http://www.globalissues.

org/article/231/climate-justice-and-equity

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/168/environmental-issues

http://www.iisd.org/sd/

The Importance Of Renewable Energy Resources

The modern lifestyle depends tremendously on the use and existence of fossil fuels. With
levels of these fuels constantly decreasing, we should act now to become less dependant on
fossil fuels and more dependent on renewable energy sources.

The decreasing levels of fossil fuels isn't the only reason why we should begin to use
renewable energy. Pollution is becoming a huge problem in many countries around the
world, especially the developing world. With carbon emissions at an all time high, air quality
can be very low in some areas, this can lead to respiratory diseases and cancer.

The main reason to switch to cleaner energy production methods is the global warming
aspect. The more carbon dioxide we pump into the atmosphere, the greater the effect
becomes. We can't just stop using fossil fuels thinking that global warming will go away, but
we can slow down and dilute the effects of global warming through the wide spread use of
renewable energy resources.

There are many natural energy sources out there, but you have to decide which method is
best for you, as all of these sources depend on your current environment.

The installation of a solar panel or a wind turbine to boost every homes power supply would
be an amazing step forward. Some governments are in the process of supplying solar
panels to hundreds of households to test this method of energy saving. Natural resource that is
replaced by natural processes in a reasonable amount of time. Soil, water, forests, plants, and animals are all
renewable resources as long as they are properly conserved. Solar, wind, wave, and geothermal energies are based
on renewable resources. 

A technology set to be very important in the future is geothermal energy. With geothermal

energy, you are able to extract heat from within the earth and transform it either into a hot
water system, or if there is plenty of this energy, a geothermal power plant. Huge amounts
of money have been flowed into research of this method, especially in recent years, in order
to make the current technology more effective.

So there we have the reasons why we should turn to renewable energy resources which are
more than likely to play a very vital and important role in our future society.
Natural & Renewable Energy Sources

The use of natural energy sources to provide heating and electricity is rapidly increasing in popularity
among homeowners.

The increasing use of natural and renewable energy sources is needed to help take the burden off our
current dependency on fossil fuels. The significantly high level of fossil fuel products burnt each and every
day is polluting of the air and surrounding environments and may also be contributing to climate change.

By making the switch to natural and renewable energy sources, you will be doing your part in helping to
improve the quality of the environment and the air we breathe. Although many other issues need to be
addressed, making the switch is a large step forward in the fight for a cleaner environment.

With increasing evidence suggesting the burning of fossil fuels is contributing towards climate change,
now is the time to switch to alternative means of generating energy.

Clean Energy Ideas was launched in 2007 in an attempt to try and educate visitors to the importance of
the use of renewable energy sources. You will find lots of educational material throughout the website,
and much of this information relates to how you can get involved in energy conservation and producing
your very own natural energy.

The many different natural and renewable energy technologies highlighted throughout the website are by
no means breakthrough. Many of these renewable energy technologies have been around for years and
as time goes by are increasing in efficiency and benefiting from technological innovation.
Some Advantages & Disadvantages of Natural Energy
Sources

Below are just a handful of the many advantages relating to the use of natural and renewable energy
sources:

 The sun, wind, tides, and geothermal activity are all renewable.
 After the initial cost of; solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal energy systems, the only cost
to the consumer relates to any required maintenance. You could even sell excess electricity back
to your national grid.
 No more price rises from gas, energy or electricity companies. You could be fully carbon neutral,
eliminating your dependency on the remaining reserves of fossil fuels.
 Use as much or as little of the renewable electricity you're able to generate without feeling guilty
for any wastage.
 By switching to the use of renewable energy sources we're able to make the remaining oil, gas
and coal supplies last longer.
 Government grants may be available for some natural energy projects depending on your
location.

Below, you can see a selection of the disadvantages relating to the use of clean energy sources as an
alternative to fossil fuels:

 The initial cost of renewable energy systems can be expensive.

 It can be very difficult to switch your current energy or power supply to the use of renewable
energy, but you could get close with a realistic budget and the implementation of different
renewable energy technologies such as a wind turbine and solar panel combination.

Reducing the Effects OF Global Warming

There are many other steps you can take to reduce the effects of global warming which are unrelated to
the use of natural energy sources. Many of these steps are easy, affordable and can start at home.
 Something as basic as regular recycling can have a significant impact on the
environment whilst saving energy during the manufacture of new products.

Carbon emissions are a direct result of not only heavy industry and transport but also the average
household. Energy efficiency and conservation is a key aspect in reducing the effects of global warming,
and there are steps that can be taken around the home to achieve this.

Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems
remain diverse and productive over time. Long-lived and healthywetlands and forests are examples of
sustainable biological systems. For humans, sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of
well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions.

Healthy ecosystems and environments provide vital goods and services to humans and other organisms.
There are two major ways of reducing negative human impact and enhancing ecosystem services. The
first is environmental management; this approach is based largely on information gained from earth
science, environmental science, and conservation biology. The second approach is management of
humanconsumption of resources, which is based largely on information gained fromeconomics.

sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently
quoted definition is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report:[1]

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:

 the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding
priority should be given; and

 the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment's ability to meet present and future needs."

