Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
To conquer these environmental hazards we need to
develop
a far more sanitary and durable environ-
ment. Development is the transformation of a nonhuman environment into a human-friendly environment
using high-energy machines. Development means water-purification systems, irrigation, synthetic fertil-
izers and pesticides, genetically improved crops, dams, seawalls, heating, air-conditioning, sturdy homes,
drained swamps, central power stations, vaccination, pharmaceuticals, and so on.
Of course, as I address in the next chapter, development and the fossil fuel energy that powers it carries
risks and creates by-products, such as coal smog, that we need to understand and minimize, but these need
to be viewed in the context of fossil fuels' overall benefits, including their environmental benefits. And it
turns out that those benefits far, far outweigh the negatives—and technology is getting ever better at min-
imizing and neutralizing those risks.
How much of a positive difference does fossil fuel energy make to environmental quality? Let's look at
modern trends in four key areas of environmental quality: water, disease, sanitation, and air.
Here's water quality—measured by the percentage of world population with “access to improved water
sources.”
Figure 6.1: More Fossil Fuels, More Clean Water
Sources: BP, Statistical Review of World Energy 2013, Historical data workbook; World Bank, World Development In-
dicators (WDI) Online Data, April 2014
Fossil fuel energy was essential to this improvement. It enabled us to transform once unusable water
into usable water.
