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essay on energy and environment

Essay on Environment

essay on environment

Here we have shared the Essay on Environment in detail so you can use it in your exam or assignment of 150, 250, 400, 500, or 1000 words.

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Essay on Environment in 150-200 words

Essay on environment in 250-300 words, essay on environment in 500-1000 words.

The environment is our natural surroundings, encompassing air, water, land, and diverse ecosystems. It sustains life on Earth, providing essential resources and habitats for all living beings. However, human activities such as deforestation, pollution, and climate change are posing significant threats to the environment and its delicate balance.

Protecting the environment is crucial for our well-being and the planet’s sustainability. It requires collective action and individual responsibility. We must adopt sustainable practices, reduce pollution and waste, conserve resources, and support conservation efforts. By valuing and preserving the environment, we ensure a healthier and more prosperous future.

Governments, businesses, and individuals must work together to address these environmental challenges. Promoting renewable energy, implementing effective policies, and raising awareness about the importance of environmental conservation are key steps to protect our planet.

Preserving the environment is not just an obligation but also an opportunity to enhance our quality of life and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. Let us embrace this responsibility and work towards creating a harmonious relationship with nature, respecting its intrinsic value and preserving its abundance for future generations.

The environment is the natural world around us, comprising the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we live on, and the diverse ecosystems that support life. It encompasses everything from the smallest microorganisms to the largest forests and oceans. This essay briefly discusses the importance of the environment and the need for its protection.

The environment plays a crucial role in sustaining life on Earth. It provides us with essential resources, such as clean air, water, and food, and offers habitats for countless species. It regulates the climate, supports biodiversity, and contributes to the overall well-being of human beings and the planet.

Unfortunately, human activities have had a detrimental impact on the environment. Deforestation, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change pose significant threats to ecosystems and biodiversity. These activities have resulted in the loss of species, degradation of ecosystems, and disruption of natural cycles.

To ensure a sustainable future, it is imperative that we take collective action to protect and preserve the environment. This includes adopting sustainable practices, reducing pollution and waste, conserving natural resources, promoting renewable energy sources, and supporting conservation efforts.

Individual actions, such as reducing carbon emissions, recycling, and conserving water, can make a significant difference. Additionally, governments, businesses, and organizations must implement policies and initiatives that promote environmental sustainability.

By valuing and protecting the environment, we not only safeguard the well-being of future generations but also enhance our own quality of life. Preserving the environment is essential for maintaining the balance of ecosystems, combating climate change, and ensuring a healthy planet for all living beings.

In conclusion, the environment is of utmost importance for the well-being of both humans and the planet. It provides essential resources, supports biodiversity, and regulates the climate. Protecting the environment is a shared responsibility that requires individual and collective action. By adopting sustainable practices and supporting conservation efforts, we can contribute to the preservation of our environment and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Title: Environmental Conservation – Protecting Our Planet for Future Generations

Introduction :

The environment is the foundation of life on Earth, encompassing the air, water, land, and ecosystems that support all living beings. It provides us with vital resources, regulates the climate, and sustains biodiversity. This essay explores the significance of environmental conservation, the threats it faces, and the urgent need for collective action to protect our planet.

Importance of Environmental Conservation

The environment is vital for our well-being and the sustainability of the planet. It provides us with clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and nutritious food to eat. Ecosystems support biodiversity and provide habitats for countless species, contributing to the overall health of our planet. The environment also plays a crucial role in regulating the climate, preserving natural cycles, and mitigating the impacts of natural disasters.

Environmental Threats

Human activities have led to various environmental threats that endanger ecosystems and biodiversity. Deforestation for agriculture, logging, and urbanization destroys habitats and contributes to climate change. Pollution from industrial activities, transportation, and improper waste disposal contaminates air, water, and soil. Climate change, primarily caused by the excessive release of greenhouse gases, results in rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and extreme weather events. These threats have far-reaching consequences for both the environment and human societies.

