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Angela Zhang
Professor Eser
EGEE 101H
30 April 2015
Final Essay
Throughout this semester I have come to understand that energy and the environment is
not only a topic within the sciences, but an issue that inherently spans multiple disciplines. For
example, energy resources are heavily influences by business and politics -- oil companies want
to continue on the road of petroleum proliferation for business gain (despite not only the fact it is
a depleting resource, but also its heavy contributions to an increasingly polluted atmosphere). I
was also surprised to see the vast amount of propaganda involved in perpetuating the oil giants'
agenda, as well as intentional attempts to detract the issue of global climate change, such as the
Climategate Scandal. This illustrates how the topic of energy is influenced by policy makers
outside of environmentalists.
In addition, understanding about the many flaws behind renewable resources -- which
typically receive much praise for being environmentally friendly -- have elucidated the
complexities of energy. After researching hydropower and learning more about other alternative
energy resources such as wind and solar, I see that the manufacturing of materials needed to
gather the energy and the natural resource requirements can offset claims to them as a green
resource. For example, the mining of certain metals or other materials for the construction of
windmills; the methane from hydro plant reservoirs; or the vast land use of large-scale solar
panel farms. This semester's curriculum has seamlessly integrated the social aspects of energy as

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well. Personally, researching about hydropower has informed me of many ramifications I was
not entirely aware of, such as displacement and deaths concerning dam construction.
My previous knowledge operated on a micro-scale point of view, such as the
environmental impacts of energy in a residential context, as well as arithmetic calculations to
mitigate individual, negative contributions. I am now better able to view energy in the context of
a global society, and to see our resource and land use as a large facet of the tragedy of the
commons. Having knowledge of both individual and global influences not only improves my
understanding of how one person impacts the environment, but how larger bodies of power shape
its distribution and use as well. Energy cannot be viewed without the context of policies and
human involvement.