The world is forever changing, and we are reaching a time where there is a need for a change in the way energy is produced. The U.S. relies heavily on fossil fuels to produce energy; in 2016, around 65% of the energy produced by the U.S. was produced through the burning of fossil fuels. This highly used form of energy production has been proven to have many downsides; one of them being that it is a limited resource. Because the U.S. acquires most of its energy through fossil fuels, we must find an alternative energy source before it runs out. Many have turned to clean renewable energy as a solution to this problem. Renewable energy is energy that comes from a source that cannot be depleted. These sources include geothermal, solar power, biomass, hydropower, and wind. Some forms of renewable energy are called “clean energy” or “green power” because these sources create very little to no pollution, or negative impacts on the environment. However, there is some question on the reliability of renewable energy sources. Only 15% of the energy produced in the U.S. in 2016 came from renewable energy sources, and many wonder: Can renewable energy effectively replace fossil fuels as a primary energy source? 

The U.S. emitted a total of 6,587 million metric tons of CO2 in 2015. Approximately 29% of all CO2 emissions came from the production of electricity through the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas. Burning fossil fuels has been proven to have many negative effects and studies have shown, “The air and water pollution emitted by coal and natural gas plants is linked to breathing problems, neurological damage, heart attacks, and cancer” (qtd. in Machol 75-80). It is estimated that health problems due to fossil fuels cost between $361.7 billion and $886.5 billion annually. The emissions from fossil fuels requires people to spend money on health care that they could be spending on other things they need, creating an economic constraint for them. The burning of fossil fuels not only distresses human health, but also the health of the planet. Global warming is described by Alina Bradford as “the gradual heating of the earth’s surface”, and is mainly caused by burning of fossil fuels that puts greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Scientists explain they are rapidly seeing the effects of global warming, which include: increases in average and extreme temperatures, extreme weather events, melting of ice caps, rise in sea level, and ocean acidification. We are beginning to see the effects of this overall increase of the earth’s average temperature, which will have a dramatic impact on many different species all over the planet. Habitats will change, making it difficult for some species to survive and possibly making them extinct. We are currently seeing these effects on polar bears in the Arctic because of melting of ice caps; A great deal of polar bears are starving and dying off due to this. Change in climate and natural habitats cause the food chain and overall ecosystems to change, which will eventually directly affect humans. Certain species will no longer be available, reducing the amount of food available for consumption, which has a domino effect on other species. In addition to a decrease in animals, there will be a decrease in agriculture. Extreme weather events will make it extremely difficult for farming and agriculture in many places, which could cause enormous societal problems. One of these problems being lack of food and increased starvation around the world, which could kill of a significant amount of human population. Along with a negative effect on species, global warming will greatly change weather and geographical layouts. We are beginning to see some of these impacts; within two weeks of each other, during 2017, there were two hurricanes that reached category 4 status which greatly affected the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States. These hurricanes generated billions of dollars-worth of damage in the U.S. alone. Because of global warming, storms like this are becoming more common and severe; Bradford and Pappas state, “Scientists project that extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, blizzards and rainstorms will continue to occur more often and with greater intensity due to global warming, according to Climate Central”. A major concern of many is the melting of the ice caps due to global warming. This not only affects the habitats and migration patterns of polar region’s animals, but causes sea levels to rise around the world. Alina Bradford and Stephanie Pappas’s article, “Effects of Global Warming”, states:

Researchers project that by 2100, average sea levels will be 2.3 feet (.7 meters) higher in New York City, 2.9 feet (0.88 m) higher at Hampton Roads, Virginia, and 3.5 feet (1.06 m) higher at Galveston, Texas, the EPA reports. According to an IPCC report, if greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked, global sea levels could rise by as much as 3 feet (0.9 meters) by 2100. That estimate is an increase from the estimated 0.9 to 2.7 feet (0.3 to 0.8 meters) that was predicted in the 2007 IPCC report for future sea-level rise. (Bradford)

 A rise in sea levels can result in the flooding of many coastal cities worldwide, which would cause an exorbitant amount of damage or even make it so that the cities are no longer inhabitable. Many studies have looked at coastal cities such as Charleston and New Orleans, and determined that these cities would no longer be above sea level, making them inhabitable. This would cause many to lose their homes and jobs. Further, global warming increases ocean acidity. Ocean acidity increases when large amounts of CO2 dissolve in water, creating carbonic acid. The high acidity of the water greatly affects marine life’s health, killing off some species, which again affects the ecosystem as a whole. The EPA states that since the Industrial Revolution began, ocean acidity has increased by 25%.  The effects of global warming are highly apparent today and an important report released by IPCC states that scientists are around 95% certain that there is a link between human activities and global warming. It is an undeniable fact that humans have a large impact on global warming, due to the amount of CO2 emitted by the U.S. in 2015 alone, but there are changes we can make to reduce the effects.