Conservation Strategies

To protect the environment, proactive conservation strategies are necessary. Sustainable practices, such as reducing waste, conserving resources, and promoting renewable energy sources, are key to mitigating environmental impacts. Reforestation and afforestation efforts are crucial for restoring habitats and combating climate change. Conservation initiatives, including protected areas, wildlife sanctuaries, and marine reserves, help preserve biodiversity and ensure the long-term sustainability of ecosystems.

Individual and Collective Responsibility

Environmental conservation is a shared responsibility that requires both individual and collective action. Individuals can contribute by adopting sustainable lifestyles, reducing their carbon footprint, and supporting eco-friendly initiatives. Governments play a vital role in implementing policies and regulations that promote environmental protection, investing in renewable energy infrastructure, and fostering sustainable practices in industries. International cooperation is essential to address global environmental challenges and promote knowledge-sharing and technology transfer.

Benefits of Environmental Conservation

Environmental conservation yields numerous benefits. Preserving ecosystems and biodiversity supports the health of our planet and ensures the availability of vital resources for future generations. Conservation efforts contribute to climate change mitigation, reducing the risks of extreme weather events and preserving natural carbon sinks. Protecting natural areas enhances opportunities for eco-tourism, generating economic benefits for local communities. Conservation also fosters a sense of connection to nature and promotes physical and mental well-being.

Conclusion :

Environmental conservation is crucial for the well-being of both humans and the planet. It is our responsibility to protect the environment, mitigating threats such as deforestation, pollution, and climate change. By adopting sustainable practices, supporting conservation initiatives, and advocating for effective policies, we can ensure a healthier and more sustainable future for all. Environmental conservation is not just an obligation; it is an opportunity to preserve the beauty and abundance of our planet for future generations. Let us strive to live in harmony with nature, valuing and protecting the environment that sustains us. Together, we can create a better, more sustainable world for ourselves and for future generations.

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Energy And Environment Essay Examples

Energy And Environment - Free Essay Examples and Topic Ideas

Energy and environment are interconnected and interdependent aspects of our life on earth. Energy is required for various purposes such as transportation, electricity generation, heating and cooling, and industrial processes. However, the production and consumption of energy also have negative impacts on the environment, such as air and water pollution, deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. Therefore, it is essential to develop and promote sustainable energy solutions that can minimize environmental impacts while meeting our energy needs. This includes promoting renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. By prioritizing the protection of the environment, we can ensure a healthy and sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

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Essay on Energy, Economy and Environment

“If you wish to bear fruits you must go to your roots.”

The energy sources are primarily carbon-based fuels, hydro and nuclear power. Because of their cost, performance, availability and use, fossil fuels will remain a dominant energy source, along with nuclear and hydro. The other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, biomass energy and are likely to grow significantly in importance. We have to create awareness about energy conservation and their role in the economic growth and the environment using the T.E.A.M approach (Teach, Enforce, Advocate, Model). Shifting our focus to industrial ecosystems for better status of Energy – Economy – Environment. So our target is to maximize energy efficiency by reducing environmental wastes. Having concern for the environmental impacts of energy developments by identifying the opportunities for reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable manufacturing growth and practices and reduction of business costs by developing economic new sources of supply and innovative technologies, developing the delivery infrastructure to meet changes in demand and supply, improving energy efficiency and finally reliability in production, delivery, and customer end use.

 We should directly focus on industrial ecosystem to attain the benefits of complete energy- economy – environment. The progress toward environmental and economic goals is achieved by meeting environmental and economic goals and by achieving organizational carbon reduction. There will be a significant cost savings result from increased process efficiencies and reduced waste and profitable sustainability practices. Enabling frameworks for energy efficiency, utilizing market forces, promoting open trade and investment, avoiding trade-restrictive measures, fostering research, development and deployment of energy efficient technologies, emphasizing international cooperation, encouraging mutual recognition of voluntary energy labels and standards, integrating efficiency with climate change, security, access and other aspects of energy policy, and finally by developing and utilizing rigorous and reliable metrics, and life-cycle oriented approaches.

