Global warming implies an increase of the average temperature on the Earth. Such heating up is associated with human economic activity. Now, the humanity knows precisely which types of activity provoke the tremendous growth in the average temperature on the planet. The leading causes of global warming are vehicles, mining tools, and, in general, the burning of hydrocarbons. Scientists can predict how current events on the Earth will affect the future climate of the planet. Having this information makes it possible to slow down the global warming process as much as possible.
However, the desired does not always coincide with the actual. Large corporations have their own capitalist goals; these corporations do not care about the need to take measures to reduce their carbon footprint. The state policy of the countries is aimed at a constant increase in GDP, and ongoing environmental initiatives are often ignored. Nevertheless, it is necessary to finally pay attention to the emerging environmental crisis, associated mainly with carbon dioxide emissions, and begin to take active measures to prevent global warming. In the fight against the looming threat of an ever-increasing acceleration of the temperature rise on the planet, it will be necessary to have international cooperation between countries.
How we have treated the Earth’s resources in the past and how we treat them now will ultimately determine the quality of life for future generations. The industrial revolution had the most significant impact on the living conditions of our ancestors. As a result of the industrial factories’ activity at the beginning of the twentieth century, there was severe pollution of the soil and air of the entire planet. Since the start of the industrial revolution, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has grown steadily. The fossil fuel energy industry is responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, a plan to phase out the use of fossil fuels is required.
In the study on the use of fossil fuels in the United States, the authors note three principles that would allow the most rapid wind down fossil fuel production. These include reducing fossil fuel production at a rate compatible with climate protection, accelerating phase-out where the economies are the most resilient, and protecting human rights, cultural resources, and the local environment (Koski et al. 8-9). The principles developed in the study are supported by compelling evidence. Therefore, the use of such an effective strategy in the United States can become a positive example for other countries fighting against global warming.
Humanity has many alternative technologies that could slow the rise in the average temperature on the Earth. These technologies include the use of electric vehicles because, at the moment, modern cars are known to significantly pollute the surrounding air and leave a huge carbon footprint. This state of affairs must be changed, which requires the rapid and effective introduction of electric vehicles into most people’s lives.
Although, as noted in the article by Greene and Erickson, “it takes decades to overcome the market’s aversion to risk,” “every electric vehicle sold today is another small step toward a sustainable global energy system (Greene and Erickson 12-13). Thus, despite the possible economic difficulties that await manufacturers of electric vehicles, in the future, such a transition will not only be justified entirely from an environmental point of view but also help companies producing such cars extract extra profits. In this way, the producers’ goals will be satisfied as well as the ecological needs of the population.
Since, as indicated earlier, the emission of greenhouse gases contributes to the acceleration of the global warming process, humanity needs to pay attention to alternative energy sources to solve this problem. Solar energy is one of the available energy sources that has fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Among the advantages of solar energy there is a possibility of its widespread use and minimal impact on the environment. As Blakers notes, the solar system does not emit greenhouse gases during operation and practically does not pollute the environment, and does not create noise (Blakers 327-328). About three-quarters of all anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions over the past 20 years have resulted from the extraction and combustion of oil, natural gas, and coal. The coal and oil industries no longer meet the modern needs of humankind in terms of their environmental friendliness. These circumstances make it possible to conclude that the transition to solar energy is an excellent solution in the fight against global warming.
The current state of the environment requires humanity to take concrete actions to solve the environmental problems that have arisen, among which the most pressing is the problem of global warming. Even though there is a gradual transformation of most sectors of the economy towards their environmental friendliness, it is necessary to introduce strategies that would allow achieving the fastest result. The transition to solar power plants and the replacement of conventional cars with electric vehicles were identified among the ways to solve the global warming problem in this research.
References
Blakers, Andrew. Learning from Fukushima: Nuclear Power in East Asia. Edited by Peter Van Ness and Mel Gurtov, ANU Press, 2017.
Greene, David L., and Larry E. Erickson. “Electric Vehicle Prospects.” Issues in Science and Technology, vol. 33, no. 3, 2017, pp. 12–14. Web.
Koski, Jessica, et al. Principles to Guide a U.S. Fossil Fuel Wind–Down. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019, pp. 8–9.