As a student majoring in Electrical Engineering technology, I believe my field is directly intertwined with the phenomena of climate change. That is because my major is essentially based on electricity and it’s different usages in various applications. Since about everything around us requires some form of energy to function, it becomes straightforward that the link between my major and climate change is a natural one. The debate about solutions to climate change often revolves around energy sources and how we can produce energy that is environmentally friendly and sustainable, that is renewable energy In that, I find a passion because that involves innovation in energy production and even consumption. Green energy is the shoe-in so far to replace traditional sources of energy that are known to dump huge amounts of emissions in the atmosphere. My academic major is right in line with humanity’s vision of green energy; I could help with either manufacturing or installing/delivering green energy equipment to consumers. In many of my classes, we study the technology/science behind renewable energy such as solar panels and wind turbines; in fact, we study those two technologies in detailed fashion. Some of us even worked on some projects involving solar panels where they explored the possibility of a cabin house completely operating on solar energy. The latter shows that my major is wide in scope and intrinsically interrelated with the possible solutions to the phenomenon of climate change. Moreover, sometimes we get exposure to future and current projects slated to replace coal power plants for example. I can foresee myself working in some of those projects in the near future where we’ll find ways to produce energy without the emissions of greenhouse gases.
I also aspire to become an electrician and get my certification in that field. As an electrician, I hope to work directly with all the renewable energy sources even those that are newly nascent. Humanity never ceases to innovate in technology, we see it everyday and every where around us. With the latter in scope, it is only logical to assume that renewable energies are not going to be the only end goal when it comes to ridding humanity of energy related pollution.
There could be some new forms of production that involves improving the traditional forms. We could one day have nuclear fission with reduced carbon footprint or even none at all. What I see in my field is that the possibilities are many and exploration of potential fixes are a never-ending pursuit. It is only logical to think that way because of the imposing nature of energy in our lives; it is as needed as the food we eat and the drinks we soothe our thirst with, as a matter of fact, electricity is essential in the production and transportation of both foods and drinks. Moreover, whosoever talks food also talks health and medicine all along. Modern health systems cannot survive the lack of energy and will not be efficient without clean energy. Therefore, the other different disciplines supporting the need for better sustainable energy is quite abundant. It is very easy to find an electrician or an electrical engineer working in a healthcare facility “providing” care without practicing medicine. The ways in which my major is interwoven with the climate change question do not surprise even the non-professionals of the field of climate change. In my school, there is a widely displayed sign that reads “burn calories, not watts” bringing attention to everyone that electricity usage is a relevant day to day matter. That sign often makes me ponder on how to leverage the many technologies available to mankind in order to bring about efficient clean energy. Similarly, that sign serves as stimulants to human ingenuity although the apparent meaning may not be understood as directly related to the issue of climate change.
