Future: Renewable Energy

In Many countries, energy suppliers are required to disclose the sources of the energy they generate, and more and more suppliers are offering 100% renewable energy options.

Before the COVID pandemic, millions of young people took to the streets to force decision-makers to understand the climate crisis we are facing.

Nearly 200 signatory countries pledged to reduce their emissions so that the average temperature of the planet at the end of the current century remains “well below” 2 °C, the limit above which climate change will have more catastrophic effects. The aim is to try to keep it to 1.5 °C.

Air and water pollution can affect overall air quality. Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources helps reduce harmful emissions to improve air and water quality, which can improve public health and lower overall healthcare costs.
Coal, natural gas and oil reserves are finite and hidden. An unknown and limited amount of each resource is buried deep underground or under the ocean.

Finding new sources is more difficult and more expensive, and exploiting them becomes more challenging and sometimes dangerous as well.

Today, the world still heavily relies on fossil fuels and even continues subsidising them. Meanwhile, the pollution they cause – from climate-damaging greenhouse gases to health-endangering particles – has reached record levels.
Marginal reserves, such as oil sands, require the burning of huge amounts of natural gas to refine them into usable oil. Drilling under the ocean floor can lead to catastrophic accidents, such as the British Petroleum oil spill of 2010 .

According to the IEA, world electricity demand will have increased by 70% by 2040 - its share of final energy use rising from 18 to 24% during the same period – driven mainly by the emerging economies of India, China, Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia.

Clean energy development is vital for fighting climate change and limiting its most devastating effects.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), doubling the renewable energy share in electricity generation to 57 % worldwide by 2030 will be necessary for meeting the Paris Agreement targets.
Dependence on fossil fuel imports results in subordination to the economic and political short-term goals of the supplier country, which can compromise the security of energy supply.

The main renewable technologies such as wind and solar photovoltaic are drastically reducing their costs, such that they are the most economically efficient way to generate electricity in a growing number of markets. Economies of scale and innovation are already resulting in renewable energies becoming the most sustainable solution, not only environmentally but also economically, for powering the world.

Compared to conventional energy sources such as coal, gas, oil and nuclear - reserves of which are finite - clean energies are just as available as the sun from which they originate and adapt to natural cycles, hence their name “renewables”. Which keeps the new generation life safe and without risks.
Renewable energy will not run out. Ever. Other sources of energy are finite and will some day be depleted.

For example, Solar energy does not emit toxic substances or contaminants into the air, which can be very damaging to the environment and to human beings.
Unlike fossil fuels and nuclear power plants, wind energy has one of the lowest water-consumption footprints, which makes it a key for conserving hydrological resources.

Key benefits of renewable energy for people and the planet:

• Renewable energy comes with low costs. That’s good for keeping energy prices at affordable levels.
• Renewable energy emits no or low greenhouse gases. That’s good for the climate.
• Renewable energy makes the energy system resilient. That’s important to prevent power shortages.
• Renewable energy creates jobs. That’s good for the local community.
• Renewable energy emits no or low air pollutants. That’s better for our health.
• Renewable energy is accessible to all. That’s good for development.
• Renewable energy is democratic. That’s good for acceptance.