How Can Renewable Energy Reduce Global Warming - Coursework Example

Name: University: Instructor: Date: How Can Renewable Energy Reduce Global Warming? Introduction Renewable energy such as biomass, solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal is considered beneficial to the climate, economy, and people’s health. All renewable energy sources have unique costs and benefits, but more importantly, it has helped reduce global warming. The atmosphere is overloaded by global warming emissions such as carbon dioxide. In consequence, heat has been trapped; thus, steadily driving up the world’s temperature while the environment, people’s health and climate have negatively been affected. When renewable energy supply is increased, it would be possible to replace carbon-intensive energy sources such as coals and considerably lessen the world’s global warming emissions. More importantly, using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels to generate electricity can lead to considerable benefits in public health. The use of fossil fuels is associated with various health problems such as heart attacks, neurological damage, breathing problems as well as cancer. Therefore, using renewable energy in place of fossil fuels can help reduce effects associated with global warming. At present, people are over dependent on fossil fuels to drive their cars, power and heat their homes, and to manufacture goods.  The objective of this piece is to argue how renewable energy sources can reduce global warming. Analysis Arguments As mentioned by Ferrey (124), changing the power generation base into a considerable non-carbon component could provide the ability to manage the world greenhouse gas emissions successfully. The developing economies and some of the emerging economies such as India and China should change their power generation base in order to considerably reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the worldwide. The most crucial requirement for sustainable global development is using renewable energy, which is a sustainable form of energy. In India, scores of initiatives have been undertaken by the government to promote renewable energy in power generation market. For instance, the government enacted the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2009 to make sure that 25 percent of the country’s total electricity consumption is sourced from renewable energy by 2020 (Bhatnagar 1770). Other policies such as the National Tariff Policy, 2006 and Energy Act, 2003 offer guidelines for Central and State Government to make sure that a significant portion of power is generated from renewable sources. To make sure that these policies are successful, the Indian government has introduced incentives like viability gap funding (VGF), generation-based incentive (GBI), accelerated depreciation (AD), as well as the capital subsidy (Bhatnagar 1770). Texas, according to Schnurman is the first state in the US planning to develop a strategic plan for integrating energy-efficiency and renewable energy practices systematically into developing, producing and using energy. Texas is planning to make a transition into energy efficiency and renewable resources. Currently, the most wind power in the U.S. is generated in Texas and the success is attributed to the growth of renewable energy sector across the globe. The construction of Competitive Renewable Energy Zones has reduced the price of electricity in Texas and environmental impact associated with the use of fossil fuels thanks to its cheap wind power. California is another state in the U.S. that has made major strides in the renewable energy sector. As mentioned by Kahn, California is the home the country’s biggest solar thermal plant and wind farm. It has the world’s largest installed photovoltaic solar installation and a high number of rooftop solar as compared to other states (Kahn). As pointed out by Zervos and Coequyt, renewable energy technologies are becoming typical in a rapid manner. The renewable energy’s global market has grown dramatically but the available time window to move from fossil fuels towards renewable sources is very short. Scores of energy companies are still building coal-burning power plants, which have made it impossible to reduce GHG emissions early enough to steer clear of dangerous impacts associated with global warming. Zervos and Coequyt believe that the situation can be improved by introducing strict technical standards that would ensure production of efficient and sustainable industrial equipment, transportation systems, heating and cooling systems, appliances and buildings. Even devoid of environmental destruction like climate change as well as ecosystem damage, renewable energy is undoubtedly the most sustainable and effective energy source. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy is infinite and cheap and can help meet the increasing demand for energy. Cohen posits that the cost of renewable energy technologies would become cheaper with time. The countries that would develop renewable energy technologies that are reliable and cheaper than fossil fuels, would dominate the world’s economy. These technologies, according to Cohen, are beneficial because they reduce air pollution and climate change, they are more reliable energy and cheaper. According to Biello, the world’s global warming issue could be solved by Geoengineering and restraining global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius by revolutionizing how the world energy is generated and used to power homes, factories, cities and factories as well as for transport purposes. Global warming can not only be changed by use of renewable energy but also by substantially changing lifestyle and behavior. Harnessing wind power, as indicated by UCSUSA, can help reduce global warming because it is most sustainable and cleanest means of generating electricity. More importantly, wind power does not generate toxic pollution or any other form of global warming emissions. The wind is affordable, inexhaustible and abundant; thus, it is a large-scale and viable alternative to fossil fuels. Akin to wind power, solar energy is a major source for producing sustainable and clean energy Using renewable, clean energy can help reduce the companies’ impact on the environment considering that electricity generation and transport are some of the main sources of GHG emissions. Therefore, moving towards a clean energy can help reduce toxic build-ups and harmful smog in the water and air as well as the impacts attributed to gas extraction and coal mining. Still, the fossil-fuel infrastructure would take some time to be replaced; therefore, the majority of governments across the globe have come up with initiatives and policies to reduce the use of fossil fuel and increase adoption of renewable energy technologies. This is attributed to the fact that renewable energy sources could be utilized as the main energy source with fewer environmental impacts. Renewable energy sources can be used to generate electricity devoid of producing carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a causative factor behind global warming. Furthermore, renewable energy offers fuel diversification and reliable power supplies, which reduce over-reliance on fossil fuels and improve energy security. It also contributes to the conservation of the natural resources. Renewable energy sources do not require transportation or entail fuel costs; for that reason, they provide improved price stability.  