For: Sinchana Kumar, 13
Vishwa Vidya Peeth (IGCSE), Bengaluru
“If aliens did visit us, I’d be embarrassed to tell them we still dig fossil fuels from the ground as a source of energy,” Neil deGrasse Tyson, an award-winning American astrophysicist once said.
Once the most worshipped matter, fossil fuels are now the one to condemn for death, deception and disaster. Apart from producing energy, when fossil fuels are burned, they release cataclysmic amounts of greenhouse gas into the air, furthering the problem of global warming. Moreover, fossil fuels are also the root of early death, Alzheimers disease, respiratory disorders, heart attacks, strokes, asthma and many more illnesses. As if it wasn’t enough, fossil fuels are also one of the leading radixes of water pollution, air pollution and environmental pollution.
The use of fossil fuels should be curtailed before our world suffers even more. Renewable energy, windpower, marine energy, hydrogen and biomass are other sources of energy with significantly more positive outcomes than negative ones.
Against: Mahanth Achhpaliya, 15
Sindhi High School, Bengaluru
Fossil fuels, consisting of coal, oil and natural gas, are necessary sources of energy for the environment. Although changing to cleaner energy sources are crucial for bringing a change, an immediate ban on them would do more harm than good.
Firstly, our entire world runs on fossil fuels. The ban of fossil fuels would lead to the shutting down of many industries of transportation and manufacturing, and this would ultimately lead to economic disruptions, job losses and poverty.
Although there are alternative resources like wind and solar energy, these resources are still evolving. It will take some time and effort for natural energy resources to replace fossil fuels. And if fossil fuels are banned today, it would take a lot of effort for people to completely replace fossil fuels in their daily life, hence affecting various businesses and hindering the daily routine of the global population.
Countries would also go into debt after the ban on fossil fuels,
as it would completely stunt their economic growth.
Instead of an immediate ban, people should replace fossil fuels gradually, and governments must invest more in natural resources and renewable energy. This will decrease the use of fossil fuels.