The Waste water Treatment, reduces the Environmental Impact. Commonly the sludge on a yearly basis of newspaper, bio and natural waste, agricultural refuse, concrete and metal waste can be resold after cleaning for recycling. Thus introducing the industrial ecosystem in India will result in drastic effect in the form of the 3E’s. The forecasting results are economic, environmental savings of energy sources, coal and water, reduced emissions of CO2, SO2, NO2 and finally reuse of waste products (fly ash, sulfur, gypsum, nitrogen in sludge). The monetary benefits are realised from the production costs (purchasing unwanted by-products from others at bargain prices; selling its own by-products), Energy consumption (less transportation), waste management (on-site, or even being able to sell what would otherwise be waste) and finally by costs of compliance and cost of some R&D (shared with other companies).The Societal benefits are better health, more jobs, cleaner air and water and healthy economy etc. Always industrial ecosystem paves the way for sustainable development.

Clean energy options should be developed by reducing the nationwide carbon-dioxide emission, increasing the share of low carbon energy in electricity generation systems and by securing stable energy supply by building a secure energy supply system to meet economic development goals. The framework structure consists of cleaner energy supply and energy demand. The cleaner energy supplies can be fulfilled by restructuring energy mix and improve energy efficiency, developing carbon-free renewable energy and effectively explore its power generating potential. We can also increase the utilization of low carbon natural gas and energy supply diversity and by accelerating the replacement of existing power generating units and formulating a power plant efficiency improvement program to require new built units to apply the best available technology. Introduce clean coal technology to reduce the Carbon-dioxide emission of power generating system. The energy audit is the important step in improving the energy efficiency of a home or building. Audit usually identify and highlighting the energy consumption and energy wastage by organizing resources and data requirement and developing action plan to save the quality and cost. The major steps in the audit are gathering information, description of equipment/plant specification/data collecting hours/day operation, energy consumption per day, and their operational schedule.

Conclusions:

Thus for energy, economy and environmental growth results in enhancing competitiveness for the global evolution towards a more sustainable energy future.

“Save energy today, bright life tomorrow”

“A little energy care makes demand rare”

Improving energy consumption and transformation efficiency, increasing the value added of energy consumption by adopting energy supply methods and consumption practices that ensure low carbon and low pollution. Thus there should be a Low dependence on fossil fuels and imported energy. We are in the position of cat on the wall. The real question is not “What is the policy that will answer all our environmental energy and economy problems?”, but rather “Which combination of changes, costs and risks do we want to accept?”  This question is vital and urgent, as it will affect our lives and our environment for generations to come. Thus our goal is to identify clear energy action plans that are needed for the economic and environmental growth measures that will work with markets to improve information and lower barriers to deployment of economic solutions. Business supports energy efficiency and given the right way and regulatory frameworks can help governments achieve the triple objectives of energy, economy and environmental improvement.

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  • Published: 03 August 2020

Impacts of climate change on energy systems in global and regional scenarios

  • Seleshi G. Yalew   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7304-6750 1 , 2 , 3 ,
  • Michelle T. H. van Vliet 2 , 4 ,
  • David E. H. J. Gernaat   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4994-1453 1 , 5 ,
  • Fulco Ludwig 2 ,
  • Ariel Miara   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7089-4765 6 , 7 ,
  • Chan Park   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-4994-6855 8 ,
  • Edward Byers   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0349-5742 9 ,
  • Enrica De Cian 10 , 11 ,
  • Franziska Piontek 12 ,
  • Gokul Iyer   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3565-7526 13 ,
  • Ioanna Mouratiadou   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3541-6271 1 ,
  • James Glynn   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7004-0153 14 ,
  • Mohamad Hejazi 13 ,
  • Olivier Dessens 15 ,
  • Pedro Rochedo   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5151-0893 16 ,
  • Robert Pietzcker   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9403-6711 12 ,
  • Roberto Schaeffer   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3709-7323 16 ,
  • Shinichiro Fujimori   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7897-1796 17 , 18 ,
  • Shouro Dasgupta   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4080-8066 10 , 11 ,
  • Silvana Mima 19 ,
  • Silvia R. Santos da Silva   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6493-1475 13 , 20 ,
  • Vaibhav Chaturvedi 21 ,
  • Robert Vautard   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5544-9903 22 &
  • Detlef P. van Vuuren   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0398-2831 1 , 5  

