Renewable energy sources include solar, geo-thermal, wind, hydroelectricity and biomass. These types of energy are termed renewable because they come from infinite sources such as the sun and the wind, running water and the burning or decomposition of various types of waste. These types of energy are endlessly abundant and do not take a toll on the earth.
Non renewable energy sources include coal, oil, natural gas and other products that are available only in finite amounts wrested from the earth. These products are fossil fuels. They took thousands of years to develop far beneath the surface of the earth. Once they are used up, there will be no more.
This very basic comparison should make it easy to see why energy sources that are not renewable are a bad choice. The fact that they will be used up one of these days in the not-too-distant future is a very big negative. Add to that the fact that sourcing these materials is horribly damaging to the only habitable planet in the known universe and it is easy to see that continuing to choose non-renewable sources of energy is a very foolish choice, indeed.
Coal mining is a horribly destructive practice. This is especially true of mountaintop removal coal mining in which entire mountaintops are simply blown to smithereens to get to the coal that lies inside the mountain. When this is done, the mountain is destroyed along with all life on the mountain. Streams that may run from the mountain are polluted and destroyed. Entire towns lose their source of water. Illness from the fallout of the destruction often ensues.
Traditional coal mining in which miners go underground to mine coal is also horribly destructive and very dangerous. Miners are always in danger of cave-ins and they inevitably develop lung cancer and other occupational illnesses, the longer they work in the mines. Mining is a debilitating job and many miners spend the vast majority of their hours underground slaving away in the mines.
Drilling for oil and gas is also horribly destructive. Wast areas of land are despoiled and the air surrounding wells is polluted by the heavy machinery used to make the wells. Heavy equipment also destroys roads all around the wells, and most often the gas and oil companies are not held accountable for the destruction.
Fracking is a practice that is used to break up deep deposits of shale to get at formerly inaccessible sources of gas and oil. This practice wastes millions of gallons of water and pollutes aquifers. It is rapidly destroying sources of water in all areas where fracking is performed.
Oil spills from tankers and pipelines poison the earth and every living thing upon and beneath it. The destruction they wreak in the ocean is well-known.
Energy from the sun, wind, water and constantly renewable materials that must be disposed of does not destroy the earth. These forms of renewable energy do not pollute water. Jobs in renewable energy are interesting and healthy and growing in number by the day.
When comparing non renewable and renewable sources of energy, it should be quite clear that only infinite and renewable choices have the ability to carry us safely into the future.
