The Need for Alternative Energy
Over the past 20 years, the United States has worked toward its initiative to reduce CO2 emissions per capita, but there is much more its citizens, as consumers, can do to improve the outcome of this objective. According to Ritchie (2021), Per Capita, the U.S.’s CO2 emissions have declined from 20 trillion CO2 emissions per capita to 16 trillion in the past 15 years; yet, for example, China has steadily increased its CO2 emissions to 7 trillion. With the United States’ decline, it is behind China in CO2 emissions per capita by 9 trillion. (China’s current CO2 emissions are 7 trillion per capita.) This has been an issue since the early 1900s and peaked in 1973 at a whopping 22 trillion CO2 emissions in the United States. To combat this issue, the United States must make the switch from fossil fuels to clean energy, whether by using more hydrogen fuel cells, solar power, or nuclear power.
Who does this affect?
No one is exempt from the effects of this issue. Climate change is directly correlated to CO2 emissions and climate change is seen everywhere in the world. Air pollution is also caused by a failure to use clean renewable energy. Pollution affects the quality of life for many across the globe. One way that quality of life is affected is in the air quality. The article “Carbon Dioxide” (2021) explains that with the CO2 emissions so high, there is a correlation to more people developing health problems that include challenges with simply breathing. Breathing becomes more and more difficult as more CO2 is dispersed into the air. This affects at-risk individuals with underlying health conditions and those of older age the most. Another way this affects the quality of life is through increased exposure and encounters with solar rays, which are caused by the depletion of the ozone. However, according to the article “What are the long-term effects of climate change?” (2020), the long-term effects that emissions will have on the environment and the ozone layer are devastating.
Why is this a problem?
This is an issue because people use fossil fuels to run just about everything, from appliances to vehicles to buildings and infrastructure. Citizens use fossil fuels to power their homes, cars, and technology. All of this has long-term side effects. These long-term effects include rising sea levels due to ice caps melting; unstable temperatures currently being seen in the midwest with consistent below 0 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures; and, of course, climate change causing increased solar rays which can lead to sunburns, and worse - skin cancers. By using fossil fuels, we are exposing ourselves to the possibilities of oil spills and injuries due to coal mining. With the switch to renewable and clean energy, the country exposes itself to a much lower chance of working injuries, and no chance at having oil spills that destroy ecosystems. It’s healthier for the population, and healthier for our Earth.
Who is addressing the problem today?
Some companies addressing this issue include Tesla, Plug Power, and Blink Charging. Tesla is a luxury electric vehicle company. Its electric cars create no emissions, and as a company, it has pledged to stay carbon negative, which means planting trees for each of its carbon creations and more. This company was the first to break into the EV industry and has set expectations for the future of cars which will hopefully be a start for the United States to decrease travel emissions.
According to Plug Power’s website, it is a company that focuses on building a clean hydrogen economy. Recently, Plug has been in the news due to its latest and impressive initiative with Renault Energy to provide energy with hydrogen fuel cells throughout Korea. Hydrogen fuel cells do not emit Greenhouse Gasses (fossil fuels do) which is one of the pollutants that cause depletion of the ozone. Greenhouse Gasses are gasses that trap heat in the atmosphere, allowing for the sun’s rays to pass through the atmosphere but not allowing for the heat to escape, causing the earth’s climate to rise and for the ice caps to melt.
Blink Charging’s website explains that it looks to replace gas stations with electric vehicle charging stations. EV travel per mile is much less expensive than traveling with a gas-powered vehicle. With no need for oil changes or engines to manage/maintain, EV costs are approximately ⅓ of the costs of a gas car per year to maintain. Blink has not only been able to expand their charging stations throughout the United States, but they have been able to expand to other nations as well. Just recently Blink was in the news for expanding their chargers to the Caribbean and South America.
As a country, the United States has renewed its efforts to combat past emissions battles by recently rejoining the Paris Agreement. According to the United Nations Climate Change article “The Paris Agreement (2021),” it is a movement with 189 countries with the stated goal to “limit global warming by reaching a climate-neutral world by mid-century.” This agreement allows countries to communicate and cooperate at large against climate change. It also allows for countries to help each other and keep each other in check regarding Greenhouse Gas emissions.
What can the U.S. do now?
After looking at the data of CO2 emissions per capita listed above, it seems as though the United States implementations of emissions control are working, but if it was to switch to mainly clean/renewable energy, it could see its CO2 emissions drop with positive environmental consequences and results that would benefit the country and the world. In order to do this, the United States must first begin the switch to electric vehicles. From there, the United states should expand their power sources to renewable energy and or nuclear energy. These sources of power will directly affect the ozone layer, put a stop to climate change, and help improve human’s quality of life.
Sources
Blink Charging. (n.d.). blinkcharging.com
Building the Clean Hydrogen Economy. (n.d.). Plug Power. plugpower.com
Carbon Dioxide. (2021, January 29). Wisconsin Department of Health Services. https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/chemical/carbondioxide.htm#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20CO2%20can%20produce,coma%2C%20asphyxia%2C%20and%20convulsions.
The Paris Agreement. (n.d.). United Nations Climate Change. https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
Ritchie, H. (n.d.). China: CO2 Country Profile. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/co2/country/china?country=CHN~USA
Sen, D. (n.d.). Hydrogen Fuel vs. Fossil Fuel. Sciencing. https://sciencing.com/facts-5958589-hydrogen-fuel-vs--fossil-fuel.html
Tesla. (n.d.). tesla.com
What are the long-term effects of climate change? (n.d.). USGS. https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-long-term-effects-climate-change-1?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products