Counterarguments Many believe that renewable energy technologies cannot singlehandedly manage to reduce global warming. There is a common misconception that renewable energy is a holistic solution to the issues related to the reliable but yet disreputable nuclear energy and fossil fuel. The supply of energy and associated environmental impacts, particularly global warming, according to many studies, can be addressed successfully just by making a transition from nuclear energy and conventional fossil fuel to renewable sources which are purportedly sustainable and environmental friendly (Kahn; UCSUSA; Zervos and Coequyt). However, this is merely a fallacy because renewable energy sources could hardly meet the ever-increasing energy demand without posing environmental and human-related problems. The supply of renewable energy from solar energy, hydroelectric dam, the wind, and biomass waste as well as ground-source heat cannot meet the increasing energy demand. The demand scale for all renewable resources combined could be major and may result in challenges in integrating large intermittent renewable energy amounts into the existing supply systems. As mentioned by UCSUSA, Solar energy has some environmental impact such as habitat loss, land and water use, and utilizing hazardous materials in the process of manufacturing. On the other hand, geothermal plants environmental impacts depend on the technology used for conversion and cooling. UCSUSA maintains that fossil fuel power plants and biomass power plants have some similarities since they all include the feedstock combustion to generate energy. Therefore, biomass plants pose almost the same concerns regarding water use and air emissions as fossil fuel plants. As mentioned by Ferrey (68), the Kyoto Protocol (Kyoto), which is a multinational treaty on mitigating GHG emissions, is essentially unequipped to change the balance of energy sector’s GHG emissions; for that reason, the global GHG emissions cannot be reduced to sustainable levels. Kyoto has failed to shift the world’s energy base into renewable energy as a replacement for fossil energy resources. Besides that, Kyoto Protocol has a legal void and does not provide a clear guideline for 80 per cent of the countries in the world, which are recognized as developing countries (Ferrey 68). The treaty does not have provisions that offer carbon offsets or credits for preservation of remaining forests cover in the developing countries, which absorb carbon. The majority of the world’s largest forest tracts are harbored n in the developing countries; therefore, if they are properly preserved, they can absorb as well as convert carbon dioxide to oxygen and different sugars during photosynthesis. In so doing, the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere is reduced. From this point of argument, it is clear that global warming can be reduced not only by renewable energy but also by improving the forest cover. The legal mechanisms offered by Kyoto are misleading and could derail the world’s transition towards clean, renewable energy. Presently, hydropower is one of the major sources of renewable energy, but it also contributes to global warming. According to Scherer and Pfister (1), hydroelectric reservoirs are the main biogenic sources of GHG and can attain a similar rate of emissions as thermal power plants. Currently, hydropower is the biggest source of renewable energy, but it has higher biogenic carbon emissions which exceed those of all other renewable energy sources combined. Aside from possible environmental damages, hydroelectric reservoirs have social and economic impacts. Therefore, hydropower has considerable GHG emissions, despite being a renewable energy source (Scherer and Pfister 8). Clearly, the renewable energy sources cannot offer sufficient energy to sustain the ever-increasing demand for energy and at the same time reduce their environmental and health effects. In addition, the preproduction outlay needed to sustain a renewable energy venture is enormously big, much more as compared to the traditional power resource. The renewable energy cost-competitiveness, in spite of the meaningful advancement made in renewable energy technologies over the last few years, is still one of the main shortcomings of renewable energy. Renewable energy depends on geography; for instance, it is impossible to position a wind power facility in an area that has insufficient steady wind. Considering that installation of wind-farm as well as geothermal-energy plants can be done in certain locations where there are proper geographic conditions. Even though the prospect of utilizing renewable energy is very appealing, the issues of trade-offs make it challenging to realize the full potential as the possible alternative to world’s overdependence on problematic and depleting fossil fuel. The wind and solar technologies, after 5 decades of subsidies, generates below 1 percent of the total energy in the world and, since wind and sun offer only intermittent energy, there is a need for fossil fuel backups. The intermittency issue from wind and sun denotes that it is challenging to get reliable power from these sources because they depend on weather, which normally is unpredictable. This issue creates the need for energy storage or a supplement of nuclear power or fossil fuels. Depending on renewable energy fully could be achieved if people change their lifestyles as well as systems. Conclusion In conclusion, this piece arguments and counterarguments on how global warming can be reduced by renewable energy sources. As mentioned in the essay, the world is moving towards dangerous levels of global warming due to overdependence on traditional fossil fuels. Although the supply of clean, renewable energy has increased in many countries, GHG pollution is still increasing at a fast pace. Still, renewable energy sources are cheap and infinite than traditional sources. Utilizing renewable energy sources in a sustainable manner needs the development of technologies capable of harvesting this energy. Irrespective of their shortcomings, renewable energy is the pivotal ‘wedges’ capable of combating global warming and stabilizing climate, by reducing GHG emissions. Works Cited Bhatnagar, Anubhuti. “Mitigating Greenhouse Effect in India through Gradual Shift to Renewable Energy.” Current Science III.2 (2016): 1765-1772. Biello, David. How to Solve Global Warming: It's the Energy Supply. 13 April 2014. 17 July 2017. . Cohen, Steven. Renewable Energy With or Without Climate Change. 12 February 2017 . 19 July 2017. . Ferrey, Steven. “The Failure of International Global Warming Regulation to Promote Needed Renewable Energy.” Environmental Affairs 37.1 (2010): 67-126. Kahn, Gabriel. Did California Figure Out How to Fix Global Warming? April 2016. 19 July 2017. . Scherer, Laura and Stephan Pfister. “Hydropower's Biogenic Carbon Footprint.” PLOS ONE 11.9 (2016): 1-11. Schnurman, Mitchell. What happened to the Texas that was proud to lead the nation in clean energy? 9 June 2017. 19 July 2017. . UCSUSA. Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies. 2017. 19 July 2017. . Zervos, Arthouros and John Coequyt. Increasing Renewable Energy in U.S. Can Solve Global Warming. 24 January 2007. 19 July 2017. . Read More

