The Risks Of Using Renewable Energies

The use of fossil fuels, which supply the needs of modern humanity, pollutes our atmosphere with more and more CO₂, speeding up the greenhouse effect, heating the Earth and generating global changes in our climate. The consequences of this are not known, although we have been given a few scenarios about our future, from the rising of the level of oceans to a new ice age. If the average temperature continuously rises, then the icecaps will melt and the level of the oceans will rise. As 60&3x0025; of humanity lives on or near the coast, this will cause serious problems. According to another theory, the enormous mass of freshwater from ice melt will attenuate the salt water of the Gulf Stream and interrupt its flow, which can cause a new ice age in Europe. Anyway, what is sure is that we have started an irreversible process, we must be aware of its consequences and, if possible, we must try to stall it. One possible way to do so is to lower our CO₂ emissions, for example, through the use of renewable energies. Sources of renewable energy include wind, solar and hydro energy and biomass. Using these sources of energy, we can lessen our greenhouse gas emissions. But, of course, this has two sides. Using renewable energy presents plenty of dangers. I try to focus my attention on these dangers in my study. For the use of hydro-power we must build dams and aquifers, which can influence another country's water supply, thereby potentially causing conflicts. The use of biomass can also be dangerous. First of all, the mass of green stock can displace food crops and can cause starvation; the cutting and parching of the Brazilian rainforest for growing green stock will have more environmental consequences. These are only two of the problems, dangers and challenges I explain in my study.