Question

GREEN NEW DEAL

1.This deal states that we need to be net-zero global emissions by 2050. You saw a graphic on class Monday, showing how the U.S. could be 100% renewable by 2050. What is the biggest challenge you see to applying this on a global scale?

2.. I read Fox News’ assessment of the Green New Deal. They said if we make the switch to 100% renewables, it would result in the BIRD-pocylypse: “untold millions of birds being slaughtered by Democrats’ supposedly ‘environmentally friendly’ green energy sources, including wind farms and solar energy facilities.” Do you agree or disagree with this retort? Explain your position here

3.. The latest science says we have just 12 years to complete the energy and economic overhaul necessary to limit warming to a manageable level and avoid the worst consequences. These are HUGE goals, perhaps not accomplishable in our lifetimes, BUT we can take baby steps, right? Which “baby step” do you think should be addressed first – and how?

Answer 1

1.         As renewable energy policies, markets and industries develop, they increasingly face new challenges, which are multifaceted and highly complex. The fact that significant reserves of fossil fuels are still available impedes the willingness to give sufficient importance to the renewables. Fossil fuels receive six times more in subsidies than renewable energy sources. In their competition with mature fossil fuel and nuclear technologies, renewables encounter major challenges to commercialisation, including underdeveloped infrastructure and lack of economies of scale. Additionally, the integration and combination of different energy sources from a market, policy and technical perspectives are becoming more challenging and requiring capacity building. The success of deploying new technologies depends on the ability to build, monitor and maintain energy infrastructure, as well train scientists, decision-makers and manufacturers at domestic and global levels.

            For developing countries, especially, costs and the lack of sound policies are some of the main barriers. Start-up expenditures, the lack of approaches to balance price disparities between renewables and fossil fuels, and overarching structural obstacles, such as the centralised nature of the energy industry, impede support and implementation of new initiatives, deter investment in renewables and frustrate more localised approaches to energy access. Notably, the introduction of renewables presents an issue of inequality. The problem is that the rate of technology diffusion, the availability of financing and policy implementation are uneven within and across countries’ national boundaries. And while renewable energy is one of the world’s fastest-growing energy sources now, increasing by 2.5 per cent per year, it has not been sufficient to keep pace with the consequences of rapid growth in demand for energy.

            Employing renewable energy thus faces a range of economic, policy, structural and social challenges, requiring not only further technological development and investment but also a deeper understanding of both the success factors and the obstacles to accomplish widespread adoption.

2.         A new report from the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), more familiar for its critical views on climate change, reviews the impact of wind turbines on the environment and finds that they are “doing great harm to wildlife”. The GWPF says it “does not have a position on wind energy or renewable energy. We neither oppose nor promote it. However, we are in favour of weighing up the pros and cons. Any form of energy production, whether conventional or renewable, has its costs and benefits, and many environmental problems come with every form of energy generation.”

            That seems reasonable enough, and the report does include some interesting material. However, the neutral stance might be seen as being abandoned in its second report, looking at renewables generally, under the title “Green Killing Machines”, which pretty much damns them all, including wind turbines.

            In the first, more circumspect, report, The Impact of Wind Energy on Wildlife and the Environment, there are contributions from researchers and campaigners focusing on bird and bat impacts, mostly in Germany. It does present some worrying conclusions. For example, Oliver Krüger from the University of Bielefeld describes his research, which concludes that birds of prey and ducks are being killed “in their thousands”. The GWPF says “the risk to these species is so great that there is a possibility of whole populations being wiped out”. It also notes that, according to Peter Henderson of Pisces Conservation, UK, “about 200,000 bats are annually killed at onshore wind turbines in Germany alone. These numbers are sufficient to produce concern for future populations, as bats are long-lived and reproduce slowly, so cannot quickly replace such losses”.

Is it really that bad?

            It is true that in the early days of wind energy there were examples of massive impacts on birds at some sites, with some wind farms being poorly sited on bird migration routes, e.g. in southern Spain and in California. But now siting is better and, in some cases, operations are adjusted to avoid nesting periods. That’s not to say collisions don’t happen.

            Surprisingly, what stands out from the coverage in the first GWPF report is the relatively low level of bird strikes detected in some of the studies. Oliver Krüger, who was involved with the PROGRESS study of land-based wind turbine impacts on birds in northern Germany, notes that “after walking nearly 7700 kilometres we found 291 collision victims, a rather small number. However, as you know, this is almost certainly just a fraction of the true death toll and so we have to extrapolate”.

            After doing that (e.g. taking account of the likelihood that some carcasses are removed by carrion-eaters), the team estimated a median collision rate of 0.47 buzzards or 0.14 red kites per wind turbine per annum. “Now you may be thinking that is nothing, but of course we have to recall that there are many wind turbines,” Krüger says. Grossing up, it was concluded that, while for areas with large and growing bird populations, the impact might result in numbers stabilizing, for areas with small or falling populations “the most likely scenario is that wind turbines will have a population-relevant effect on the buzzard and the red kite”.