Nature Energy volume  5 ,  pages 794–802 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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  • Projection and prediction

Although our knowledge of climate change impacts on energy systems has increased substantially over the past few decades, there remains a lack of comprehensive overview of impacts across spatial scales. Here, we analyse results of 220 studies projecting climate impacts on energy systems globally and at the regional scale. Globally, a potential increase in cooling demand and decrease in heating demand can be anticipated, in contrast to slight decreases in hydropower and thermal energy capacity. Impacts at the regional scale are more mixed and relatively uncertain across regions, but strongest impacts are reported for South Asia and Latin America. Our assessment shows that climate impacts on energy systems at regional and global scales are uncertain due partly to the wide range of methods and non-harmonized datasets used. For a comprehensive assessment of climate impacts on energy, we propose a consistent multi-model assessment framework to support regional-to-global-scale energy planning.

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All data that support the findings of this study presented in the figures are provided in the Source Data section associated with this manuscript. Source data are provided with this paper.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the JPI Climate initiative and participating grant institutes for funding the ISIpedia project. We also thank J. Burrough for professional advice on the English of a near-final draft. E.d.C. has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 756194 (ENERGYA). J.G. is supported by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under the SFI-NSFC Partnership Programme, grant no. 17/NSFC/5181. D.P.v.V., R.S. and D.E.H.J.G. are supported by the Horizon 2020 NAVIGATE project, and D.P.v.V., R.S. and D.E.H.J.G. also acknowledge support from the COMMIT and Horizon 2020 ENGAGE project. F.P. acknowledges support through the project ENGAGE funded in the framework of the Leibniz Competition (SAW-2016-PIK-1), as well as through the project CHIPS, part of AXIS, an ERA-NET initiated by JPI Climate, and funded by FORMAS (SE), DLR/BMBF (DE, grant no. 01LS19XXY), AEI (ES) and ANR (FR) with cofunding by the European Union (grant no. 776608). R.S. acknowledges the financial support from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), from the National Institute of Science and Technology for Climate Change Phase 2 under CNPq grant no. 465501/2014-1 and the National Coordination for High Level Education and Training (CAPES) grant no. 88887.136402/2017-00, all from Brazil. A.M. acknowledges support from the US Department of Energy, Office of Science’s Integrated Multisector Multiscale Modelling project and National Science Foundation’s Water Sustainability and Climate grant no. 1360445. This work was authored in part by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (A.M.), operated by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, for the US Department of Energy (DOE) under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308. S.F. is supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (2-1908 and 2-2002) provided by the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency, Japan. C.P. is supported by Korea Environment Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) through Climate Change R&D Programme, funded by the Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE) (2018001310003).

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S.G.Y. and D.P.v.V. codesigned the study. S.G.Y. collected and analysed data, and cowrote the initial draft manuscript with D.P.v.V. S.G.Y., D.P.v.V. and M.T.H.v.V. performed sectoral analysis of energy systems. S.G.Y., D.P.v.V., M.T.H.v.V., D.E.H.J.G., F.L., A.M., C.P., E.B., E.d.C., F.P., G.I., I.M., J.G., M.H., O.D., P.R., R.P., R.S., S.F., S.D., S.M., S.R.S.d.S., V.C. and R.V. contributed to the review of sectoral and regional climate impacts.

