Programme Officer, IUCN Energy and Biodiversity Initiative.
Climate change. Energy security. Peak oil. We are hearing these terms more and more in the news. But what do they mean? How are they linked? How will our access to energy change in the future as a result? And how will our daily lives be affected?
We need energy for practically everything we do—cooking food, heating and lighting our homes and offices, travelling for work and pleasure, and powering telecommunications and industry.
A bit of history
From using coal in the late 18th century to power the Industrial Revolution and the widespread use of oil from the mid-19th century, societies have been built on access to seemingly cheap fossil fuels.
However, we are paying a price. Burning fossil fuels emits vast amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. More than two-thirds of all greenhouse gas emissions come from energy sources.
Sources of Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Earth Trends 2008
Harmful practices
At the same time, almost half of the world’s population depends on burning traditional forms of biomass such as wood, charcoal and animal dung for their energy. The smoke in particular is harmful to people’s health. Women and children especially also spend a large part of their day collecting fuel – time that could be spent at school or earning money.
Access to fossil fuel reserves is becomingly more difficult and expensive, leading to fluctuating but increasing energy prices. And global energy demand is set to double by 2030. All these factors are leading societies around the world to reassess their energy options. Many are looking towards renewable energy options such as hydro, geothermal, solar, wind, wave and tidal power.
Where are we going?
It is not possible to supply all of the world’s energy needs from just one source. A diverse energy mix is required to meet global demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While the use of coal and oil is not going to stop overnight, more investment needs to be made in renewable energy sources: hydropower, wind (both offshore and onshore), geothermal, wave and tidal, solar as well as advanced use of crops, grasses and wood for electricity generation and transport fuels. Currently renewables are only predicted to represent 13% of all energy demand by 2030, which is the same as 2006, though the total amount will increase.
What are the best options?
However, all energy options can have negative effects on both the environment and people. These impacts must be properly managed to avoid creating further problems or reducing the other benefits that we gain from nature, water flows for fisheries and biomass production for food.
Even environmental groups do not all agree on the best way to avoid climate change, or on the most appropriate energy options - each one carries its own set of challenges. For example, the development of wind farms as a ‘clean’ energy source is causing problems for birds and bats. It is not easy to decide whether limiting climate change is more important than conserving nature, given that climate change is one of the biggest threats to nature.
Obama’s proposals
With limited financing, especially in the current economic crisis, it is essential that money is invested now into energy options that will be beneficial. Not just over the next decade, but in the long term such as those being currently proposed by President Barack Obama in his Green Economy plans.
The best options are those that are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. Decisions on which option to choose—whether it is biofuel, local hydropower, solar power or wind—should be based on a full understanding of the advantages and disadvantages For more information take a look at the IUCN ecosystems and energy paper. In the video, I explore the energy options in Geneva where I live and the measures that have been put in place to reduce their environmental impact.
Changing lifestyles
In addition to investing in greener energy sources, we also need to change the way we use energy. This not only links to if and how we drive to work, but also our use of water (especially hot water), how much waste we generate, and the types of food we consume – they all require energy.
One option that has only positive effects for the environment and people (and even our bank accounts!) is increasing energy efficiency and reducing our use of it. This is one area in which we can all make a contribution to reducing emissions and reducing our collective impact on the environment. Take a look at the "Did you know that" box to the right.
|
|
|
|
RSS Feed