In general, the word energy refers to a concept that can be paraphrased

as "the potential for causing changes", and therefore energy is the cause of any
change. The word is used in several different contexts. The use of the word in
mainstream science has a precise, well-defined meaning, which is not the case,
most often, with many other usages.
The most common definition of energy is work that a certain force (gravitational,
electromagnetic, etc) can do. It is the ability to do work. Due to a variety of
forces, energy has many different forms (gravitational, electric, heat, etc.) that
can be grouped into two major categories: kinetic energy and potential energy.
According to this definition, energy has the same units as work; a force applied
through a distance. The SI unit of energy, the joule, equals one newton applied
through one meter, for example. Energy has no direction in space, and is
therefore considered a scalar quantity.
Energy is a conserved quantity, meaning that it cannot be created or destroyed,
but only converted from one form into another. Thus, the total energy of the
universe always remains constant.
In the context of society the word energy is synonymous to energy
resources, it most often refers to substances like fuels, petroleum products and
electric power installations. This difference vis a vis energy in natural sciences
can lead to some confusion, because energy resources (which represent usable
energy) are not conserved in nature in the same way as energy is conserved in
the context of physics. People often talk about energy crisis and the need to
conserve energy,[10] something contrary to the principle of energy conservation in
natural sciences. Efforts, normally referred to as energy conservation, are
actually efforts that are targeted at conserving currently available energy
resources that can be applied to do useful work.
Energy in the environment
Consumption of energy resources, (e.g. turning on a light) is apparently
harmless. However, producing that energy requires resources and contributes to
air and water pollution. Many electric power plants burn coal oil or natural gas in
order to generate electricity for energy needs. While burning these fossil fuels
produces a readily available and instantaneous supply of electricity, it also
generates air pollutants including carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide and
trioxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Carbon dioxide is an important
greenhouse gas which is thought to be responsible for some fraction of the rapid
increase in global warming seen especially temperature records in the 19th
century, as compared with tens of thousands of years worth of temperature
records which can be read from ice cores taken in artic regions.
Burning fossil fuels for electricity generation also releases trace metals
such as beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, mercury, nickel,
and silver into the environment, which also act as pollutants. Certain renewable
energy technologies do not pollute the environment in the same ways, and
therefore can help contribute to a cleaner energy future for the world.[11]
Renewable energy technologies available for electricity production include
biofuels, solar power, tidal power, wind turbines, hydroelectric power etc.
However, serious environmental concerns have been articulated by several
environmental activists regarding these modes of electricity generation.
According to them, some pollution is invariably produced during the manufacture
and retirement of the materials associated with the machinery used in these
technologies. A central way to avoid downsides of expanding energy production
is energy conservation.
Sir Isaac Newton, was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher,
alchemist, theologian and one of the most influential men[5] in human history. His
Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, is considered to be the
most influential book in the history of science. In this work, Newton described universal
gravitation and the three laws of motion, laying the groundwork for classical mechanics,
which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries and
is the basis for modern engineering. Newton showed that the motions of objects on Earth and
of celestial bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws by demonstrating the
consistency between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, thus
removing the last doubts about heliocentrism and advancing the scientific revolution.
In mechanics, Newton enunciated the principles of conservation of momentum and angular
momentum. In optics, he invented the reflecting telescope and developed a theory of colour
based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into a visible spectrum. He also
formulated an empirical law of cooling and studied the speed of sound.
In mathematics, Newton shares the credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of the
differential and integral calculus. He also demonstrated the generalised binomial theorem,
developed the so-called "Newton's method" for approximating the zeroes of a function, and
contributed to the study of power series.
Newton was also highly religious (though unorthodox), producing more work on Biblical
hermeneutics than the natural science he is remembered for today.
Newton's stature among scientists remains at the very top rank, as demonstrated by a 2005
survey of scientists in Britain's Royal Society asking who had the greater effect on the history
of science, Newton was deemed much more influential than Albert Einstein.[
Energy gives personal comfort and mobility to people, and is essential for the generation of
industrial, commercial and societal wealth. On the other hand, energy production and
consumption place considerable pressures on the environment (including heat and electricity
production, oil refining and its final use in households, services, industry and transport).
These pressures include the emission of greenhouse gases and air pollutants, land-use, waste
generation and oil spills. They contribute to climate change, damage natural ecosystems and
the man-made environment, and cause adverse effects to human health.
The combustion of fossil fuels from human activities is largely responsible for the increase in
carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere together with the resulting increase in
global temperature and climate change. The increasing demand for energy results in the
accumulation of CO2, the most important greenhouse gas, because of the way energy is
produced. Most countries rely on fossil fuels (oil, gas and coal) to satisfy their energy
demand. These fuels need to be burned so that the heat released in the process can be
converted to energy. The carbon in the fuel reacts with oxygen, producing CO2 that is
released to the atmosphere. Air pollutants (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates)
are also released, with resulting impacts on air quality. However, due to technical measures
and improvements in power and heat generation plants, emissions of air pollutants have been
declining over the past decades.

The economy continues to grow as does energy consumption. Fossil fuels still dominate the
fuel mix — about 79 % of the energy needs of the average European are met by coal, gas and
oil. Around 13 % comes from nuclear power and the remaining 8 % comes from rapidly
increasing renewable energy sources (especially wind and solar energy).

The average European uses the equivalent of 3.7 tonnes of oil per year on electricity, heating
and transport. This corresponds to 7.8 tonnes of energy-related CO2 emissions. This varies
widely between countries, depending partly on the uptake of renewable energy sources.
Transport has been the fastest-growing energy-using sector since 1990 and is now the largest
consumer of energy.