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Yalew, S.G., van Vliet, M.T.H., Gernaat, D.E.H.J. et al. Impacts of climate change on energy systems in global and regional scenarios. Nat Energy 5 , 794–802 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0664-z

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essay on energy and environment

Three Essays in Energy and Environmental Economics

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This dissertation is a collection of three essays in the field of environmental and energy economics. While each essay addresses different questions, they all contribute to the understanding of environment or energy economics related to energy demand using empirical analyses. The first two papers focus on domestic energy demand modeling and forecasting; one highlights the importance of appliance adoption with income growth, and the other estimates the impact of climate change on electricity consumption in China.

The trend of energy demand growth applies to not only China but also the developing countries in the Southeast Asia region. To meet the rapid increase in energy demand, most countries built coal-fired power plants though cleaner options such as solar and wind technologies are getting cheaper. The involvement of Chinese finance into coal-fired power plants is controversial and often leads to concerns on environmental outcomes and carbon footprints. Hence, in the third paper, I examine the environmental impact of coal-fired power plants China financed overseas.

The first paper (“Chinese residential electricity consumption estimation and forecast using micro-data”, with Jing Cao, Mun Sing Ho, Richard G. Newell, and William A. Pizer) was published in Resource and Energy Economics in 2017. Based on econometric estimation using data from the Chinese Urban Household Survey, we develop a preferred forecast range of 85 to 143 percent growth in residential per capita electricity demand over 2009 to 2025. Our analysis suggests that per capita income growth drives a 43% increase, with the remainder due to an unexplained time trend. Roughly one-third of the income-driven demand comes from increases in the stock of specific major appliances, particularly AC units. The other two-thirds comes from non-specific sources of income-driven growth and is based on an estimated income elasticity that falls from 0.28 to 0.14 as income rises. While the stock of refrigerators is not projected to increase, we find that they contribute nearly 20 percent of household electricity demand. Alternative plausible time trend assumptions are responsible for the wide range of 85 to 143 percent. Meanwhile we estimate a price elasticity of demand of -0.7. These estimates point to carbon pricing and appliance efficiency policies that could substantially reduce demand.

The second paper turns attention from income growth to climate change. Estimating the impacts of climate change on energy use across the globe is essential for analysis of both mitigation and adaptation policies. Yet existing empirical estimates are concentrated in western countries, especially the United States. In the second paper (“Climate change and residential electricity consumption in the Yangtze River Delta, China”, with William A. Pizer and Libo Wu), we use daily data on household electricity demand to estimate how electricity demand would change in Shanghai in the context of climate change. For colder days below 7 degree C, a 1 degree C increase in daily temperature reduces electricity demand by 2.8%. On warm days above 25 degree C, a 1 degree C increase in daily temperatures leads to a 14.5% increase in electricity consumption. As income increases, households’ weather sensitivity remains the same for hotter days in the summer but increases during the winter.

We use this estimated behavior in conjunction with a collection of downscaled global climate models (GCMs) to construct a relationship between future annual global mean surface temperature (GMST) changes and annual residential electricity demand. We find that annual electricity demand increases by 9.3% per +1 degree C in annual GMST. In comparison, peak daily electricity use increases by as much as 36.3% per +1 degree C in annual GMST, almost four times the average electricity increase. Though most accurate for Shanghai, our findings could be most credibly extended to the urban areas in the Yangtze River Delta, covering roughly one-fifth of China’s urban population and one-fourth of GDP. The second paper was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) in 2018.

While the first two papers focus on domestic energy demand in China and use micro data sets, the third paper (“Environmental Impact of overseas coal-fired power plants financed by China”) examines the infrastructure support to energy consumption, i.e. power plants, and their environmental outcomes. Using satellite measures, we first show that the SO2 increased substantially after the operation of the power plants. We further compared the performance of coal plants financed by China with the rest of coal plants in the region. Due to the small number of Chinese-financed plants that started operating during the period of 2006-2016, we have only limited results from our comparison of Chinese and non-Chinese financed plants. We find no significant difference in SO2 impact in general, but observe higher SO2 increase after operation for the ones financed by China among the plants using subcritical technologies and lower for those using supercritical technologies, though not significantly different from the rest. Among plants larger than 500 MW, the percentage of supercritical power plants among Chinese financed coal plants is higher than the rest.

