The most recent climate reports mean world leaders no longer have many alternatives. With the constant shocking environmental news, alternative energy sources must be utilized to their largest extent. Solar energy is on course to dominate energy production in the next century. Without it, predictions of worldwide devastation are certain. It's just a question of when. Pollution, according to the climate specialists, is caused by man and can be expected to continue as long as fossil fuels are used to the current degree. The latest climate science reports are even more sobering than the previous ones.
Fossil-fuel based electricity generation in the United States and China has tremendous environmental consequences. In 2007, 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) were emitted from electricity generation in the United States, about 40 percent of the country’s energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “Electricity generation in China produced just over two billion metric tons of CO2, accounting for about one-third of its energy-related GHG emissions in the same year. Fossil-fuel combustion is also responsible for the emission of other pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Electricity production also puts a strain on water and land resources. In 2000, thermal power plants accounted for nearly half of the total withdrawals of water in the United States and nearly 40 percent of water withdrawals for industrialized use in China. Reducing environmental impacts is a major impetus for shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy for electricity generation.
Developing renewable energy technologies that utilize the sun, the wind, and geothermal energy is critical to resisting climate change. However, employing renewable energy sources will not dismiss all environmental concerns. Although renewable energy sources produce low amounts of GHG emissions and conventional air pollution, manufacturing and transporting them will produce some emanations. The production of photovoltaic (PV) cells, for example, generates noxious substances that may contaminate water resources. Renewable energy plants can also have a damaging effect on land use and wildlife habitat, and some technologies consume notable quantities of water.
To develop sound ecological policies, lawmakers must understand the environmental impacts of alternative energy sources, including how the impacts of renewable energy technologies compare to those of fossil-fuel technologies and to opportunities for improvements in energy efficiency. Understanding the potential environmental impacts of renewable energy technologies is also essential for identifying and pursuing designs, manufacturing methods, project siting, utility operations, and so on to mitigate or offset these effects.
Environmental impacts of energy sources are normally graded on two scales. The first scale is the regional or national scale, which is an endeavor to characterize the average impact of a standard facility for the purposes of specific comparisons and preparation. Life cycle assessment (LCA), for example, is an attempt to account for the full host of impacts connected with all stages of an energy project, from the extraction of raw materials to the decommissioning of a plant and the disposal of equipment. The second scale is on the local level, where site-specific results, such as effects on wildlife and local water supplies, can be assessed.
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