| Things to think about Approximately 33
percent of the energy we consume in New Jersey is used for transportation.
New and renewable sources
of energy, such as wind and solar power, offer us impressive
potential to pollute less while still living in whatever ways
we choose. However, to reap these benefits we have to invest
in developing new technology.
More efficient automobiles,
refrigerators, light bulbs, manufacturing processes, and machines
of many kinds can cut our energy use and save money, without
changing the ways that we live, but we have to choose to use
these efficient
technologies.
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Importance
Our
lifestyle and economy are dependent on the use of large quantities
of energy to run our cars, appliances, factories, and homes.
The vast majority of this energy production creates pollution,
whether in the form of greenhouse gases, toxins, or radioactive
waste. In fact, most air pollution comes, directly or indirectly,
from the creation and consumption of energy. Perhaps the most
troublesome aspect of our energy dependence is that most of
our energy comes from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and
gas that are finite and non-renewable.
Economic
Increases
in energy prices translate quickly into higher prices for goods
and services at every level. Energy shortages have the power
to plunge an economy into recession. With so much of our energy
usage, especially transportation, dependent on foreign oil sources,
our economy is not as secure as it could be. Technologies that
use energy more efficiently can cut our risks and expenses impressively,
but most companies, homes, and government agencies do not use
them.
Environmental
The
combustion of coal, oil, or natural gas by power plants, motor
vehicles, and other sources emits greenhouse gases that contribute
to global warming. Most air pollution is the result of some
kind of energy production or consumption. In addition, the extraction
and use of these sources of energy can radically alter local
landscapes, and sometimes leads to oil spills in the ocean or
accidents at power plants. There is not yet an accepted long-term
solution for safe disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear
power plants.
Social
New
Jersey is a major recipient of – and contributor to – air pollution.
Just as pollution from upwind neighbors angers us, the pollution
we emit angers our neighbors when it crosses into their states
and countries. To voluntarily reduce the energy we consume will
require cooperation among neighbors who carpool, families who
remember to turn off lights, and consumers who buy efficient
appliances and cars. Ending our unsustainable energy dependence
will require the efforts of our entire society.
Knowledge
Gaps
We do not yet have
widely released, assessed, or accepted data on the percentage
of our energy that comes from renewable, clean, or sustainable
sources. As a result of energy deregulation, new data are becoming
available through a new reporting requirement that provides
consumers with a standard set of information about the environmental
characteristics of energy they purchase.
Data
Source: US Energy Information Administration
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