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LI, Yating (2019). Three Essays in Energy and Environmental Economics . Dissertation, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18677 .

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Energy Sustainability with a Focus on Environmental Perspectives

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essay on energy and environment

  • Marc A. Rosen   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6559-0094 1  

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Energy sustainability is a key consideration for anthropogenic activity and the development of societies, and more broadly, civilization. In this article, energy sustainability is described and examined, as are methods and technologies that can help enhance it. As a key component of sustainability, the significance and importance of energy sustainability becomes clear. Requirements to enhance energy sustainability are described, including low environmental and ecological impacts, sustainable energy resources and complementary energy carriers, high efficiencies, and various other factors. The latter are predominantly non-technical, and include living standards, societal acceptability and equity. The outcomes and results are anticipated to inform and educate about energy sustainability, to provide an impetus to greater energy sustainability.

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essay on energy and environment

Energy Sustainability

essay on energy and environment

Energy and Sustainability: Policy, Politics and Practice

essay on energy and environment

Sustainable Energy Systems

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1 Introduction

Energy is utilized pervasively to provide energy services of all types. These include the provision of electricity, transportation, lighting, heating, cooling, industrial processes (e.g., refining and manufacturing) and many more. The full life cycle of energy is complex, and includes obtaining energy sources, converting them to useful forms, transporting, distributing, storing energy, and utilizing energy (Karunathilake et al. 2019 ). The services provided by energy allow for good living standards and support societal development.

Most countries today use energy in a manner that is not sustainable (Baleta et al. 2019 ). This applies to countries of all kinds (developing, industrialized, etc.) (Kumar and Majid 2020 ). Despite this general view, it is observed that wealthy countries appear to be using energy in a manner that is more sustainable today than before 1970. This phenomenon is illustrated in Table 1 . For G7 countries, for instance, energy use per capita and real gross domestic product per capita both rose in step by about 60% between 1960 and 1973, but between 1973 and 2015, energy use per capital remained roughly constant while real gross domestic product per capita continued to rise, by roughly 100% (World Bank Group 2021 ). These data suggest that energy usage and GDP growth per capita became in part decoupled, implying countries can continue to generate wealth without necessarily using increasing amounts of energy through a higher energy intensity. Note that, as the data in Table 1 are just for the G7 countries, the rest of the world may not follow this behavior. G7 countries have outsourced portions of their heavy industry, which tends to be energy intensive, to developing and recently developed countries (e.g., Mexico). Hence, the net effect globally in terms of reducing energy consumption is likely less that that observed for G7 countries.

Energy sustainability involves the use of energy during all aspects of its life cycle in a manner that supports the various facets of sustainable development. Energy sustainability is, therefore, a comprehensive concept that reaches beyond the use of sustainable energy resources, and can be viewed as a component of overall sustainability.

