Science Essays

Homework

Name: Muhammad Solihin Bin Mat

Salleh
Class: 1 Dailami
Teacher: Pn. Azlinda bt. Ahmad

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A. Important Of Conserving Energy Sources
You have learned that the sources of energy on Earth are fast being used up due to increasing
demand for energy. We should appreciate that there are various sources of energy for us to use.

Why Is Conserving Energy Important to You?

There are two main reasons why conserving energy is important on a global level and each can
impact your life dramatically.
 Fossil Fuel Consumption
Many types of energy use fossil fuels in some way. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable
resource, meaning that at some point the very last chunk of coal will be dug from the earth
and the last drop of oil will be pumped from the Earth. When this happens, fossil fuel won't
be available anymore since mankind can't create these resources.
Most vehicles run on gasoline, which is made from a fossil fuel. Once there are no more
fossil fuels then the gas powered vehicles won't work. Commerce would grind to a stop with
no way to deliver produce and manufactured goods.The many other types of energy that
depend on fossil fuels would no longer work. Homes and businesses would not be heated
or in some cases have no electricity. The entire world could come to a standstill, unable to
go about normal business. Conserving energy gives researchers more time to come up with
solutions and alternatives. Although fossil fuels will eventually be depleted, by being careful
not to use energy unwisely fossil resources may last long enough for practical solutions to
be found.
Fossil fuels are also expensive to mine. This expense doesn't just affect the business
paying the bill; it's passed on the consumers as higher prices for goods and services. By
being conservative in the use of energy, these costs can be reduced to give consumers
more money in their pockets. In turn, this can strengthen the economy since people will
have more disposable income when they spend less on energy needs.
 Environmental Protection
The other reason for conserving energy is the health and well-being of every life form
on the entire planet. Using fossil fuels and some other energy forms typically pollute the
environment in a number of ways.The air is polluted when fossil fuels like coal are burned
and released into it. Nuclear energy is clean and does not pollute the air but it does create
nuclear waste, which is dangerous and must be disposed of. Currently, this waste is buried
in nuclear water dumps, both above and below ground. In addition, the water used to cool
the reactors is recycled into lakes and rivers usually 25 degrees warmer than when it was
taken from the lake or river. The impact on marine life is harmful.

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 Solar power is a clean energy source, and a renewable one, but the production of the
solar panels usually creates pollutants and waste products during the manufacturing
process. When water is polluted during the process of creating energy, it can change the
eco-system by killing off many different types of wildlife and plants. For example, marine life
can be killed when a nuclear plant intakes water from lakes or rivers. The soil is polluted
when pollutants in the air mix with rain and form acid rain .Every type of pollution can
potentially compromise the human body and create health problems. These issues are
especially dangerous for people with compromised immune system. High energy needs
keep a country dependent on foreign governments to supply oil since the majority of the
world's countries do not produce enough oil for themselves.

 Protecting the Environment for Future Generations

The world's dependence on fossil fuels is creating a problem that will affect generations
to come. It is important that energy not only be conserved, but also that research continues
to find cleaner and better solutions for future generations.

How To Conserve Energy?

We should use and manage energy sources carefully. The way is, we can:

 Practise car-pooling or use public transport

 Switch off electrical appliances when they are not use in use

 Turn off water taps when they are not in use

 Practise recycling of materials

 Practise reuse of materials

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B. The Air Pollution
Meaning of Air Pollution
The presence in or introduction into the air of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects.

Examples of Air Pollutants:

Lead is a metal that can cause damage to the brain or kidney. Carbon dioxide can cause the
temperature of the Earth to rise. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are acidic gases. They dissolve
in rainwater to form acid rain. Acid rain destroys buildings, cars and aquatic habitats. The burning
of fossil fuels such as petrol, natural gas and coal is the source of air pollutants like carbon monoxide,
sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and lead. Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas.

CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) is used in aerosol cans. It is also used as cooling agent in a

refrigerator. CFC causes damage to the ozone layer. This enables more dangerous rays such as
ultraviolet rays to enter the atmosphere. Ultraviolet rays can cause skin cancer, eye diseases and
the breakdown of the body immunity system.

The Sources of Air Pollutants

Burning of Fossil Fuels: Sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of fossil fuels like coal,
petroleum and other factory combustibles is one the major cause of air pollution. Pollution emitting
from vehicles including trucks, jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes cause immense amount of pollution.
We rely on them to fulfill our daily basic needs of transportation. But, there overuse is killing our
environment as dangerous gases are polluting the environment. Carbon monoxide caused by
improper or incomplete combustion and generally emitted from vehicles is another major pollutant
along with Nitrogen Oxides, that is produced from both natural and man-made processes.

Agricultural activities: Ammonia is a very common by product from agriculture related activities
and is one of the most hazardous gases in the atmosphere. Use of insecticides, pesticides and
fertilizers in agricultural activities has grown quite a lot. They emit harmful chemicals into the air
and can also cause water pollution.

Exhaust from factories and industries: Manufacturing industries release large amount of carbon
monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals into the air thereby depleting the
quality of air. Manufacturing industries can be found at every corner of the earth and there is no
area that has not been affected by it. Petroleum refineries also release hydrocarbons and various
other chemicals that pollute the air and also cause land pollution.

