Renewables vs. Nonrenewable Energy Resources: Environmental and Economic Advantages and Disadvantages Imagine a life without washers, dryers, refrigerators, computers, televisions, lights and automobiles. Imagine a planet so polluted that the smog in the air is so strong you can't see very far, lakes and streams are poisoned, and the land so badly scarred by people trying to find more sources of energy. One day this could become a reality if we don't do something to change the way we use our energy resources. This could happen if society continues to use non-renewable energy resources at the current rate of consumption. Our saving grace may be the development and use of renewable energy resources. Renewable sources will not only help our planet stay clean with little or no pollution, but they could also help the economy. This paper will compare both renewable energy resources and non-renewable energy resources and attempt to prove that not only are renewable energy resources better for the environment but also prove that they are better for the economy. Non-Renewable Energy Resources Pollution One of the problems with non-renewable energy resources is that to convert them into usable energy you need to chemically modify whatever it is to extract the potential energy within them. Non-renewable energy resources include wood, oil, gas and coal. To extract the potential energy contained in these resources it is necessary to burn them, releasing heat. This heat is converted into energy by using the heat to spin a turbine, which in turn spins the generator, which creates electricity. Using gas in a vehicle, the combustion of the gas and air mixture forces a piston that turns the crankshaft. When you burn these materials, heat is generated, and...... half of the paper......ower, Gillian. (2007). Deep heating. Alive: Canadian Journal of Health & Nutrition, 292 (), 102-103. Retrieved February 25, 2008, from the EBSCOhost database. Here is the sun. (2005). OECD Observer, 248(), 44-44. Retrieved February 24, 2008, from the EBSCOhost database.Ingersoll, Eric. (2008). Clean and profitable. Power Engineering, 112 (1), 12. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from the EBSCOhost database. Khalil, Tarek M. (1981). Comparative analysis of energy resources. International Journal of Production Research, 19 (4), 401. Retrieved February 25, 2008, from the EBSCOhost database. Steam and surf in the far north. (2007). Economist, 385(8550), 34. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from the EBSCOhost database. Wolcott, Barbara. (2004). Interest in alternative energy has waxed and waned since the 1970s. Planning, 70(11), 4-7. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from the EBSCOhost database.