(All definitions of sustainable development require that we see the world as a system—a system that
connects space; and a system that connects time.

When you think of the world as a system over space, you grow to understand that air pollution from
North America affects air quality in Asia, and that pesticides sprayed in Argentina could harm fish
stocks off the coast of Australia.
And when you think of the world as a system over time, you start to realize that the decisions our
grandparents made about how to farm the land continue to affect agricultural practice today; and the
economic policies we endorse today will have an impact on urban poverty when our children are
adults.

We also understand that quality of life is a system, too. It's good to be physically healthy, but what if
you are poor and don't have access to education? It's good to have a secure income, but what if the
air in your part of the world is unclean? And it's good to have freedom of religious expression, but
what if you can't feed your family?

The concept of sustainable development is rooted is this sort of systems thinking. It helps us
understand ourselves and our world. The problems we face are complex and serious—and we can't
address them in the same way we created them. But we can address them.

It's that basic optimism that motivates IISD's staff, associates and board to innovate for a healthy and
meaningful future for this planet and its inhabitants.)

The idea of sustainable development grew from numerous environmental movements in earlier decades.
Summits such as the Earth Summit in Rio, Brazil, 1992, were major international meetings to bring sustainable
development to the mainstream.

However, the record on moving towards sustainability so far appears to have been quite poor. The concept of
sustainability means many different things to different people, and a large part of humanity around the world
still live without access to basic necessities.

Non-renewable resource

Over 85% of the energy used in the world is from non-renewable supplies. 

A non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be produced, grown, generated, or used

on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate. These resources often exist in a fixed amount, or are
consumed much faster than nature can create them. Fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum and natural
gas) and nuclear power (uranium) are examples. In contrast, resources such as timber (when harvested
sustainably) or metals (which can berecycled) are considered renewable resources.[1]

Natural resources such as coal, petroleum, oil and natural gas take thousands of years to form naturally
and cannot be replaced as fast as they are being consumed. Eventually natural resources will become
too costly to harvest and humanity will need to find other sources of energy. At present, the main energy
sources used by humans are non-renewable as they are cheap to produce. Natural resources,
called renewable resources, are replaced by natural processes given a reasonable amount of time. Soil,
water, forests, plants, and animals are all renewable resources as long as they are properly conserved.
Solar, wind, wave, and geothermal energies are based on renewable resources. Renewable resources
such as the movement of water(hydropower, including tidal power; ocean surface waves used for wave
power), wind (used for wind power), geothermal heat (used for geothermal power); and radiant
energy (used for solar power) are practically infinite and cannot be depleted, unlike their non-renewable
counterparts, which are likely to run out if not used wisely. Still, these technologies are not fully utilized
but are still being researched. Although water is a renewable resource, fossil water, historic water ground
water reserves are non-renewable, as they do not replenish themselves.

Most developed nations are dependent on non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels (coal and oil) and
nuclear power. These sources are called non-renewable because they cannot be renewed or regenerated quickly
enough to keep pace with their use. Some sources of energy are renewable or potentially renewable. Examples of
renewable energy sources are: solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, and wind. Renewable energy sources are
more commonly by used in developing nations. Fossil fuels are the most commonly used types of non-renewable
energy. The three main types of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Two other less-used sources of fossil fuels
are oil shales and tar sands. In due course natural resources will too expensive to reap and mankind will look for
alternate sources of energy. At present the most important energy sources used by the Indian population are non-
renewable sources of energy. The rate at which such fuels are being burnt is thus resulting in a rise in the
concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a cause of the greenhouse effect. 

It is not the natural resources by themselves that harm the Earth's environment - 
it is what humans do with the natural resources that cause the problems 
to the environment and to the health of living things, including other human beings.

The burning of fossil fuels in factories to make products and power, and the fuels used by trucks, automobiles
and jet planes have caused acid rain and a great increase in carbon dioxide and pollution in the atmosphere.  
And forests have been destroyed which used to absorb carbon dioxide.  Carbon dioxide traps heat in our
lower atmosphere.

Scientists believe that human activities such as these have led to global warming.

Global warming (worldwide increased temperature) is causing glaciers to melt, seas to rise, climates to
change, violent weather, destruction of coral reef ecosystems, crops to die,  famine, floods, topsoil to wash
away, droughts, and the loss of plants and animals.

Whew!  Warm, isn't it?

 
Is there any GOOD news?
 YES!
Scientists are working very hard on developing new ways to use clean energy
sources which come from renewable resources - like wind power and direct solar
energy from the sun. Approximately every 40 minutes the sun sends as much
energy to Earth as all the people on Earth use in a year!  But, we have to get
industry to make more products that use the safe environmentally-friendly energy,
like solar-powered vehicles, and at a price people can afford.  Other technologies,
such as fuel cells, are under development to provide energy sources that minimally
harm the environment.  People need to change their thinking and refuse products
that damage the environment.

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