The Pros And Cons Of Duke Energy

Through urbanization, modernization, and global energy demands, people abuse the natural environment for the advancement of the human race. Most humans utilize the environment for their benefit only and lack the decency to show respect or concern for their surroundings. Duke Energy, one of the largest energy suppliers in the United States, serves as the major energy source, substantial employer, and economic contributor for North Carolina. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy provides power to approximately 7.5 million customers throughout the Southeast and Midwest (“Duke Energy”). However, Duke Energy’s coal ash waste ponds are creating disastrous environmental effects (“Coal Ash Contaminates”). The moral obligation of both

This industry not only provides the populous with inexpensive power but also creates a steady employment option. Besides an increase in the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, the mass accumulation of coal ash and its leaks and spills into local rivers negatively affect the environment (“Energy-Related”). According to Earthjustice, “North Carolina generates over 5.5 million tons of ash per year” ("Coal Ash Contaminates”). In Eden, N.C. in 2014, the largest coal ash spill occurred, releasing 39,000 tons into the Dan River, which supplies drinking water to surrounding communities, a habitat for aquatic organisms, and recreational activities (Gallucci). Coal ash, also known as coal combustion residuals or CCRs, contains hazardous byproducts from power production, including arsenic, lead, mercury, and chromium, that can poison drinking water sources for humans and devastate wildlife habitats (“Coal Ash Basics”). Groundwater contamination has been documented at 13 of North Carolina’s coal-fired power plants (“Energy-Related”). Even after wildlife advocates exposed the damage to aquatic habitats from the Dan River ash spill, Duke Energy and politicians only contemplated the state of human life rather than biological life. Although no human deaths resulted from the Dan River spill, increased

Leopold is known as the father of ecology, studying the relationship between organisms and their respective environments. Leopold explains his convictions in A Sand County Almanac and Stretches Here and There; moreover, his essay,“Land Ethic,” illustrates the communal life of people; furthermore, this community-based atmosphere stimulates ethical behavior and persuades the members to treat each other with respect and to work together as a team for the mutual benefit of all. However, Leopold divulges that the majority of humans does not view the natural world as part of his community. Leopold elaborates, “The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of a community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land” (Leopold 204). Therefore, an intertwined relationship, mutual respect, and consideration between social, economic, and environmental components of society must be achieved. Once the environment is perceived as an equal part of an individual’s community, the human ethical spirit will respect the environment, cherish its benefits and beauty, and be obligated to preserve it. If future generations are taught to create harmony between the three pillars of society: economic, social, and environmental, further damage to the environment can be