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Climate change is natural. Over millennia, natural effects cause the atmosphere to warm and cool in cycles. The primary cause of warming over the last two hundred years is the increase in the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is tied to the advent of the industrial age and how we obtain the energy required to run its machines. Carbon dioxide is the gaseous form of carbon emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. Worldwide, emissions of carbon dioxide rose from near zero in 1800 to 6.4 gigatons per year (GtC) in 2000 and is projected to triple to 19.6 GtC in 2100 (Jaccard 51). Greenhouse gases inhibit the natural ability of earth to lose heat in the form of infrared radiation (UCMP, para 1). The most noticeable effects are the gradual increase in global air temperature causing the loss of surface ice and the resulting sea level rise. Human activities that depend on land near sea level are being affected. As these lands are submerged by the rising oceans, population centers must either build levies or relocate. This will put pressure on lands presently used for food production and rural populations. The effects on social and political stability can only be guessed. Another likely concern that may affect global warming in a major way is methane hydrate. This is a naturally occurring chemical formed by the bacterial decay of organic matter or leaked from underlying oil and natural gas deposits (U.S. D.O.E., ''Methane Hydrate'' para. 1). It is impounded within permafrost and under the sea in solid form if it is kept cold. As our climate warms, it is released as lighter than air methane, which is a much more efficient carbon-based greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Forecasts indicate that global warming will increase if we allow more greenhouse gases to be added to the atmosphere. If we are to prevent intolerable global warming caused by our use of fossil fuels to generate electric power, we must replace fossil fuels and find other cleaner sources of energy (NASA, para. 2). Unexpected natural events could occur that would affect the normal cyclic changes in global air temperature, such as volcanoes. Only time will tell.
We have been told our entire lives that our supply of fossil fuels, the primary source of greenhouse gases, is limited. Oil is projected to last until 2052, gas until 2060, and coal until 2090 (Kuo, fig. 1). Science is constantly seeking better options to replace fossil fuels to supply our energy, and there are better and safer sources to evaluate. Nuclear fission has been in use to generate electricity since the 1950s. Nuclear power has had a troubled history and when problems occur, we hear about it. The U.S. D.O.E. does not popularize problems at nuclear power plants. However, ''Globally, there have been at least ninety-nine documented civilian and military nuclear powerplant accidents from 1952 to 2009'' (Wikipedia, para. 3). Nuclear power is expensive, high maintenance, can be very dangerous, produces hazardous byproducts that must be monitored for generations, and Wikipedia identifies them as attractive targets for terrorists. Nuclear fusion is being investigated and could become an excellent source of clean and safe energy. However, it is only in its infancy. The U.S. D.O.E., Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (n.d.), provides data on our use of renewable energy use saying that wind supplied 9.2 % of our electricity in 2021. Wind power is clean, producing no damaging byproducts. However, they do produce annoying noise and flickering shadows if you live next to one. They do need wind to work, but there is usually a breeze available. The major downside of wind power is that it requires maintenance, repair, and eventually replacement. Hydro power presently provides 6.3% of our electricity and has been in use for centuries. Dams are unpopular with environmentalists because of the negative effects on spawning fish, the loss of recreational river use and the degradation of nature's beauty. As dams age, they require maintenance and become a danger to populations downstream. Many dams are being removed to return rivers to their natural state. Geothermal is a good option and supplies a small amount of energy, 0.4%, which is useful depending on location. It too has moving parts and requires maintenance. That leaves the sun as the other popular clean energy source, and is presently providing 2.8% of our needs, either to heat water or to energize solar panels. Absorption of the sun’s radiation to heat water and make steam is being used but not in the amount to meet our needs. Solar hot water requires pumps that need maintenance. Solar panels produce electricity passively, without moving parts, and have been shown to silently provide dependable, economical, clean, and safe power, while requiring almost no maintenance and lasting a long time (Howell, summary). A very effective way to reduce the use of fossil fuels would be to reduce the amount of electricity we use. Energy conservation is the most effective way to prevent damaging the environment as it requires no resources.
Solar panels can produce the electric power we need and could eventually eliminate our dependence on carbon-based fuels. Energy Sage (2016) provides data, saying that the cost of solar panels has dropped over the years. The cost per watt in 1956 was $300, dropping to $100 in 1975, and to $0.50 today, and costs are forecast to continue dropping at least ten percent per year. The solar panel energy conversion efficiency has increased from 8% in 1957 to 35% in 2016. Solar panels have a low rate of degradation. The life span of new solar panels is claimed to be twenty-five to forty years as stated in the manufacturer's warrantees. The annual degradation rate is between 0.25% and 1.5% based on panels that are in use now. These numbers are steadily getting better. Solar panels supply power where the grid is not available. When connected to the grid, excess electricity can be sold. An area that needs improvement is storage of excess energy to provide electricity at night and other periods of demand. Examples include developing safer batteries, using daytime energy to elevate water to be used for hydropower at other times, and other innovative energy storage methods yet to be developed. There are several great choices available now to provide clean energy, but the option with the best specifications is solar panels.
