Climate change is inevitably caused by the large amount of greenhouse gases in the air which are released by burning fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels is where most of our energy comes from and is a process that releases carbon dioxide, a type of greenhouse gas, into the air. Once the carbon dioxide reaches the atmosphere it is trapped, and adds extra heat, so much that it changes the climate, hence the name climate change. When carbon dioxide reaches the atmosphere, it can stay there for thousands of years continuously causing an increase to normal heat temperatures.
So, what can we do to fix this issue? The problem itself comes from burning fossil fuels, so we would have to find an alternative form of energy that would not cause greenhouse gases to be released into the air. Solar energy is one of the greatest alternatives for getting large amounts of energy without causing any harm. This type of energy is seemingly always available during the day. Solar panels do not release greenhouse gases when they generate energy. Although they do release gases when they are being manufactured, transported, installed, or maintained, but the amount of gases solar production releases is little to nothing in comparison to those released by burning fossil fuels. Solar energy comes from the sun and the amount of energy reaching the earth’s surface in an hour is more than what the earth consumes in a year. Taking this into account, if we put our time and money into more solar panels, we could harness a lot more energy than we currently do. So why is it not used on a regular basis?
Solar energy has been an expensive form of generating energy since it was first discovered, but over the past 10 years cost for solar panels has decreased by 70 percent and may be continuing to decrease until it can become affordable to everyone and turn into the primary form of energy.
While solar energy may seem like the most obvious alternative to burning fossil fuels, there are many other forms of energy that can be used as well. Along with solar energy, wind energy is at the top of the list when it comes to renewable energy. As technology is becoming more and more advanced, wind mills are becoming easier to manufacturer and more efficient to use. Large fields of wind mills and solar panels can be enough to power an entire city. Hydroelectricity is also mentioned as an alternative form of energy. It can generate energy through the motion of water. While hydroelectricity can fix the greenhouse gas problem it can cause different problems to arise. Forests are destroyed, and dangerous chemicals are released into the air during the construction of equipment used for hydroelectricity. It also takes up many resources that can’t be reused, unlike wind mills and solar panels where the resources can be reused. So, while hydroelectricity is on the list, it is not the best option to replace our current methods.
Another form of renewable energy we can use is geothermal energy. This type of energy is just basically converting heat into power that can be used for other things besides heating. While it is a more recent and popular type of energy we are beginning to harness, it is expensive to build and maintain the equipment necessary. It is predicted that this type of energy will become cheaper as time passes, similar to solar energy. The last one I think worth mentioning is nuclear power. It is technically a source of renewable energy because the uranium that is used and stored should continuously produce power. It is used in many different countries, but the issue with this type of energy is how some dispose of the nuclear waste which has high levels of radiation which is very harmful to the environment. Although technically it is considered a renewable form of energy, many don’t consider it one because of the harm it can do to the environment. There are some other types of renewable resources, but I think these are the main ones worth mentioning. Climate change is not something many people see or notice, but it is an issue that grows worse by the day. The only method that can stop it from getting worse is to change our primary source of energy into something that doesn’t pollute the atmosphere with greenhouse gases.
Resources:
https://www.letsgosolar.com/consumer-education/climate-change-solar/
https://offgridworld.com/potential-solar-energy-mitigate-climate-change/
https://www.climate-change-guide.com/alternative-energy.html
