Climate Change and Renewable Energy
By Newton Aaron Llorente
Senior Student, Ateneo de Iloilo
The earth has warmed (and cooled) many times during the 4.65 billion years of its history. At present, our planet earth appears headed for a rapid warming, which scientists attribute in part to human activities.
The chief cause of this warming is thought to be the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, which releases into the atmosphere carbon dioxide and other substances known as greenhouse gases.
In the last two centuries, it has been observed that continued deforestation, agricultural practices and manufacturing, have increased the production of these greenhouse gases. Increased concentration of these gases in the atmosphere had caused an enhanced greenhouse effect, resulting in higher global average temperatures, impacts of which have increased the frequency and intensity of storm surges and hurricanes, changes in vegetation, and a rise in sea level
As the earth's atmosphere warms, the surface layer of the ocean warms as well, expanding its volume and thus raising sea level. Warming will melt ice around the Artic further swelling the sea.
Animals and plants will find it difficult to escape from or adjust to the effects of warming because humans occupy so much land. Animals will tend to migrate towards higher elevations and plants will shift their ranges, seeking new areas as old habitats grow too warm.
In a warmer world, scientists predict that more people will get sick or die from heat stress. Diseases found in the tropics transmitted by mosquitoes and other animal hosts, will widen their range as they move into regions formerly too cold for them. Other tropical diseases may also spread, including dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis. Scientists also predict rising incidence of allergies and respiratory diseases as warmer air grows more charged with pollutants, mold spores, and pollens.
In all of these, developing countries are apt to suffer as they are more vulnerable to climate change given their high dependence on natural resources and their limited capacity– human, financial and institutional– to adapt to extreme events.
Notwithstanding the above factors, we can still change the future. As the Dalai Lama of Tibet said, "We have the responsibility to look after our planet. It's our only home." It is therefore imperative that we should explore alternative sources of energy.
Much of the energy system we now have in place was the result of an explosion of invention. Cities all over the world were transformed as automobiles and electric lights replaced horse-drawn carriages and gas lamps. Technologies that have prevailed for centuries became obsolete and the 20thcentury emerged as the age of fossil fuels.
As the continued use of fossil fuels will ultimately bring disastrous effect to human life as we know it, it is therefore necessary that the world leaders should embark on the finding alternative energy sources. As renewable energy has long been viewed as the obvious way to reduce carbon intensity and therefore reduce the greenhouse effect, it is but proper that the government of the worlds utilize them. A wide range of renewable energy resources could play an important role in the energy system of the next century. These include ancient sources of power, such as the wind, sun, geothermal heat, biomass, and ocean power.
Wind energy has a huge potential for electricity generation. For instance, the power of the wind, if harnessed, could supply. 20% of electricity needs in any given region. If, in the future, wind power were stored in the form of hydrogen, it could have a much greater share of energy production.
Arguably, all energy used on earth, except nuclear, tidal, and geothermal, comes from the power of the sun. There are options to begin harvesting the power of the sun more directly to meet our energy needs. It is hard to quantify, but solar energy provides roughly 10% of the energy used worldwide, most of which is in the form of solar heating.
Tide mills are actually a very old form of power, that was used along the coasts of western Europe in the Middle Ages, and was only abandoned with the initiation of the fossil fuel era. This type of generation is most comparable to wind, but has the advantages of predictability and high power-output per size of turbine. The future of tidal power is uncertain, but likely to grow.
Wave energy has only been harnessed in a scattering of pilot projects around the world, without any major commercial application to date. Wave power is most commonly harnessed several km out from shore, where the waves are most consistent. Often some form of buoy is used, which generates electricity as it bobs up and down, however a long snake-like structure has also been created by one company that generates power as the wave moves along it.
Geothermal energy is the energy of the core of the earth. This energy is replenished by the slow decomposition of nuclear isotopes in underground rocks. The core of the earth is at about 4,000 degrees Celcius, and hot springs near the Earth's surface can reach 350 degrees Celcius. This energy can be used to heat homes or generate electricity in areas of geological activity where it is most readily available
With these limitless sources of renewable energy, the future looks bright for humanity. We will have infinite supply of power and a cleaner environment for the generations to come. Let us support government organizations that seek to promote clean energy.
Every one of us can do something to protect and care for our planet. We should live in such a way that makes a future possible." —a famous writer once said./Ripples
(Newton Aaron Llorente is one of the candidates for honors in Ateneo de Iloilo-Santa Maria Catholic School for the school year 2007-2008. He is currently one of the Desk Editors of Ripples, AdI-SMCS High School Department's Official Student Publication.)