under the earth where they were subjected to great heat and pressure and were changed into coal, oil, and natural gas. Products such as propane, gasoline, jet fuel, and fuel oil are made from fossil fuels.

Most geologists tell us that at some point human demand for oil will grow faster than new oil can be found and humans will run out of oil. Many geologists believe that that time may be quite close, while others believe we may have a few to several decades left before we run low on oil. Either way, fossil fuels cannot be replaced after they have been used. They are non-renewable energy sources.

Massachusetts has no local fossil fuel source. The good news is that Massachusetts can get its own clean energy from a variety of other sources, such as wind, biomass (wood), and solar. For example, a proposed wind farm off of Cape Cod would, if built, produce three-quarters of all the electricity used on Cape Cod.

It is often surface-mined, which may mean mountaintops are removed, causing extensive disruption to local environments. This site explains forms of surface mining and offers diagrams: Surface Mining, or take a look at this Public Broadcasting Station site for some pictures and an insight into the controversies surrounding the method: Razing Appalachia

Today, U.S. individuals put an average of 22 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air per year. A ton is 2,000 pounds, about the weight of a car. The good news is that there are many ways we can help reduce how much CO2 we put into the air. A car that gets 10 miles per gallon more than another car will produce 3 ½ tons less CO2 each year. Replacing old furnaces and windows with Energy Star models can reduce tons of CO2 emissions a year. Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, recycling, and reducing the amount we drive by carpooling, bicycling or taking public transit can avoid thousands of pounds of CO2 per year. That's just a start! There's a lot more that can be done, and learning about them could make a great project. For more information you could download the Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Smart Tips (*.pdf) (102 kB).

Its from the tailpipes of cars, trucks and SUVs
For more information visit NASA's ozone information web site.

Water vapor and carbon dioxide are both greenhouse gases - and thank goodness! Without them earth would be a very cold planet. But some scientists have suggested that when we put extra carbon dioxide into the air from burning fuels, the warming it causes increases evaporation, which in tern causes even more warming. Scientists also think that increased water vapor may, in some cases, cause clouds that will shade the earth, reducing the amount of global warming. Interactions in nature can be complex! But scientists are seeing important changes in earth's climate that they attribute to human's use of fossil fuels.