Saving Energy, Saving the Planet

Surname: 1

Name
Tutor
Course
Date
Saving energy, saving the planet

“Because of the second law of thermodynamics there is no free ride. We will always pay in entropy for any transformation we create” (Wessel 58). In the myth of progress Tom Wessel writes about the path toward a sustainable future using some interesting theories, facts, examples and solutions for people to be able to leave in a more symbiotic way with nature. On the book he writes about the implications that the second law of thermodynamics has in our planet, more specific in the energy our planet contains. The second law of thermodynamics talks about entropic transformations of energy. Energy is always transform from one type to another but never adding more, nevertheless some of it is lost during the transformations. In his book Wessel’s give us day to day examples in order for us to understand how this second law of thermodynamics really applies. He also makes us aware of the implications of the law and how can we use the law in order to have a more sustainable future.
The concept of how everything we do involve an invisible force is something most people don’t usually stop and think. But since Wessel is a thoughtful man and is always pondering on the whys of everything. So one day after cleaning his house he was thinking how come the house needs to be cleans once a week and even if we are not here dirt will still find a way to get into our home. That’s simply because of entropy. Each time we move something in our house energy is created and transform sometimes maybe into dust or sometimes the transformation just leaves the house messy. But what happens to the energy we created doing certain job is what exactly explains the second law of thermodynamic. As Wessels explained in his book what’s for me the best example of entropy (transformation of energy) that someone can say. The process of transforming energy is as easy as seen that a car when it brakes it can’t transform 100% of its kinetic energy back to the car, a high percentage is lose in the process. So basically there is no free ride, you cannot use the same energy that you used before. If that was the case we could just recycle all the energy we create and stop consuming fossil fuels, that sadly is too good to be true (Wessels 45). Thanks to entropy, energy cannot be recycled nor created.
“Entropy is a process in which things move from a state of complexity toward simplicity, or from concentration toward diffusion”. To understand entropy wessels gives a fairly simple example. Imagine two different rooms, one with an adult and the other one with a baby full of toys. After an hour of both being there just doing what they would normally do which room do you think will be more entropic? Obviously the one with the baby since he is generating more energy while the adult just reading is almost in a static equilibrium, although he still is creating energy by turning the pages (Wessels54). All this entropic reaction brings disorder and the only way to alter disorder is to invert entropy by adding more energy to the system. For instance, the only way that the disorder created by the kid will get back as it was before the energy transformation is by using more energy to clean the room. This is what Wessel meant by saying that there is no free ride. We would always need to reverse entropy by adding more energy to the system. But don’t forget that it also entails the loosing of energy throughout the process.
Let’s get humans as an example. Let’s say we have three main stages, growth adulthood and mature. When we are growing we are discovering the world and taking in way more energy than we release, at this time we are anti-entropic. Then we get to a point that we start releasing kind of the same amount that we are taking, turning ourselves to an equal equilibrium. Finally, when we are maturing old people we start releasing more energy than taking getting to a stage of entropy. As with everything, something not good needs to come with the vast and different amount of energy that is constantly being transform.
Energy is what moves the planet, without it the earth won’t be able to exist and transform constantly as it does. Humans transform all types of energies in a daily bases, energy that give us light, mobility and engines our daily productivity. Even though is vital for society to keep moving we are destroying our environment in the process. The process of burning fossil fuels releases harmful carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, adding to what is call as the greenhouse effect (Wessels 56). The greenhouse effect basically is the cause of climate change and the rising heating temperatures. Here is when it comes the issue, since Abraham Lincoln discovers electricity human society has created energy dependent culture. Although the dependence is not quite the issue, the issue is that humans are using way more energy than they actually need. Let’s take an average day of an American as an example, uses a car going to work, elevators, light, air conditioning, water all that is power by energy transformations.
So, do we actually need all these energy transformations that we create throughout a day, possibly yes but not abusing as we are culturally used to do because our parents do it and their parents did it as well?
According to Wessel, the second law of which explains the thermodynamics as exposed in the danger of increase in consumption of energy. This law is scientifically proven to sustain myriad forms in life. Moreover, it has been casted aside by western economists as well as the governments which are attracted by the idea of unlimited growth since the end of the 18th century (Wessels 69). Additionally, these two parties are given more power to aside the second law of thermodynamics recently by a global dominated by large corporations. These global dominated corporations overs implicated and consolidated create huge scale ineffectiveness in both the energy usage and material consumption.
However, the second law of Wessel has its consequences as argued by scholars and researchers. Most importantly, he makes his theory readily accessible by proving through examples of how functional is the law of sustainability in the complex system observed in the natural word across the globe. Moreover, using forest as his example, he demonstrates the economical practices for developing sustainability that will allow progress supported by majority (Wessels 73).
His is a short, regularly terse book, and you can undoubtedly read it in a night. Along these lines, it fills different needs. It is a fine refresher or outline for individuals who are either new to this material or who haven’t considered it in quite a while. Wessels makes logical hypothesis promptly available by offering cases of how the laws of supportability capacity in the mind boggling frameworks we can see in the common world around us (Wessels 75). He indicates how frameworks, for example, backwoods can be layouts for creating maintainable financial practices that will permit genuine advance.
Showing how our present way toward advance, in light of constant monetary development and wasteful utilization of assets, runs totally counter to three (Wessels 87). Foundational logical laws that administer all mind boggling characteristic frameworks: the law of points of confinement to development, the second law of thermodynamics, and the law of self-association.
In this augmented exposition on maintainable improvement, Wessels challenges a routine comprehension of financial advance by representing a progression of dichotomous perspectives, including direct versus complex frameworks and free development versus maintainability.
In conclusion, the process of burning fossil fuels releases harmful carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, adding to what is call as the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect basically is the cause of climate change and the rising heating temperatures. Here is when it comes the issue, since Abraham Lincoln discovers electricity human society has created energy dependent culture. Although the dependence is not quite the issue, the issue is that humans are using way more energy than they actually need.

Work cited
Wessels, Tom. “The myth of progress: toward a sustainable future.” The Electronic Journal of Sustainable Development 1.1 (2007): 51.