Financing solar panel installations is a major factor affecting the timely advancement of solar panel use and the federal government is providing incentives for this purpose. ''President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law on Tuesday, August 16, 2022'' (U.S. D.O.E., Solar Energy Technologies Office, para 1). A tax credit of 30% is provided for solar installations between 2022-2032 including new energy storage devices and installation costs. This means that if a person buys and installs a solar panel system including batteries, wiring and the cost of installation for $20,000, they can subtract 30% of that, or $6,000 from their federal taxes due. Beyond that, this person will reduce their electric bill, maybe even sell some excess electricity he produced to the grid with net-metering and be helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. States and other solar initiative programs may offer additional financial assistance. That is where the government comes in. The Federal government is so much bigger than one person, physically and financially, that they can have the positive effect needed.
There are views, and possible events that may make solar panels less attractive. Other, even better options may come along. A breakthrough in the development of nuclear fusion could make that a superior choice. Methods of capturing carbon and other emissions from fossil fuel use may be developed that will allow the continued use of these fuels without further harm to the atmosphere. The present political situation in our country is causing delays in the advancement of clean energy generation. Democratic Presidents Obama and Biden have both put in place aggressive programs to fund clean energy generation. However, Republican president Trump and many Republicans in Congress are doing their best to reverse or stop these programs for no apparent reason other than to displease Democrats (Karaim 13). Geopolitical unrest could really upset the stability of our future. Historically, wars have a way of overriding plans and wasting money on destruction. Case in point is Putin's war in Ukraine. Actions like this require money that could be better used to address climate issues. There is seldom strong support to address a problem when that problem has not actually occurred yet. Until we accept that the world is entering an era of global warming, and that all humanity could be in jeopardy, we will likely avoid acting on it and fail to come together and address the problem until it is more serious. Scientists freely admit that they do not fully understand the cause and effect of global warming and there is a chance that it may already be too late to do anything to stop the atmosphere from overheating and making our planet uninhabitable (Buis, para. 1). If so, I hope someone gets to write about it.
We have shown that our use of fossil fuels is harming the atmosphere and is increasing its temperature to potentially intolerable levels. This could affect all life on earth in disastrous ways. We have shown that solar panel technology is the best available means to address this problem. To protect our future, we need to accelerate the production and installation of solar panels and expeditiously replace our dependency on fossil fuels for electric energy production. With financial help provided by available federal tax incentives, and from other sources, you, as an individual, can do your part by installing solar panels to generate electric power. Doing this will reduce, and possibly someday eliminate, our use of fossil fuels while at the same time saving you money on your electric bill. Taking this action would be a win-win for us all.
Begos, Kevin. “Should Consumers Pay Extra to Go Off the Grid?” Solar Energy Controversies, vol. 26, no. 17, 29 Apr. 2016, library-cqpress-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2016042900&type=hitlist&num=0.
Buis, Alen “Too Hot to Handle: How Climate Change May Make Some Places Too Hot to Live.”, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 3 Mar. 2022, www.climate.nasa.gov/ask-nasa-climate/3151/too-hot-to-handle-how-climate-change-may-make-some-places-too-hot-to-live/.
Energy Sage. "The History of Solar Energy." Achievements in solar conversion efficiency, Oct. 2016, news.energysage.com/the-history-and-invention-of-solar-panel-technology/.
Howell, Beth “The Pros and Cons of Solar Panels.” The Ecoexperts, reviewed by Chris Roberts, 4 Jan. 2023, summary, www.theecoexperts.co.uk/solar-panels/pros-and-cons#.
Jaccard, Mark. “Sustainable Fossil Fuels : The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy.” Cambridge University Press, e-book, 2005, p. 51, eds-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE0OTg2OV9fQU41?sid=fe9b7bad-f9a8-484d-ac12-2c6ac6b1175e@redis&vid=0&format=EB&rid=1.
Karem, Reed. "Is Biden's Aggressive Agenda Feasible." Clean Energy Transition, PDF ed., 12 Nov. 2021, p 13, library-cqpress-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2021111200.
Kuo, Gioietta. "When Fossil Fuels Run Out, What Then?" Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere (MAHB), 23 May 2019, mahb.stanford.edu/library-item/fossil-fuels-run/#disqus_thread.
UCMP University of California Museum of Paleontology “Greenhouse Effect” Understanding Global Change, 2023, ugc.berkeley.edu/background-content/greenhouse-effect/.
NASA “What is the Greenhouse Effect?” Earth Science Communications Team, 25 Jan. 2023, www. climate.nasa.gov/faq/19/what-is-the-greenhouse-effect/.
U.S. D.O.E. "Clean Energy." n.d., www.energy.gov/clean-energy
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U.S. D.O.E. "Photovoltaics." Solar Energy Technologies Office, n.d., www.energy.gov/eere/solar/photovoltaics.
U.S. D.O.E. “Renewable Energy | Renewable Energy in the United States.” Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, www.energy.gov/eere/renewable-energy.
U.S. D.O.E. “Solar Investment Tax Credit: What Changed?” Solar Energy Technologies Office, 8 Aug. 2022, www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/solar-investment-tax-cre-what-changed.
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