Non renewable resources are natural resources generated slowly over millions of years. What are its pros and cons?

Pros

Economically…

  • Low Upfront Cost

    Coal powerplants can be setup quickly in any enviornment, thus providing a fast and cost effective way to generate electricity without the hassel of renewables.

  • Consistency

    Non renewable powerplants use combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity. These plants can be dynamically adjusted to fit peak and valley hour demands, thus ensuring enough energy supply in the busiest times. Renewables have no such guarantee.

  • Ease of Extraction and Transport

    Australia is a major producer of fossil fuels, thus allowing us to amass these fuels at a cheap price. This would make fossil fuels a more financially profitable option compared to renewables.

Did You Know: Australia was ranked zero for its climate policy in the 2022 Climate Report?

Environmentally… None

Cons

Economically…

  • Carbon Tax

    More and more countries are imposing heavy taxes on the use of fossil fuels, thus artifically offsetting the cheap price it traditionally had.

  • Unsustainable

    Non-renewable resources will eventually run out faster than they are used, and when that happens, all the infrastructure around these resources would become useless, thus proving to be a huge economic waste.

  • Accidents

    Non-renewable, especially nuclear enrgy, are much more prone to severe accidents. Oil drillings could leak, fires could burn down the building, and in the worst case - a nuclear meltdown could render the entire region uninhabitable for years.

Environmentally…

  • Global Warming

    All fossil fuels contain high levels of carbon, which is released as CO2 when burnt. Carbon dioxide is a is a primary contributor to global warming and hence uncontrolled climate chage.

  • Pollution

    Coal has many sulfurous impurities which is released as sulfur dioxide when burnt. This can then react with moisture in the air to form sulfuric acid and rain down as acid rain. The releasing of wastewater can also cause eutrophication and groundwater pollution.

  • Destruction of Natural Ecosystems

    Excavation of coal exposes fragile dusty layers beneath the topsoil, which is easily eroded and flushed away. This causes loss of useable soil and lowers land productivity. Oil spills are devastating for aquatic ecosystems, and natural gas fracking can cause sinkhols and tremors, both which disturb the balance of the environment.