The Benefits of Converting to Renewable Energy and Away from Fossil Fuels

Introduction

The problem of global warming has become much common in today's society and hence raising many concerns among the various interested parties. The issue is accelerated by the use of fossil fuels that eventually leads to high production of greenhouse gases. Most scholars have argued that global warming is mainly caused by human activities, and proper measures ought to be taken to save the well-being of the current and that of the future generation. It is the high time that we should seek the use of alternative energy. The environmental agencies have advocated for the use of renewable energy, which is highly environmentally friendly. Haugen & Musser (2012) defines renewable energy as the form of energy made from natural resources, which include sunlight, biomass, geothermal heat, rain, and tides, among others that are naturally replenished. Most of the energy production from fossil fuel such as oil and coal are associated with adverse impact on the atmosphere. This research paper aims at exploring the benefits of converting to renewable energy from fossil fuels. It deliberates on the effect of renewable energy on the economy, health, and environment. Renewable energy provides an excellent alternative for replacing fossil fuels and mitigating the problem of increasing greenhouse gases emission.

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The Benefits of Converting to Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is one of the sectors that are growing at a vast rate. This is probably because of the concerns raised and the creation of awareness on its benefits. As mentioned earlier, converting to renewable energy to replace fossils fuels has got numerous benefits both to the current and future generations. Reducing or eradicating the use of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide is one of the best ways of addressing the issue of the global warming which has become a significant problem in all countries across the world (Bhattacharya, Awaworyi Churchill & Paramati, 2017). Unlike in the past decades, today's weather forecasting is much difficult due to climate change. It imposes a significant impact on various sectors and more specifically, in the agricultural industry. Food security has become a considerable threat to many countries due to the effect of global warming. Also, the impact of fossil fuels is felt on the atmosphere leading to increased health hazards. Therefore, the benefits of converting to renewable energy to replace fossil fuels are experienced by mitigating these identified problems. The impact of renewable energy can, therefore, be discussed from various perspectives such as economic, health, and environmental.

Impact of Renewable Energy on the Economy

Renewable energy has got a significant economic impact on the countries that are paying much attention to it. Most importantly, this modern technology has resulted in development in rural areas (Lohse, 2018). Due to various reasons, many households, especially in rural areas, from the developing countries did not have adequate access to multiple forms of energy which hinders their productivity more significantly. However, this problem can be mitigated by renewable energy, which is readily available in these areas. Also, more job opportunities are created by the adoption of renewable energy. The Union of Concerned Scientist (2017) have argued that this sector is already supporting thousands of jobs in the U.S. Creation of more employment opportunities is expected due to the rapid growth in the conversion to renewable energy.

According to the recent statistics of the year 2016, wind energy had directly employed over 100,000 full-time workers in over 500 factories manufacturing equipment for wind turbines as well as project installation services. The wind industry alone had an investment worth $13.0 billion by the year 2016 (The Union of Concerned Scientist, 2017). The study conducted by The Union of Concerned Scientist (2017) also reveals that more workers are employed in other renewable industries. For instance, the solar industry employs more than 260,000 workers, the hydroelectric power industry employs about 66,000 people, and the geothermal sector employs approximately 5,800 people (The Union of Concerned Scientist, 2017). Thus, the data reveals that the adoption of renewable energy has got a significant economic impact by creating a job to large portion of the population in the labor market.

Impact of Renewable Energy on the Health

Today's generation is suffering from the numerous diseases that were not experienced in the past, while life expectancy has also reduced drastically. These are as a result of the health hazards that we are exposed to (Haugen & Musser, 2012). For instance, the air and water pollution from the natural gas and the coal are linked to dangerous diseases such as neurological damages, heart attacks, breathing problems, cancer, and many others. However, converting to renewable energy will help in mitigating these problems and hence improving the health of the public. It is essential to note that pollution affects every person where its effect is felt regardless of who is causing pollution (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2016). Incomplete combustion of fossil fuels leads to pollutes air and water, which renewable energy does not produce. Renewable energy is also referred to as clean energy due to its little or no adverse effect on the health status of the public (Haugen & Musser, 2012).

Impact of Renewable Energy on the Environment

Renewable energy produces a lower amount of carbon dioxide compared to the use of fossil fuels (Bhattacharya, Awaworyi Churchill & Paramati, 2017). Therefore, it reduces the level of pollution to the environment that results from the emission of greenhouse gas. Renewable energy has got a direct environmental impact by reducing the global warming effect. It limits the gasses emitted by the fossil fuels that lead to depletion of the ozone layer that traps heat directly from the sunlight. Renewable energy is considered as environmentally friendly due to its numerous benefits to the environment (Lohse, 2018). Significant investment in these new technologies will act as the turning point for protecting the environment. The environmental agencies should establish and enforce proper measures to safeguard the environment from increasing pollutions.

Conclusion

From the research conducted, it is clear that converting to renewable energy is associated with numerous benefits. The agencies concerned should establish proper policies to promote the use of the renewable energy to replace fossil fuels which have proved to be more harmful to the environment as well as the well-being of the current and future generation. Intense campaigns must be conducted to create awareness on the public on the risks they are exposed to by the excessive use of fossil fuels. The study has revealed that the problem of global warming is mainly caused by human activities and hence converting to alternative sources of clean energy will help in providing a long-lasting solution. The government should also provide incentives to the factories operating in renewable energy to make the technologies available and affordable to most of the users, even in the low-income bracket. This will help in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases that are associated with an adverse impact on our atmosphere.

References

Bhattacharya, M., Awaworyi Churchill, S., & Paramati, S. (2017). The dynamic impact of renewable energy and institutions on economic output and CO 2 emissions across regions. Renewable Energy, 111(5), 157-167. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.03.102

Haugen, D., & Musser, S. (2012). Renewable energy. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

International Renewable Energy Agency. (2016). Renewable Energy Benefits: Understanding the Socio-Economics. Retrieved from https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2017/Nov/IRENA_Understanding_Socio_Economics_2017.pdf?la=en&hash=C430B7EF772BA0E631190A75F7243B992211F102

Lohse, C. (2018). Environmental impact by hydro geothermal energy generation in low-enthalpy regions. Renewable Energy, 128, 509-519. doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.06.030

The Union of Concerned Scientist. (2017). Benefits of Renewable Energy Use. Retrieved from https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/renewable-energy/public-benefits-of-renewable-power#bf-toc-3