Declaration of Independence

The issue of global warming and depletion of fossil fuels have plagued all the walls of the U.S. media. Yet, the U.S. consumes about 40% of the fossil fuels, even though we only contain about 25% of the world's population. Although there are oil reserves in the U.S and Canada which can last us for another 300 years only if we continue to use it at our current rate, the non-renewable resource is causing destruction to the earth's environment. But as the population grows, the increase of energy consumption rises. The U.S. keeps energy cost artificially low disregarding the cost of extraction, processing and clean-up. For coal to be converted to electricity, it must first be extracted from the earth. Mining erodes topsoil that take more than hundreds of years to form. The topsoil is the most fertile for agriculture, and as we continue erode more, the soil is depleted of its nutrients and the crop yield is decreased, which causes a less abundant harvest. Mining also leads to the leeching of toxic materials into the earth's soil and water supply, which can also cause degraded crop yields and foods that are hazardous to humans and animals. The liquefaction of the coal takes a large amount of water, which is then burned to create heat. The burning of coal releases carbon dioxide, sulfur and nitrates into the environment. All of these are greenhouse gases which can then increase the greenhouse effect of warming the earth. Sulfur and Nitrates can also combine to form acid precipitation, which results in acid deposition into the earth's soil causing a decrease in vegetation. Although electricity has made life more comfortable and convenient, but it is at the cost of our Mother Earth.
The U.S. emphasizes most of its attention to pollution clean-up, which is more costly than pollution prevention. Wasteful use of energy due to its low price increases the amount of fossil fuels mined and processed, which produces more clean-up and an increase in the depletion of non-renewable resources. Ecosia was created on part of an attempt to save the environment and a community where everyone can feel good about the energy they use and the teamwork they engage in to bring to the earth, solutions to a better future.