Investment in Alternative Energy will have a Positive Impact on Global Environmental Issues
Energy plays a major role in promoting social and economic development. Approximately ninety percent of the global energy supplies come from carbon-based fuels (Rambo, 2013). However, their emissions are connected to environmental pollution. Moreover, they cause an increase in global temperatures besides interfering with climatic patterns. Furthermore, exposure to indoor results in respiratory diseases in most of the developing countries. This coupled with the fact that billions of people largely rely on biomass as a major source of energy has led to the introduction of strategies geared toward reducing exposure to air pollution on the agenda of international development (Ezzati & Kammen, 2002). In order to deal with the current environmental problem, there is need for long-term strategies for sustainable development (CCC, 2010). To this effect, renewable sources of energy would be among the most efficient strategies (Dincer, 2000). This justifies the strong connection that exists between renewable energy on one hand and sustainable development on the other. This essay seeks to establish that investment in alternative energy will have a positive impact on environmental issues.
The current and future energy demand is still unsustainable mostly due to the depletion of carbon-related fuels. In order to achieve sustainable economic development, carbon-founded fuels must be substituted with renewable energy innovations. In the views of Hasanuzzaman et al (2012), energy demand will increase fast across the globe. Focusing on energy efficiency policies and programs especially those around renewable energy is important in attaining numerous goals, for instance reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, enhancement of people’s health, improvement in the quality of air and reduction in costs (EPA, 2016). It is however important to delve deeper in order to understand these issues.
First and foremost, investment in alternative energy will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fossil fuels release greenhouse gases that pose negative effects on the environment while risking the lives of the future generations. These emissions depend on the emission factor of major sources of energy. In regard to the sources of energy, it is noted that there is a high emission factor for the fossil fuels (Aust, 2014). On one hand, fossil fuels are largely employed as the main fuel in generating power. On the other hand, renewable sources of energy including solar, geothermal, wind, biomass and even hydro, are emission-free sources of energy. In this regard, it must be emphasized that electricity generation comprises more than one third of the global warming emissions in the United States. Most of this originates from coal-driven power plants that generate about 25% of the total global warming emissions in the country. On the other hand, natural gas-driven power plants generate 6% of total emissions (UCS, 2016). However, many renewable sources of energy generate little or no emissions at all. By ensuring the supply of renewable energy is increased, it will be possible to substitute carbon-related energy sources in addition to reducing emissions. It was established in one of the studied that producing 80% of the nation’s electricity by the year 2050 through the use of renewable sources would reduce emissions by about 81% (UCS, 2016). According to Ugwuoke et al (2012), renewable energy innovations are a perfect strategy given that they can promote global power generation with reduced emission of greenhouse gases.
Use of alternative energy will also help in enhancing public health while boosting the quality of the environment. Pollution caused by power plants that are driven by coal and natural gas trigger health problems including respiratory problems, cancer, destruction of the nerves and heart attacks (UCS, 2016). It has been established that adoption of renewable energy can reduce premature death and the number of working days lost due to illness. Moreover, it reduces the total costs of healthcare. Renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydroelectric power generate energy with no related pollution emissions. Moreover, wind and solar energy need no water in order to operate. Therefore, they do not cause water pollution or limit supply. Fossil fuels on the other hand have a major effect on water resources.
Renewable energy sources also provide a large energy supply that cannot be exhausted. Across the US, strong winds, ground heat, water moving at a fast speed and plant residues can offer a large supply of energy resource that is replenished consistently (UCS, 2016). These sources have the technical ability to generate all the electricity required by the country. In the same vein, it was established that all the renewable sources of energy could generate 482,247 billion kilowatt annually. This is in terms of hours of electricity (UCS, 2016). This rate is more than a hundred times the quantity of energy consumed by the country. Renewable energy currently offers just a small portion of its potential output both in the US and the world as a whole. However, according to Pöyry (2011), when the world comes to acknowledge and appreciate the important role played by renewable energy, things are bound to get better.
There are also economic benefits like creation of employment opportunities that come as a result of renewable energy sources. To this effect, it must be noted that fossil fuel innovations are capital intensive (UCS, 2016). However, renewable energy sector requires a lot of labor. This implies that on average, a lot of employment of opportunities are created for every unit of generated electricity when renewable resources are used. In the US, thousands of employment opportunities are supported by renewable energy. For instance, in 2011, 75,000 people were employed in the wind energy sector (UCS, 2016). This was in different capacities like manufacturing, construction, maintenance, financial, consulting services and project development among others. According to Dale et al (2003), it is possible for the world to switch to wind energy. Other renewable sources of energy provide jobs to eve more workers. The solar industry for instance employed about a hundred thousand people in 2011. The hydro-electric power sector had about 250,000 people in the year 2009. Finally, geothermal sector provided jobs to 5,200 people in 2010 (UCS, 2016).
The most important benefit is the stability in the prices of energy. Renewable energy is offering affordable electricity today. In addition, it can assist in ensuring that the future prices of energy are stabilized (UCS, 2016). Renewable energy costs have reduced significantly. Moreover, they are expected to drop further. For instance, the between 2010 and 2012 witnessed a reduction in cost of generating electricity using wind by about 20%. Though upfront investments are required when building renewable facilities, once established they run at low cost. Most important is that the fuel is free. Due to this, the prices of renewable energy remain stable.
Finally, renewable sources provide an energy system that is not only reliable but resilient (IPCC, 2011). Wind and solar are not vulnerable to major failure given that they are distributed (UCS, 2016). Furthermore, they are modular. The fact that distributed systems are widely spread means that bad weather in one area cannot interfere with power in a whole region. On the other hand, modular systems comprise different wind turbines. They also have solar arrays. This means that even if there is damage to some of the equipment within the system, the rest will keep working.
In conclusion, it is clear that investment in alternative energy will have a positive impact on environmental issues. It might not be easy to guarantee a reliable, effective and cheap energy. In addition, with the global demand for energy being at an all time in addition to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels, it has become necessary for the world to look for more sustainable means of generating power. The essay has established that generating electricity from renewable sources of energy will offer both environmental and economic benefits. Solar, wind and hydropower are renewable sources of energy which will go a long way in meeting the global energy demand. Therefore, it is upon policymakers to ensure that the world embraces these renewable sources for sustainable energy.