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Final Project
Fossil Fuels, Biofuels, and Air Pollution

Stephanie Krogh and Dana Liu



























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Table of Contents
Tables, Charts, Graphs, Pictures, Diagrams, and Maps........3
History of the Problem
1. Development.......5
2. Discovery........5
3. What People Have Done About It.......5
4. Relevant Laws and Treaties....6
Causes of the Problem.......7
Consequences of the Problem
1. Present.....7
2. Future..........7
Proposed Solution to the Problem
1. Action Steps........8
Position of Those Who Oppose You
1. Rebuttal...9
Works Cited.10
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History of the Problem
1. The problems with the use of fossil fuels began when the assembly line was invented,
increasing the production of cars. A great percent of the population then began accumulating
cars, until it became a norm that each household have a vehicle. Fossil fuels were seen as the
ideal energy source because of the seemingly interminable quality. It was abundant, and no one
saw it as an issue at the time. Fossil fuels acted as the ideal energy source for all the new
machines, including steam locomotives, the diesel engine, and factories. It was an extremely
common source of energy, and air pollution began.
2. Generally, fossil fuels cause air pollution. There is not an exact date to when or how it
was discovered. Air pollution goes way back to 62 AD. Some possible ways they could have
recognized air pollution is noticing things such as difficulty breathing, or side effects from water
sources. During the Industrial Revolution, the smog caused various health problems in Urban
communities. London, in 1952, had pollutants from factories that killed 4,000 people within a
few days. Another incident, in Pennsylvania, cause sickness in 7,000 people. Along with air
pollution, fossil fuels also cause acid rain due to the excessive amounts of sulfur was first
discovered in the 1850s due to the negative impact on plants, soil, and animals. One realization
occurred in 1969. With factories releasing pollutants into rivers, an Ohio river burst into flames.
This became a symbol, showing how fossil fuels affect the earth. From these instances, one can
tell how this problem with air pollution was discovered and really made an impact around the
1950s. Everyday people and environmentalists noticed all the effects, and they discovered it
through observation.
3. Many countries and parties all over the world have taken action to solve the problem
For example, Canada has there Canadas Action on Climate Change organization, which puts
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efforts into reducing greenhouse gas from fossil fuels, causing global warming and climate
change. They also regulate renewable fuel supplies, trying to make the percent higher in
gasoline, and less harmful to the environment. Additionally, they are involved in the Global
Research Alliance, agreeing to invest 27 million dollars. In Sweden, they have created the
Green Environmental Party, founded in 1981. Fighting climate change due to fossil fuels is a
huge issue for the party. They have made efforts to change the taxation policy, making
environmentally unfriendly activities have to pay much higher taxes. The Brown Geird
Association works closely with technology, and they advocate for many environmental concerns,
including air pollution. They want to encourage more on-site treatment of contaminated
materials, effectively cutting down pollution from fuels. They have developed nanotechnology to
detoxify and cleanse contaminations.
4. Some relevant laws laws include the Clean Air Act, previously the Air Pollution
Control Act. They provide research and assistance. Their requirements come from the EPa,
which establishes air quality standards on six critical pollutants: particle pollution, ozone, sulfur
dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead. Other provisions are made to minimize
the growing number of vehicles and industries. This law requires power plants and factories to
use the best available technology. The Clean Water Act, established in 1970, sets the standards
for water purity. It is most prominently focused on increasing controls on toxic pollutants. It also
addresses the problems of oil spills. The Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act focuses on the contamination of toxic waste, and requires that
the sites clean them up. In 1990, the Oil Pollution Act took into effect. This came together after
an oil spill occurrence, and they require oil storage facilities to have spill-response plans and
increase fines for those responsible.
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Causes of the Problem
Some things that cause problems with fossil fuels and air pollution include one of the
most common, cars. Gas from vehicles are the number one cause of air pollution today. What
causes people to use fossil fuels is because they fuel practically everything we need for daily life.
Cars and electricity are the main ones. They reason many people do not use renewable resources
for energy is because of the hefty price. The lower prices for electric cars are around 50,000
dollars.

