In science 9, we started to look at climate change and the way it effects us and the environment. We were instructed to present a project to solve a part of climate change with the 6 D’s (define, discover, dream, design, deliver, debrief) using Minecraft as a way to represent our invention. This is my solution to something that’s effecting us greatly and causing the most progression in climate change. My sources are at the bottom.
I might talk a bit fast and stutter in the video, so the script that I used will be at the “Deliver” section of this post.
1) DEFINE:
Climate change has been around for a long time and there are many different parts that contribute to its horrible progression that’s destroying the planet. The issue that I chose to focus on was fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are a leading cause of the amount of CO2 that is in the air. When they’re burned, they produce a lot of carbon dioxide which pollutes the air and also contributes to the greenhouse effect which is heating the earth. Although they are more reliable, they still are something that we need to change, and maybe even get rid of completely if we want to save this planet. The amount of CO2 in the air is horrible, and it’s difficult to get rid of it because of the lessening amount of oxygen producers we have like trees. Fossil fuels might be difficult to quit, but in the end it will be worth it for us and the generations coming.
2) DISCOVER:
What are fossil fuels?
Fossil fuels are mostly hydrocarbons. They’re formed from fossilized remains of organisms that lived millions of years ago. Because of this, they have more carbon in them. They are all found in the Earth’s crust. Some examples of common fossil fuels are: coal, oils and natural gas. Coal has one of the worst effects out of all the fossil fuels. Oils have the second worst and natural gasses are considered the cleanest, but they still contribute.
What are the effects fossil fuels on the environment?
There are many effects of fossil fuels that you will see repeated throughout this post. First, when fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide in the air which is a greenhouse gas, meaning it traps heat in the atmosphere which makes the Earth warmer, therefore contributing to global warming. A study conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that fossil fuel emissions are the leading problem of climate change. In 2018, 89% of carbon dioxide in the air was from fossil fuels.
Pros of fossil fuels:
Fossil fuels have many positives to them. Although we do mostly speak about them in a negative light, it is important to look at both sides. Burning fossil fuels does produce a lot of carbon dioxide, but it also helps provide the energy we need for cars, companies, lights and other things we don’t want to live without. Fossil fuels provide more than 80% of the energy we need. They’re very easy to store and transport which help make sure many places have the energy needed. They’re also very cheap and very reliable. There is also a high amount of fossil fuels and because of the high carbon content, they can provide more energy and they’re very efficient.
Cons of fossil fuels:
After my previous points, it might seem like fossil fuels are really good, but they’re not. Maybe they’re reliable and easy, but they affect most of Earths spheres. They contribute to global warming as well as air and water pollution. The amount of carbon dioxide that they produce is intoxicating, metaphorically and physically. For most animals and humans, carbon dioxide is threatening to their health in one way or another.
Why we should switch to renewable energy?
Before the answer to this question is said, let’s focus on what renewable energy is. Renewable energy is energy that comes from natural sources and they’re being constantly “refilled” in a way. Some examples of renewable energy are sunlight and wind. They’re the most common sources that we use. Even though it might seem like a new concept, we have used renewable energy for a long time. Think of boats that use a sail or lighting a fire using the sun. What I mean by they’re being “refilled” is that the sun is always shining and the wind is always blowing, although it does depend on the weather, but we won’t lose those things anytime soon.
Now that we know what renewable energy is, why should we use them instead of fossil fuels? For starters, it’s way better for our environment. It’s also way cheaper and, of course, a cleaner way to make energy. Renewable energy also provides more possibilities for technological advancement. They are able to help stabilize the price for energy since of the natural processes that are simple to use. A recent report says we can get rid of 80% of the fossil fuel use and affects in the U.S by 2050 if we use renewable energy. With the progress so far, I think we could be close, but not exact.
Why is it difficult to make the switch?
Although renewable energy is really good, it’s also very difficult to make the switch and not just because we’ve gotten so used fossil fuels. Some companies are denying that there’s a problem to begin with and they’re refusing to make any switch. Fossil fuels are also way more reliable than renewable energy and they’re so widely used that it’s difficult to change our ways. They also can cause a lot of good things that we don’t want to lose or have a less reliable version of just because of renewable energy. Before industrial times, we used solar energy and it was all we needed since it was fitting, but it quickly became problematic because we evolved and needed an easier and more reliable way to have energy. That’s why we switched to using fossil fuels, without thinking of the effects that it can cause in the future.
What can we do to reduce fossil fuels?
There are minimal things that we can do to help this situation, sadly, since we don’t control the fossil fuels that are being used. Something we can do as individuals is to use less energy, (turning off the lights, buying things that need less fossil fuel use, etc.) and only drive if it’s really needed. With all problems, it’s always important to raise awareness about it. It can be as small as telling someone you know, or something like going and speaking with an audience for a panel or something similar. It’s a sad thing that there is minimal thing’s we can do, but we can try and do our part to help.