 Green energy is quickly rising in popularity around the world. The use of clean renewable sources offers a multitude of benefits; the obvious one being that there is no limited supply of the resource. We would not have to be concerned about depleting a source, which would in turn decrease the overall cost of energy as whole; if there is an abundance of a good, the cost of the good decreases. Increased use of renewable energy sources creates jobs and benefits nations economically. Small towns in Chile have benefited greatly from the creation of renewable energy power plants in their area. There has been an increase in jobs and access to reliable electricity, which helps connect them to the rest of the world via internet, and televisions. Latin America already produces the world’s cleanest energy, but Chile “is on track to rely on clean sources for 90 percent of its electricity needs by 2050, up from the current 45 percent” (Londono). Clean renewable energy is beneficial to the economy in so many ways, one being that it can cost less to produce overall. Rachel Fakhry explains “Goldman Sachs heralds wind as ‘the cheapest source of incremental power’ and notes that ‘the cost to produce solar power is reaching, and in some cases beating, the costs of fossil fuel sources’”. Along with a lower price, the overall prices of energy will be more consistent because of the unlimited resource. Focusing on renewable energy sources such as solar and wind will make it so that countries like Chile can cost effectively produce more energy themselves, rather than depending on other nations for energy. Using renewable energy sources has many benefits, but there are a few sources that are better than others when it comes to sustainability. Jacobson and Delucchi stated “nuclear energy results in 9–25 times more carbon emissions than wind energy”, and while the amount of carbon emitted by nuclear energy is still significantly less than the amount emitted by fossil fuels, we should use sources that will decrease our carbon footprint as much as possible. The cleanest energy sources are drawn from technologies that use wind, water, and sunlight; also known as WWS. Focusing on the use of these sources that produce little to no pollution would benefit overall health; “Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy has been found to reduce premature mortality and lost workdays, and it reduces overall healthcare costs” (qtd. in Machol 75-80). Sources such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric do not produce any air pollutants, proving to be better for health. Further, wind and solar do not pollute water because they do not require water to operate, and never come into contact with it. This improved water and air will increase the overall health of the ecosystems, thanks to clean renewable sources. Clean renewable energy is the best option for an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. The use of clean energy will reduce the effects of global warming, which is crucial to the preservation of our planet, and improve the overall health of ecosystems. 

Green energy has an abundance of benefits, but there are still two important concerns people typically have: reliability, and cost of implementation and operation. Currently, “The power required today to satisfy all end uses worldwide is about 12.5 trillion watts (TW) (EIA, 2008a; end-use energy only, excludes losses in production and transmission)” (Jacobson and Delucchi), and this is expected to rise to around 17 trillion watts by 2030. Jacobson and Delucchi further explain that “In terms of primary energy, about 35% is from oil, 27% from coal, 23% from natural gas, 6% from nuclear, and the rest from biomass, sunlight, wind, and geothermal”, which amplifies the concern on whether or not clean renewable sources can really replace fossil fuels as a primary energy source. Simply put, this initial concern is ignorant. Many do not research this topic beyond what they hear initially. Studies show that “In the U.S., wind from the Great Plains and offshore the East Coast (Kempton et al., 2007) could supply all U.S. energy needs” (Jacobson and Delucchi), and if we look at the overall energy wind could produce around the world, it is equivalent to around 1700 TW (trillion watts). Realistically, we would not be able to harness all of this energy; “however, the wind power over land in locations over land and near shore where the wind speed is 7 m/s or faster (the speed necessary for cost-competitive wind energy) is around 72–170 TW” (Jacobson and Delucchi), which is more than enough energy to power the world at its current rate of energy use. This is assuming that we only invest in producing energy through wind, which is unrealistic. There would be a mixed use of all wind, water, and solar sources which would easily provide enough power if done correctly. It is estimated that wind and solar would comprise approximately 90% of the future energy produced. And while hydro would only create around 4% of power, 70% of the technology needed to create the power is already in place, which saves a significant amount of money. Jacobson and Delucchi’s model has solar PV (Photovoltaics) separated into 30% rooftop and 70% power plant. They further estimated the area needed for the “4 million wind turbines required to power 50% of the world’s energy is only 48 square km, smaller than Manhattan(59.5 km2)”. The reliability of clean renewable sources has been well thought out many times over and should not be an issue. The cost of implementation is slightly problematic in that some of the resources needed for this scenario to play out are limited. However, if we begin focusing all of our efforts into switching to all renewable sources, it can be done. The recycling of older resources is also an important part in making this vision achievable, so we must take that into account. The overall benefit of green energy entirely outweighs the initial cost of implementation. Many people recognize this and are already making strides to increase the use of clean renewable sources. California has created a mandate that by 2020, “33% of the electricity sold in the state must be generated from renewables” (Rouhani), which is setting a good example for other states around the nation. Much of the world is already using energy produced from renewable sources and the United States should be following in their footsteps by making sustainability a priority. 

A solution for the concern about cost, combined with proof of reliability and the overall benefit to health and the environment, makes clean renewable energy the optimum choice for a primary energy source. Many people today fail to look into the logistics and benefits of using clean renewable energy before brushing off the idea. With more education on the subject I believe that we can all agree on the importance of clean renewable energy use. The world is forever changing and improving its technology, and that is exactly what we should be doing when it comes to energy production. We need to use sources that have no negative impacts on our health and the health of our planet. It is important that we begin trying to repair the damage we have already done to the planet. We can no longer wait around for someone else to make a change, we must make this change. Without a switch to clean energy, our planet’s health will continue to rapidly decline and have detrimental effects on us all. Scientists’ research has proved that there is no logical excuse as to why the U.S., and the rest of the world, should not be putting more effort into switching to clean renewable sources. 