Consequences of the Problem
1. Today using fossil fuels causes many problems. First of all, its driving the cost of
gasoline and other oils up, as it is a nonrenewable resource. Since its a nonrenewable resource,
we only have a limited supply, so when were out, were out. And since so many people rely on
these for their energy, it increases the demand, but theres less supply. This allows the oil
companies to drastically increase the price of fossil fuels. Also, fossil fuels cause a lot of
pollution. When they are burned and go into the air, whether its exhaust from cars or buildings
and factories, they put smog in the air. Smog dirties the air that we breathe and kills airborne
species. It also consists of a lot of carbon dioxide, so it increases the rate of greenhouse gasses
and is a cause of global warming. Finally, when we are getting oils from reserves underwater, oil
spills are a major problem. They can leak into the water and kill all the organisms that live in that
habitat.
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2. In the future, these problems will just worsen. Prices will continue to rise until this
resource is depleted. Pollution will also just worsen, meaning air quality will go down and the
rate of global warming will go up. And finally, as we continue to dig for this resource, more oil
spills are inevitable so the biodiversity will go down as well.

Proposed Solutions to the Problem
1. A solution to this problem is making the switch to biofuels. While this is more
expensive, it has to be our future. We will run out of oils, and well run out soon. We need to
switch to energy that uses renewable resources like solar panels and wind energy. These dont
cause any pollution, dont kill off any organisms, and dont destroy habitats. At first it will seem
like were spending more money, but if we take into consideration all the money that we spend
on things like war and importing goods on other countries, we can easily get the money. Wars do
nothing but destroy lands and kill many people in the sake of settling something that could easily
be settled by talking and conferences and peace treaties. And, we need to be able to rely on our
own country for at least most of our goods. With the money we save from this, itll be an easily
manageable task to make the switch. Many people will reject this at first, so we would need to
start small. We could install community wind turbines and put some solar panels on roofs. We
could increase the mileage of electric cars and add many more quick charge stations across the
country so that you can recharge your car fully in half an hour. Once people realize how much
money in gas theyll save from charging their car versus filling up the tank at a gas station, the
extra money they have to initially fork over for the car wont seem like such a commitment.

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The Position of Those Who Oppose You
1. People who oppose this are those who are scared of change. They like the way things
are right now and dont want to have to adjust the way they live. Some of them are those who
oppose this are also those who own oil companies. These are people who have a lot of money,
and they also have a lot of influence on others. They wouldnt want to make the change because
they would lose their business, their jobs, and a lot of money. But, they need to understand that if
we dont make this change, we wont have a planet with livable conditions for them to make
money on.

Fossil fuels are a major problem in society today. They cause pollution, are rising in price
constantly, and will soon be gone. We need to make the switch to biofuels before we kill our
planet, poison our air, and destroy the biodiversity. While they are expensive, there is a lot of
money we are currently wasting that could be put toward this. There are also many
improvements we could make to our biofuel systems. It will do a lot of good to us and our planet
if we do this soon, but if we put it off too much longer, it will be too late.




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Works Cited
"Air Pollution Maps of the United States." Air Pollution Maps of the United States. N.p., n.d.
Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Deutch, John. "National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependency."Council on Foreign
Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco." SF Fed. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
"Fossils Fuels vs. Renewable Energy | Ecology Global Network." Ecology Global Network. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Oil Dependence Is a Dangerous Habit." Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"Oil Spills: Severity and Consequences to Our Ecosystem." DUJS Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Apr.
2014.
"SOLIDARITY & SUSTAINABILITY V2 N4 ~ Solidarity, Sustainability, Subsidiarity,
Sustainable Development, Religion, Patriarchy, Gender Equity." SOLIDARITY &
SUSTAINABILITY V2 N4 ~ Solidarity, Sustainability, Subsidiarity, Sustainable
Development, Religion, Patriarchy, Gender Equity. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"The Consequences of Oil Dependency." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"The National Security Consequences of Oil Dependency." The Heritage Foundation.
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.