            Another study covered in the GWPF report looked at forest wind farm sites in Germany and noted that they “can become the only hunting grounds in the open country that are accessible – and thus preferred – to red kites”. The German Wildlife Foundation has called for a moratorium on new wind turbines in forests, to allow for a fuller assessment.

            As noted above, there are also problems with bats. The report noted that about 10-12 bats annually are killed at each onshore wind turbine in Germany, and there are serious impacts on their habitat. It’s been argued that wind turbines should not be installed in all types of forest or within a 200 m radius of bat roosts. That sounds sensible, and there are also other measures that can help with this, and with bird impacts.

What can be done?

            No-one wants to kill birds, apart from cats, which dispatch up to 3.4 billion a year in the US alone, according to one study. That does not justify killing any more. Same for bats. So countermeasures are important. They include revised operating regimes and acoustic scarers. And some other clever new ideas are emerging. Repowering with bigger turbines might also help significantly — the rotation speed is lower, so presenting less risk of collision and damage.

3. Alternative Energy Sources

            The hazards caused by global warming are tremendous. Excessive use of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil play a part in it too. The usage of fossil fuels should be discontinued immediately. The most significant solution to put an end to this disaster is the use of alternative energy sources. They include wind, solar, bio mass, geothermal and hydro. The most noteworthy point in using these sources is their clean nature. They do not produce any sort of pollution or toxic gases that can lead to global warming. They are environmentally friendly and pose no threat to ecological balance. However, their high installation and setup costs may drive energy companies away from them at first but in the long run they are surely beneficial for everyone. Most importantly, fossil fuels will deplete one day and sooner or later, we have to turn to renewable energy sources for energy production. Thus, the eventual solution to end global warming is to use alternative energy sources. To counteract the medical hazards of global warming, it is essential to turn to renewable energy sources. Public, in general, should be responsible about their decisions on energy conservation methods. This will ensure a healthy atmosphere and stable climate for our future generations. Governments should devise and pass policies which encourage the energy companies and people, in general, to use renewable energy instead of conventional energy, Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) should distribute pamphlets to people motivating them to use alternative sources of energy and discourage them from using fossil fuels. They should also explain to them the hazards which the usage of fossil fuels will cause. Many developed countries are already generating huge amounts of power using renewables. These countries should extend their helping hand to developing countries to combat the evil of global warming collectively. Using renewable energy is the most effective way to curtain the emission of gases which play a major role in global warming.

Other Solutions:

As elaborated earlier, toxic emissions are a major cause of global warming, A likely solution to reduce harmful emissions is to cut the usage of vehicles which produce them. This has not been met with much success as many people refuse to cut down their practice of using cars. No doubt, some people have started to use bicycles and public transport, whereas some other prefer to walk but these numbers are relatively small. It should be noted that fuel economy and emission rates are chief factors to consider regarding the car choice. Hybrid cars have higher efficiency and lower emission rates. Keeping the tires inflated will help improve mileage and air filters should be frequently replaced to cut down harmful emissions. People should share the ride with friends or co-workers to reduce the total number of vehicles on the road. Print and social media can play an effective role in curbing the problem. It should use the philosophy of automobile advertisements to encourage drivers to conserve energy and reduce pollution. Awareness campaigns can be started using placards, posters and logos. They are a very useful way to demonstrate that global warming is not good for the planet. Recycling is also a good way to reduce global warming. People should use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Quality products should be bought that have a long life. Shopping should be done from local markets which reduce transportation. Even small individual efforts like lowering the thermostats in winter and using compact fluorescent lamps instead of incandescent lamps can aid to address the issue of global warming. Reforestation schemes must be started to grow a large number of trees. Forest degradation and deforestation must be discouraged at government level. Nuclear power is also a possible solution as this power results in fewer emissions but this method should be used with care as it can lead to severe accidents therefore, the major hurdle is to overcome the security, propagation, waste disposal and high costs of nuclear power if this method has to be made practical.

            The scientific and environmental community is on the same page regarding the bitter reality of global warming and the involvement of human factor in it. The paper discussed here has only dented the surface of what is a very intricate line of scientific and engineering exploration. Global warming is a big hazard and appropriate measures must be taken to tackle this serious problem. This problem is not only causing trouble to the human beings but also to animals and plants. Melting of polar ice caps will lead to floods which can cause mayhem everywhere. Rise of sea levels will devastate agricultural and fishing activities. To embark upon these problems, some remedial steps must be timely taken which include but are not limited to the use of renewable sources of energy and stopping deforestation. Innovative solutions must be brought forward to end this hazard once and forever.