3) DREAM:
There are many things that my solution can do and I think that many of my “dreams” for this project can be accomplished if this because a reality.
My dreams are:
- Less carbon dioxide
- Less greenhouse gasses
- Less pollution
- Better health
- Reduce the progress of climate change
- Less processes to cause carbon dioxide
- Better energy usage
4) DESIGN:
My design for this project was very simple. It was a simple “hot air-balloon” type design that was holding up a simple and light structure. The structure itself is able to produce artificial photosynthesis by taking the carbon dioxide in the air and turning it into oxygen and producing it into the air. The hot air-balloon is filled with helium, so it might just stay up for a few days, but it can be interchangeable once it falls down. The material that all of this is made of is environmentally friendly, since usually hot air-balloons are made of nylon which isn’t that good for the environment.
5) DELIVER:
Script for the video:
Climate change has been around for a long time and there are many different parts of it that contribute to its horrible progression that’s destroying the planet. The issue that I chose to focus on was fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are a leading cause of the amount of CO2 that is in the atmosphere since when they’re burned, they produce a lot of carbon dioxide which pollutes the air (and many other things) and also contributes to the greenhouse effect. They also are very bad for our health and for animals too because the amount of carbon dioxide they are producing. Although they are more reliable for energy, they still are something that we need to change, and maybe even get rid of completely if we want to save this planet. The amount of CO2 in the air is ridiculous, and it’s very difficult to get rid of it because of the lessening amount of things that produce oxygen, like trees. Fossil fuels might be difficult to quit, but in the end it will be worth it for us and the generations coming.
Firstly to demonstrate what might happen if we get rid of fossil fuels, I built a prototype of a factory and, as you can see, it is solar powered. It’s also made out of bricks since they don’t produce a lot of carbon This switch can help us reduce a lot of CO2 that is in the atmosphere since no fossil fuels are being used, because it is renewable energy.
To briefly explain, renewable energy is energy from natural sources, so the sunlight and wind, for example.
Now to get into my actual invention for this. My solution was to build a hot air-balloon type thing that suspends a machine up in the air that produces artificial photosynthesis. Which, as you can see in this demonstration, it takes in the carbon dioxide and converts it into oxygen before releasing it back into the atmosphere.
The material which all of this is made of is environmentally safe, even the hot air-balloon because normally hot air-balloons are made of nylon which is not very good for the environment.
The hot air-balloon is filled with helium, which means as a downside to this invention, it does not stay up for very long, but it is interchangeable so it can just be refilled.
Sadly, there are minimal things we as individuals since we’re not the ones who are producing the fossil fuels and burning them, but we are using the energy from them. So, something that we can do to is conserve energy, which can look like turning off the lights. We can also only drive when it’s needed since driving also burns fossil fuels [because of the gas]. For all problems, spreading awareness and talking to someone about it is very helpful even though it is very simple but it is really effective for all problems.
The switch might be difficult, but in the end it’ll be worth it to save the planet and give ourselves and the generations after us a better future. Thank you for listening to my presentation.
6) DEBRIEF:
During this project, I had a lot of fun, but there were a few challenges along the way that I had to overcome. One of the challenges was the design part of this. I knew what I wanted the structure to do and how it worked, but I wasn’t sure on how to put it into something physical instead of a concept. I settled onto something simple, but also very practical and friendly for the environment. The “dream” part of this project also stumped me a bit because I wasn’t sure what to really do for that part, but after asking questions I figured it out, although I think I could have done better on that part and thought of many other things that my invention could help with. Something I’m proud of is my actual idea for this because I think it’s very original, but also something that could be possible because of the way technology is advancing. I could have done better on the “deliver” part of this project since I don’t think that my words were very clear because I stuttered a lot, but all in all, I think that this project went very well and my invention is very helpful to reduce, or even stop climate change.
Sources:
Denchak, Melissa. “Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts.” NRDC, 29 June, 2018
Gross, Samantha. “Why are fossil fuels so hard to quit?” Brookings, June 2020
Unknown. “The Sources and Solutions: Fossil Fuels” EPA
Unknown. “Pros And Cons Of Fossil Fuels & Why Can Fossil Fuels Be Good?” MET Group
Unknown. “Fossil fuels and climate change: the facts” ClientEarth, 11 November, 2020
Segal, Rachel. “Should We Depend On Fossil Fuels or Renewable Energy?” The Perspective, 2021
Kopp, Otto. “fossil fuel” Britannica, 2021
Unknown. “Carbon Dioxide” Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 3 June, 2021
Unknown. “Fossil fuels” Geological Survey
Shinn, Lora “Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts” NRDC, 15 June, 2018