Resources, Society, and Environment - Article Example

Resources, Society, and Environment Although natural gases have been present on earth since ancient times but it only happened recently that these gases are being used for commercial purposes. In 1000 B.C., in the ancient Greek an oracle was being built on Mount Parnassus when the natural gas leaked out from the ground in the form of a flame. It was around 500 B.C. that the Chinese began to use crude bamboo pipeline for the transportation of natural gas that seeped out. It was used by the Chinese for boiling sea water and making it drinkable. The natural gas was first commercially used by Britain in the year 1785, which was produced from coal for lighting houses and streets. In the year 1816 Baltimore turned out to be the first city of United States that lighted its streets with gas. The discovery of Natural gas occurred in the 1626, at the time when the French explorers discovered igniting gases seeping around Erie (Natural Gas in History). It was in 1836 that Philadelphia successfully created a natural gas distributing company that was owned by the municipality. Currently there are about 900 public gas systems in United States but the Philadelphia Gas Works is still the largest as well as the longest operating public gas system present in America. Today natural gas is playing a vital role for addressing the world’s supply of energy. It supplies almost 50 percent of the energy being used by the commercial as well as the residential customers. It covers 41 percent of the energy requirements of United States. It is considered to be the safest cleanest and most useful form of energy. Ninety-nine percent of the natural gas being consumed by the whole America comes from North America. As natural gas is considered to be the cleanest and the safest burning fossil fuel, it helps in achieving the global goal of sustaining cleaner environment, more competitive economy and energy security. When the geologists make an effort for exploring the deposits of the natural resources, they actually disturb the soils and vegetation with their vehicles. The drilling activities used for the extraction of natural gas may disturb the wild life and produce air pollution. The pipelines that are used for transporting natural gas from the well may also require the clearance of land for burying pipes. The production of natural gas also results in the production of contaminated water and that also in large quantity. The contaminated water needs to be properly stored, treated and handled, so that it does not cause land or water pollution. The extracted natural gas is processed for methane, while the unprocessed natural gas may contain compounds such as hydrogen sulfide, which is a very toxic gas. The natural gas that contains high proportion of hydrogen sulfide is usually flared. The flaring of the hydrogen sulfide containing natural gas produces CO2, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and several other compounds. The major component of natural gas is methane. After it is release in the atmosphere it oxidizes gradually into water and carbon dioxide hydroxyl radical that are formed in stratosphere or troposphere. The lifetime of the atmospheric methane is relatively shorter than carbon dioxide. It also efficiently traps the heat present in the atmosphere; therefore the global warming potential of methane is 84 times that of carbon dioxide in the period of 20 years and 28 times over the period of 100 years. Natural gas is therefore considered to be more efficient of the greenhouse gases, as it has greater global warming potential due to the presence of methane. As estimated by EPA, the annual emission of methane is about 85 billion cubic meters. Currently the direct emission of methane represents about 14.3 percent of the total emission of all the anthropogenic greenhouse gases in 2004. In United States, the rights to natural gas may be owned by a corporation, a private individual, any tribe or by the federal state or local government. The rights are owned by the surface landowner, unless it has been explicitly separated by any deed. The rights of the natural gas extend downwards from the line of property. However the rights can easily be sold bought or transferred like any other real estate property. The rights of the gases present offshore are usually owned by the state or the federal government and can be leased to other oil companies for development. Although the laws regarding the ownership prior to the extraction of the natural gases may vary by state; however the laws implemented after the extraction are universally same. The owner of the real estate property also owns the rights of the minerals present underneath it, unless those minerals are severed under some previous agreement or deed (Natural Gas Basics). Natural gas is renewable as well as non-renewable source of energy. The piped natural gas that is extracted from well is considered to be non-renewable. We get the non-renewable natural gas from the fossil fuels that are formed from over hundreds of years as the result of the decay of organic matter. When the fossil fuel decays it releases methane, which when used is converted into carbon dioxide a non-renewable form of energy. Methane the basic element of the natural gas can also be found from other sources like the waste of animals. When the waste product is bio graded with the help of microorganisms, it releases methane which again can also be used for burning purposes. This source of methane is renewable however in theoretical terms it may not be considered renewable by many, as the methane that we get from the waste of animals is the result of a bio reaction and cannot be considered renewable as it does not covert into methane once used. Over 50 percent of the American homes are currently being supplied with natural gas. 21 percent of the natural gas that was used in 2013 went to the American homes. The natural gas is delivered to homes by the help of tanks or through pipelines in the form compressed natural gas or CNG. The natural gas is mostly used for water heating or space heating. It is also being used in ovens, stoves, lighting fixer, clothes dryer and various other appliances. In the year 2013, about 14 percent of the natural gas was consumed by commercial buildings. This use of the natural gas in commercial buildings is similar to its use in residences. It was mainly being used for heating water and space in the commercial buildings. Research suggests that the electrical industry was the biggest consumer of the natural gas and used over 34 percent of it for making electricity. The reason for using natural gas for making electricity is because it emits the minimum amount of carbon dioxide in comparison to coal and oil (Uses of Natural Gas). The use of natural gas cannot be ignored in the manufacturing processes. About 31 percent of the total consumption of natural gas was by the industries. Natural gas can be used for the purpose of heating and also as raw material. It is actively being used for making fertilizers, plastics, pharmaceutical products, fabrics and anti-freeze. It is also used for making different chemicals such as methanol, ethane, ammonia, butane, acetic acid and propane. Natural gas is also used as a source of heat for making steel, cement, glass, bricks, tiles, food products, paper and several other commodities. However natural gas can enormously be used as fuel in vehicles. However there are several restrictions for using natural gas as fuel because of its slow refueling time and limited refueling options. Since about 50 percent of the homes in America are being provided with natural gas, therefore there are increased chances of using natural gas as fuel in vehicles (Natural Gas and Its Uses). The end product of natural gas is carbon dioxide which is a greenhouse gas and contributes towards global warming. Being exposed to low levels of natural gas may not be considered harmful for animals or humans. However the gas leak in the houses may reduce the availability of oxygen and may often lead to dire consequences. Living beings exposed to high level of natural gas may feel fatigue that is more than the regular tiredness. If the quantity of natural gas is severe enough it may also result in killing them. Gas leak can result in explosion; therefore the government has imposed strict regulation and safety standards for ensuring the safe transportation, distribution and storage of natural gas. Natural gas is odorless; however an artificial smell is added to it so that people will know in case of a leakage. Natural gas is considered to be an economical source of energy, relatively clean and efficient; however, there are several safety and environmental issues associated with its production and use. Many of the areas being explored for natural gas are pristine and therefore they impose a great impact on the area’s human population, wildlife and environment. Work Cited Natural Gas and Its Uses. 2014. 2 October 2014 . Natural Gas Basics. 2014. 2 October 2014 . Natural Gas in History. 2013. 2 October 2014 . Uses of Natural Gas. 2012. 2 October 2014 . Read More