Children of the Sun” by Alfred Crosby
On the theme of nuclear, as Crosby performs a worthy work of being purposeful his viewpoints, he is logical in his belief that nuclear is the preferable means to attain necessary magnitude of energy. He offers substantial room for argument of the history of fission and incorporates motivation like “a thump of uranium can give out heat comparable to coal, which is 2.5 million pounds (Crosby 144). The author is a victim of wishful thought. He shares a frequently perceived scrutiny of technology (Crosby 164). He says that energy is the key challenge that humans face. At least the imminent mass of escaping ecological immigrant may possess plentiful electricity to illuminate their place. It is unfortunate that no one can eat energy. I do not agree with Crosby about his argument of nuclear energy being necessary for the future. This is because nuclear energy is expensive to produce and time consuming. Nuclear energy may also pose threats like nuclear war.
The key subject around this narrative is the requirement and consumption of energy. Beginning with food to power, to the additional energy intense fossil fuel to power haze engines and domestic ignition engines, the author discusses the quest of humans for more energy. The book is excellently written and has an appealing approach. While the audience may think that the author seldom appear to stray from the theme of the book, it ultimately turns out apparent that he is not out of the theme (Crosby 176). The author drifts his ways all along to his invention, which is nuclear energy. This is an extremely revealing comprehensive summary of the quest for energy. The author is obsessed with the necessity of nuclear energy as the ultimate source of energy. Nuclear energy may be necessary for efficiency of machinery since we live in a technological world, but that does not mean that nuclear energy should be the ultimate source of energy in the future. There are other safer sources of energy like coal and gas, which can replace nuclear power. Another significant source of energy that can save the future is solar energy. It may be shocking indeed, but solar energy has the capability of sustaining human’s needs for energy for eternity if technicians can manage to harness one hundred percent of solar energy.
The book fits straight in that partial slot. Fuel is a widespread human requirement. Because the discipline of energy utilization and climate alteration seams to overlook a lot of readers, Alfred Crosby has managed to guide readers down a smoother lane. It is obvious as the fuel catastrophe increases more obvious and remedial deed is in a petite delivery the better people comprehend the occurrence. Lack of knowledge of the current state, in Crosby’s view, is a chief barricade to prompt people to think about their alternatives cautiously.
Crosby clarifies people’s reliance on fossil fuels and the effect of the dependence. Crosby explains how fuel consumption has increased over the years. People’s consciousness of the foundation of the fuels came when it was too late. The energy consumption has improved considerably in the past century because of industrialization. There was a time when people used as much fuel as they could eat food. People have grown to consuming approximately one hundred times more energy than their ancestors. The sun is the sole source of energy generated in the globe. In ancient times, the trees were the sole source of coal. I agree with Crosby’s argument of the increasing need or consumption of energy. This is because of industrialization and technological advancement, which require a lot of energy. I do not agree with Crosby that nuclear energy can solve the problem of increased energy consumption. This is just not true because other sources of energy have not been exhausted or utilized absolutely.
The new strategies must be careful regarded. Crosby’s chief donation in the debate of energy and substitute for dilapidated oil and contaminated coal is the price of the substitutes. Hydrogen is costly to create and distribute (Crosby 112). Nuclear fusion is a secluded outlook. Crosby clarifies the fusion alternative possibly enhanced than any critic. Atomic fission has been inundated by trendy doubts hitherto is a key issue in Frances. Practically eighty percent of the France electricity is nuclear produced while the United States has hardly attained twenty percent (Crosby 134).
Aged bodies through a similar process became oil, therefore, petroleum. Electricity probably acquires energy from the old trees. The automobile belches are for the animal corpses. Nuclear power, particularly the assured description of synthesis, depends on people’s facts of machinery creating energy (Crosby 196). While oil noticeably depletes, Crosby comments that additional consideration must be offered to the substitutes. During this description, the discipline causal to the author’s note is obvious, yet he does not engulf the audience with its existence. The note is that people must recognize what causes the energy greed and why it ought to be intended for new structures. I do not agree with Crosby because nuclear is not the only substitute to depleting energy source; there are other safer sources like coal, gas and wind energy.
Works Cited
Crosby, Alfred W. Children of the Sun: A History of Humanity’s Unappeasable Appetite for
Energy. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print.
Crosby, Alfred W. America, Russia, Hemp, and Napoleon: American Trade with Russia and the
Baltic, 1783-1812. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1965. Print.
