Global progress in energy efficiency has been crucial to our technological, economic and social development. Energy creation has fueled our advances in modern machinery and boosted our economy by creating jobs and improving our quality of life. But this progress has come at a high price: our global health. Our current mode of energy production has deadly consequences on our environment as well as our bodies. Today I would like to discuss non-renewable resources and their deadly impact on our environment. I will review what fossil fuels are and their impact, secondly we will look at our alternatives and thirdly we will discuss what this means for the developing countries of our world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Globally, our currently most widely used form of energy is the burning of non-renewable resources. Non-renewable resources are also called “fossil fuels,” which are the byproduct of organisms that died out thousands of years ago, such as dinosaurs. The most widely used fossil fuels in the world are coal, oil and natural gas. Even though these resources are reliable and profitable, they cost our planet dearly. Coal is mined and burned to produce energy. According to the National Geographic Society1, burning coal releases toxic gases and pollutants such as carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Coal mining is also incredibly dangerous work. Miners are exposed to these toxic gases in large quantities and risk being trapped in the caves they mine due to erosion or explosion. Oil is not as dangerous for workers. It’s profitable, reliable and creates jobs. Although it is not as dangerous for workers, it is deadly for us and other animals. Oil drilling also releases toxins into the air and poses the risk of oil spills. According to the Center for Biological Diversity2, 205.8 million gallons of oil and 225,000 tons of methane were spilled into the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 Gulf oil spill. As a result, approximately 82,000 birds, 6,165 Sea turtles and 25,900 marine mammals were seriously injured. or killed. It is impossible to count the hundreds of thousands of other marine species that have also been affected, such as fish, corals and crabs. Our methods of obtaining energy undeniably have a serious impact on our environment and our populations. But what does this mean for developing countries? According to the proceedings of a conference organized by the European office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the EastWest Institute3, almost 2 million people live without energy. It was stated at this conference that there is great potential in developing countries to secure renewable energy sources that will significantly improve their quality of life. It further asserts that giving developing countries access to clean energy will boost their economies and accelerate their economic development. In Brazil, for example, using the byproducts of sugar production to create ethanol, rather than exploiting it, has created nearly a million new jobs. Additionally, by eliminating the need to import fuel, developing countries would save money that could be spent on expanding their renewable resource programs. Non-renewable resources are incredibly profitable in the long term, but it's no secret that.