Imagine you’re a poor construction worker. Although you’re very poor, you manage to scrape through life through hard work and a supportive and loving family. Since you’re poor, you cannot afford the expensive renewable power that the government is urging you to get, so you power your house mainly through coal. The fossil fuel is very cheap, allowing you to be able to afford healthcare, car insurance, and a few amenities. But then, everything changes. Congress passes a law that fossil fuels are banned. What will you do?! You must sell your car just to afford power from a nearby wind farm, that constantly keeps the lights flickering on and off. You’re miserable. Fossil fuels are extremely important to keeping cars running and houses functioning. Others argue that fossil fuels are pollutants, and are bad for the environment.  Fossil fuels are cheap, a major power source, and do not rely on unpredictable weather patterns ("Alternative Energy").

Fossil fuels should still be used because they are a major power source (“Renewable Energy”). Sources of energies such as coal, oil, and natural gas power plants created more than 82% of US energy in 2012, as found by the study from the IER institute (“Why the World Is Spending Less”). Banning fossil fuels will greatly reduce the amount of energy produced in the US. Switching our energies to alternatives would be impossible at this time. Clare Harpan, a teacher at the University of Colorado Boulder, states, “These backup generators (for wind power) are fossil fuel based, and must run all the time to produce adequate levels of electricity” (“Why the World Is Spending Less”). This quote is stating that the backup generators that help to start up the wind turbines and that help keep them going are reliant on fossil fuels. These generators release the same gases as fossil fuel power plants. Also, renewables accounted for less than 8.5% of the world’s energy according to a study done by the VREL (“Why the World Is Spending Less”). This is just a fraction of what is needed for our modernized world. Even some alternative energies rely on fossil fuels to start them up, so why would we get rid of them? Fossil fuels are a major power source and should not be banned from the US or anywhere in the world.

The second reason why fossil fuels should not be banned is because they are incredibly cheap ("Alternative Energy"). For example, coal, a plentiful fossil fuel, cost only $1.60 per million btu in 2008, compared to $8.00 per million btu for solar energy. The fossil fuel cost 5 times less than solar power (The Decline of Renewable Energy). Not only are fossil fuels cheap, but the price has been going down. According to a study by the IER institute for energy research, average fossil fuel prices were 4.11 dollars per MMBTU in 2008. This number has gone down to 2.83 dollars per MMBTU in 2012 (“Annual Energy Outlook 2014”). Fossil fuels are cheap because they are readily available throughout the world and are cheap and easy to transform from one energy to another ("Alternative Energy"). To add on, many believe that investments in renewable energy must skyrocket to keep the world at an acceptable level of environmental harmony. Tim Mcdonnell, Associate Producer of Climate Desk, states, “The United Nations folks think that renewable energy investment needs to hit 1 trillion dollars a year by 2030 to keep global warming at an acceptable level (“Why the World Is Spending Less”).” So what do we save? Our money? Or a world that has flourished even with fossil fuels? This quote means that companies and people must invest trillions of dollars just to keep alternative energies running (“Why the World Is Spending Less”). Fossil fuels should not be banned because they are cheap and readily available.

The final reason why fossil fuels should not be banned is because they are not affected by unpredictable weather patterns (“Why the World Is Spending Less”). Imagine you live in a town which is reliant on solar and wind power. You go to the supermarket to get your favorite bread and peanut butter. Suddenly, the lights turn off! The winter has been cloudy and dreary, but also very calm and has had very little wind. Not enough energy was supplied to the store, so it fell into darkness. If a town was reliant on these energies, the town and the people living in it could be in the dark very often. According to a BOEM study, more than ¾ of all alternative energies are affected by uncontrollable weather patterns such as the wind, clouds, droughts, etc (“Renewable Energy”). Kate Gordon, an American energy analyst, states,” Solar panels can not generate electricity at night, and if the wind was not blowing hard enough, they would not be able to produce adequate levels of electricity” (“Why the world is spending less”). Some examples of alternative energies that rely on weather conditions are wind power, solar power, dams, etc. (“Alternative Energy”). Fossil fuels are burned and are dug up from the ground. The only weather condition that could affect these could be severe rain or wind. Fossil fuels should still be allowed because they are not reliant on risky weather patterns.

Some people might say that fossil fuels are bad for the environment. They say that the factories and automobiles that rely on fossil fuels release toxic pollutants into the atmosphere("Renewable vs Nonrenewable Energy Pros and Cons"). While fossil fuels do seem to be bad for the environment, fossil fuels can have many benefits to the animals and plant life living in environments. Bjorn Lomborg, the director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center and a former director of the Environmental Assessment Institute in Copenhagen, states, ““Kerosene saved the whales (which had been hunted almost to extinction to provide supposedly “renewable” whale oil for lighting). Coal saved Europe’s forests. With electrification, indoor air pollution, which is much more dangerous than outdoor air pollution, disappeared in most of the developed world,” writes Lomborg. “In 1910, more than 30% of farmland in the United States was used to produce fodder for horses and mules. Tractors and cars eradicated this huge demand on farmland (while removing cities of manure pollution)(“The Decline of Renewable Energy”)”. This quote is stating that fossil fuels have helped whales, forests, farmland, and many other animals and plants of our world.  Fossil fuels have had many benefits to the environment and our society.

In conclusion, fossil fuels are beneficial to our society. They are a major power source, cheap, and do not rely on risky weather patterns ("Alternative Energy"). Fossil fuels run our cars, power plants, and without them, we’d be in the dark ("Renewable vs Nonrenewable Energy Pros and Cons"). Many skeptics say that fossil fuels are running out, but thousands of new fossil fuel deposits are being found each year. So, what does the future hold with fossil fuels? No one knows, but it will be bright. Like a lightbulb, we will shine anew with fossil fuels.

Works Cited

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"Renewable vs Nonrenewable Energy Pros and Cons."
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