Nonrenewable, or “dirty,” energy includes fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal. Nonrenewable sources of energy are only available in limited amounts. When we pump gas at the station, we’re using a finite resource refined from crude oil that’s been around since prehistoric times.
- Nonrenewable energy sources are also typically found in specific parts of the world, making them more plentiful in some nations than others. By contrast,
- every country has access to sunshine and wind. Prioritizing renewable energy can also improve national security by reducing a country’s reliance on exports from fossil fuel–rich nations.
- Many nonrenewable energy sources can endanger the environment or human health. For example, oil drilling might require strip-mining Canada’s boreal forest; the technology associated with fracking can cause
- earthquakes and water pollution; and coal power plants foul the air. To top it off, all of these activities contribute to global warming.