Global Warming Mitigation
Opting for clean energy
Burning of fossil fuels is one of the fundamental causes, if not the only cause, of various environmental disturbances world wide including the most disturbing 'Global Warming and Climate Change'. The burning of fossil fuel brings back the locked carbon in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, the most significant greenhouse gas. We might have stopped burning fossil fuels if we could. But the lifestyle of millions and millions of people is directly linked to the use of fossil fuels. Transportation, production of industrial goods and our wellbeing in apartments, all need energy derived from fossil fuels. But our dependency on fossil fuels is gradually becoming the cause of decline of the planet earth itself. So we need to be frugal and judicious in energy use and selection. There are, of course, options other than fossil fuels available now. Green electricity
Electricity is technologically most convenient and popular form of energy. It is readily transformable to any other energy such as light, heat and sound that are economically important for lighting home, cooking and heating room and activate warning and address systems. Electricity also is a form of energy that can be easily distributed to the users at minimum cost and with maximum safety if minimal cautionary measures are maintained. Distribution and utilization of electricity even pose the least environmental threats. So, what is them the problem? The problem, however, lies at its source. Till now more than 60% of electricity consumed worldwide is produced from different types of fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. Power industries produce electricity burning these fossil fuels. Various types of pollutants are generated at different stages of obtaining electricity. That smokes created over burning of fossil fuels contain CO2 as major part. Burning of fossil fuel in huge quantity at global scale is mostly responsible for global warming. Even more problems mess up when the fossil fuel contains impurities like sulfur (S). Burning of fossil fuel then produces SO2 which is one of the responsible agents for acid rain. Under these circumstances, it is apprehended that electricity can be a sustainable solution for energy needs only when it is produced from renewable sources; only then we can call it green electricity or green energy. Finding solution
An environmental scientist can find out better energy option(s) in terms of environmental safety and economic benefits to cope with the energy crisis and meet the growing energy demand in a sustainable manner since he is supposed to possess wide range of knowledge varying from natural sciences to social sciences. It is very prudent to form a panel of experts from various backgrounds including energy technologists, economists, environmental scientists and anthropologists for policy making regarding sustainable energy. Some principles: Using least harmful fossil fuel: We must try to use good quality fossil fuel which contains fewer pollutants. The major three types of fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas .The latter two are derived from petroleum and coal is mined from coal seams. Coal is the most compact fossil fuel containing most harmful substances among all the three types. It contains many other substances as impurity besides carbon, its major component. Smoke created by coal burning contains sulferdioxide, nitrogen dioxide, mercury, carbon dioxide and various types of particulate matters. Mineral oil is less polluting than coal. Yet it produces volatile organic compounds and other pollutants. Natural gas is the least harmful or safest among fossil fuels in environmental consideration. Choosing energy sources: the renewable energy technologies are also not completely harmless to environment unless they are installed and maintained as per environmentally sound mechanism. But all renewable energy technologies are not equally injurious to the environment. The best option among renewable energy sources is the solar energy because it is the manmade imitation of natural process of photosynthesis and in this case we use the first stage of energy conversion from the sun. Biomass is produced by photosynthesis capturing the solar energy. Biomass is the completion of carbon cycle and when burnt virtually does no harm to the environment. Hydropower harnessing sometimes harm aquatic life in the dam or river. Wind energy harnessing can pose threat for birds although it is least harmful from environmental perspective. Capturing tidal power in the coastal region can harm the coastal ecosystems to a great extent if environmental impact of RET projects are not assessed and mitigated. Maximising use of renewable energy: Harnessing, processing and burning of different types of fossil fuels are the major cause of environmental pollution and degradation. So, sustainable energy aims at lowering the amount of fossil fuel use while increasing the share of renewable energy sources for electricity production and if possible having total energy budget based on renewable energy sources. “Fusion and fission are safer than fossil fuels”: Proponents, such as environmentalists James Lovelock, Patrick Moore (Greenpeace co-founder), Stewart Brand (creator of The Whole Earth Catalog), and Norris McDonald (president of the AAEA), claim that nuclear power is at least as environmentally friendly as traditional sources of renewable energy, making it the best future solution to global warming and the world's growing need for energy. They note that nuclear power plants produce little carbon dioxide emissions and claim that the radioactive waste produced is minimal and well-contained, especially compared to fossil fuels. Deploying most efficient and clean technology: Catalytic converter for gasoline driven internal combustion engines and fluidized bed burner and use of coal gasification technology can reduce NOX and SOX emissions from the process of fossil fuel burning. Methyl tertiary Butyl ether (MTBE) can be used as aiding agent to burn hydrocarbon completely in internal combustion engines. There are also many new interventions in pollution control technologies world wide. We should invent and utilize as much as possible efficient and pollution free technologies. Concluding remarks
Widespread promotion of sustainable energy use can save our environment from the over exploitation maladies of posed by the traditional energy system. Utilisation of more efficient technologies for generation, transmission and consumption of electricity and other energy sources can also reduce the load of energy demand. Clean technologies and incorporation of the renewable energy sources in electricity generation can be a safeguard for environment against pollution. Using less and less fossil fuel is fundamental to reduction of global green house gas emissions. And this is the way to containing global warming as well as climate change.
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