To make sure that these policies are successful, the Indian government has introduced incentives like viability gap funding (VGF), generation-based incentive (GBI), accelerated depreciation (AD), as well as the capital subsidy (Bhatnagar 1770). Texas, according to Schnurman is the first state in the US planning to develop a strategic plan for integrating energy-efficiency and renewable energy practices systematically into developing, producing and using energy. Texas is planning to make a transition into energy efficiency and renewable resources.

Currently, the most wind power in the U.S. is generated in Texas and the success is attributed to the growth of renewable energy sector across the globe. The construction of Competitive Renewable Energy Zones has reduced the price of electricity in Texas and environmental impact associated with the use of fossil fuels thanks to its cheap wind power. California is another state in the U.S. that has made major strides in the renewable energy sector. As mentioned by Kahn, California is the home the country’s biggest solar thermal plant and wind farm.

It has the world’s largest installed photovoltaic solar installation and a high number of rooftop solar as compared to other states (Kahn). As pointed out by Zervos and Coequyt, renewable energy technologies are becoming typical in a rapid manner. The renewable energy’s global market has grown dramatically but the available time window to move from fossil fuels towards renewable sources is very short. Scores of energy companies are still building coal-burning power plants, which have made it impossible to reduce GHG emissions early enough to steer clear of dangerous impacts associated with global warming.

Zervos and Coequyt believe that the situation can be improved by introducing strict technical standards that would ensure production of efficient and sustainable industrial equipment, transportation systems, heating and cooling systems, appliances and buildings. Even devoid of environmental destruction like climate change as well as ecosystem damage, renewable energy is undoubtedly the most sustainable and effective energy source. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy is infinite and cheap and can help meet the increasing demand for energy.

Cohen posits that the cost of renewable energy technologies would become cheaper with time. The countries that would develop renewable energy technologies that are reliable and cheaper than fossil fuels, would dominate the world’s economy. These technologies, according to Cohen, are beneficial because they reduce air pollution and climate change, they are more reliable energy and cheaper. According to Biello, the world’s global warming issue could be solved by Geoengineering and restraining global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius by revolutionizing how the world energy is generated and used to power homes, factories, cities and factories as well as for transport purposes.

Global warming can not only be changed by use of renewable energy but also by substantially changing lifestyle and behavior. Harnessing wind power, as indicated by UCSUSA, can help reduce global warming because it is most sustainable and cleanest means of generating electricity. More importantly, wind power does not generate toxic pollution or any other form of global warming emissions. The wind is affordable, inexhaustible and abundant; thus, it is a large-scale and viable alternative to fossil fuels.

Akin to wind power, solar energy is a major source for producing sustainable and clean energy Using renewable, clean energy can help reduce the companies’ impact on the environment considering that electricity generation and transport are some of the main sources of GHG emissions. Therefore, moving towards a clean energy can help reduce toxic build-ups and harmful smog in the water and air as well as the impacts attributed to gas extraction and coal mining. Still, the fossil-fuel infrastructure would take some time to be replaced; therefore, the majority of governments across the globe have come up with initiatives and policies to reduce the use of fossil fuel and increase adoption of renewable energy technologies.

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