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 Mining operations: Mining is a process wherein minerals below the earth are extracted using large
equipment. During the process dust and chemicals are released in the air causing massive air
pollution. This is one of the reason which is responsible for the deteriorating health conditions of
workers and nearby residents.

Indoor air pollution: Household cleaning products, painting supplies emit toxic chemicals in the air
and cause air pollution. Have you ever noticed that once you paint walls of your house, it creates
some sort of smell which makes it literally impossible for you to breathe.

The Effect of Air Pollution:

Acid rain, harmful gases like nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides are released into the
atmosphere during the burning of fossil fuels. When it rains, the water droplets combines with these
air pollutants, becomes acidic and then falls on the ground in the form of acid rain. Acid rain can
cause great damage to human, animals and crops.

Eutrophication, is a condition where high amount of nitrogen present in some pollutants gets
developed on sea’s surface and turns itself into algae and adversely affect fish, plants and animal
species. The green coloured algae that is present on lakes and ponds is due to presence of this
chemical only

Effect on Wildlife, just like humans, animals also face some devastating affects of air pollution.
Toxic chemicals present in the air can force wildlife species to move to new place and change their
habitat. The toxic pollutants deposit over the surface of the water and can also affect sea animals.

Depletion of ozone layer, ozone exists in earth’s stratosphere and is responsible for protecting
humans from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Earth’s ozone layer is depleting due to the presence of
chlorofluorocarbons, hydro chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. As ozone layer will go thin, it
will emit harmful rays back on earth and can cause skin and eye related problems. UV rays also
have the capability to affect crops.

The Steps Needed To Prevent and Control Air Pollution:

Use public mode of transportation: Encourage people to use more and more public modes of
transportation to reduce pollution. Also, try to make use of car pooling. If you and your colleagues
come from the same locality and have same timings you can explore this option to save energy and
money.

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Conserve energy: Switch off fans and lights when you are going out. Large amount of fossil fuels
are burnt to produce electricity. You can save the environment from degradation by reducing the
amount of fossil fuels to be burned.

Understand the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Do not throw away items that are of no use
to you. In-fact reuse them for some other purpose. For e.g. you can use old jars to store cereals or
pulses.

Emphasis on clean energy resources: Clean energy technologies like solar, wind and geothermal
are on high these days. Governments of various countries have been providing grants to consumers
who are interested in installing solar panels for their home. This will go a long way to curb air
pollution.

Use energy efficient devices: CFL lights consume less electricity as against their counterparts. They
live longer, consume less electricity, lower electricity bills and also help you to reduce pollution by
consuming less energy.

Ways To Keep The Air Clean

We can walk, bike, carpool, or take public transit. Reduce your heating needs by making your house
more energy efficient. Find out about government programs that test your home’s energy-efficiency
and give grants to help pay for the cost of improving your home’s energy efficiency. Don't burn wood
or trash. Instead of burning debris, start a compost pile in your backyard for organic materials.

Use hand-powered garden tools. Avoid using gasoline or diesel-powered equipment such as
lawnmowers and leaf-blowers .Know before you go. If you need to drive, plan the most fuel efficient
route using free online tool such as Google maps, taking notice of areas of construction and high
traffic. Avoiding these areas can help prevent needless idling. Check your tire pressure. Properly
inflated tires improve fuel efficiency. Each 5% of under-inflation translates into a 1% decrease in fuel
efficiency.

Reduce, reuse and recycle. Avoid idling. Turn off your car’s engine while waiting for someone and
try to avoid drive-through lines. Garden without pesticides. There are many healthy and safe
alternatives to harmful cosmetic pesticides. Get involved. Support national and local efforts to clean
up the air. Contact your provincial lung association and find out what is happening in your area and
how to get involved.

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C. The Preservation and Conservation of The Resources On The Earth

The Meaning of Preservation and Conservation of Resources on the Earth:

People who are concerned with protecting the environment and the Earth’s resources often use
the words preservation and conservation. Do you know the meaning of these two words.

Preservation means maintaining certain areas of the Earth in their natural condition so that we do
not lose them to development such as farming industry, housing or tourism.

Conservations means the sustainable use and management of the Earth’s resources such as flora
and fauna, water, air, minerals, fossil fuels and soil. Conservation also means using Earth’s
resource wisely and not in wasteful ways. Conservation of resources ensures that we maintain
sufficient quantities for future generations to use.

7The importance of the Preservation and Conservation of Resources of Earth

The importance of preserving and conserving our countryside and environment is colossal. The
environment is our home. We need to support to preserve and conserve the resource on Earth to
ensure that the air and water do not become too polluted unknot depleted by overuse till they are
not suitable to be used by living things, flora and fauna do not become extinct, the soil is always
fertile to support life and minerals and fossil fuels are not depleted by overuse.

The Practice of Reusing And Recycling Materials:

The practice of reusing and recycling materials is a way to ensure that resources on Earth will be
there for our use as well as for the use of future generations.

Reusing refers to using discarded or unwanted materials to save on nature’s resources. For
example, you can reuse your old unfinished exercise books as note books.

Recycling refers to the processing of waste materials to become useful things in order to save
Earth’s resources. For example, you may support recycling efforts by collecting old newspapers,
bottles and aluminium cans for recycling. Nowadays, recycle bins are placed at various places to
encourage people to practise recycling. You should learn how to separate how to separate waste
materials and put them into the correct bins.