A universally accepted definition for energy sustainability does not exist, even though some definitions have been proposed ( 2017a ; Zvolinschi et al. 2007 ; Chen et al. 2020a ; Razmjoo et al. 2020 ; Suganthi 2020 ; Kumar and Majid 2020 ). A general definition can perhaps be developed by extending definitions of sustainability or sustainable development. For instance, Kutscher et al. ( 2019 ) define sustainable energy as energy produced and used in such a way that it “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Grigoroudis et al. ( 2019 ) suggest that “energy sustainability is related with the provision of adequate, reliable, and affordable energy, in conformity with social and environmental requirements.” Nonetheless, defining energy sustainability is challenging due to the multidisciplinary and complex nature of energy sustainability. The present author defines energy sustainability as the provision of energy services for all people now and in the future in a manner that is sustainable, i.e., adequate to meet basic necessities, not unduly environmentally detrimental, affordable by all, and acceptable to people and their communities. Note that the author’s definition has a temporal persistence element, and that it includes communities, which adds a collective element such as can be represented by culture. Note also that the concept ‘basic necessities’ has an element of vagueness as do other aspects of definitions of energy sustainability or overall sustainability. This can be problematic, although it also provides room for interpretation by individual countries or regions. Since overall sustainability is often viewed as the simultaneous attainment of environmental, economic and societal sustainability, it is clear that energy processes affect each these facets of sustainability. This highlights the importance of energy sustainability to sustainability overall. The relevance of these ideas is increasingly in the fore, as many countries and cities are seeking to become more sustainable, and view energy sustainability as a component of this objective.

Notable environmental, economic and societal challenges are associated with energy. These need to be addressed adequately as part of achieving energy sustainability, although the process can be complex and challenging. Some of the notable challenges relate to societal inequities, excessive resource consumption, climate change and the environmental and ecological affects of other emissions, and limited energy affordability. These are made more challenging by the fact that energy prices are skewed by taxes and incentives, and political factors affect energy issues, sometimes greatly. In addition, wealth and living standards as well as population, culture and level of urbanization often vary among countries, further affecting energy sustainability. The challenges are often greater for developing and non-industrialized countries, due to lack of wealth, education, technology and many other factors. The objective of this article is to assist in addressing these challenges, by informing about energy sustainability and enhancing efforts supporting energy sustainability.

It is noted that this extends earlier work by the author, including an effort to develop a pragmatic approach to energy sustainability with relevant illustrations (Rosen 2009 ). The first illustration considers a thermal energy storage that receives and holds heat (or cold) until it is required, while the second assesses a heat pump that uses electricity to extract heat from a low-temperature region and to deliver it to a region of higher temperature for heating. The third illustration is cogeneration of thermal and electrical energy as well as trigeneration of electricity, heat and cold, while the final illustration considers hydrogen production based on thermochemical water decomposition driven by nuclear or solar energy.

Energy resources are obtained from the environment. Some energy resources are renewable and some are finite in quantity and thus non-renewable. Energy systems in most countries today are principally driven by fossil fuels, but renewable energy utilization is increasing (Karunathilake et al. 2019 ; Hansen et al. 2019 ; Mehrjerdi et al. 2019 ; Kumar and Majid 2020 ). Renewable energy resources are listed with details on the main basis from which they are derived in Table 2 , while non-renewable energy resources grouped by resource type are given in Table 3 . Data from the IEA ( 2020 , 2021 ) on global production of the energy resources are also provided for the most significant resources in terms of quality. It is seen that many types of renewable energy are derived from solar energy, including hydraulic, biomass, wind and geothermal energy (as ground energy at ground temperature) (Rosen and Koohi-Fayegh 2017 ). Constraints on long-term energy supplies help to determine the sustainability of the energy resources and have been discussed by Weisz ( 2004 ).

Energy carriers are the forms of energy that are utilized in processes and systems, and include fuels, electricity and heat (Rosen 2018 ). Some energy carriers exist in the environment while others do not and need to be produced artificially. Energy carriers, divided by energy carrier type, are listed in Table 4 for non-chemical energy carriers and in Table 5 for chemical energy carriers. Note that energy carriers do not include energy storages, which are simply temporary buffers for energy resources or carriers. Energy storages are indeed important and discussed subsequently in the article.

Energy is seen in Tables 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 to exist in various forms. Energy-conversion processes and technologies convert energy from one form to another, and can be described with thermodynamics. Of particular use are the first law of thermodynamics (the principle of conservation of energy) and the second law (the principle of non-conservation of entropy). The latter in particular helps determine energy quality and is the basis for the quantity exergy.

3 Sustainability and Sustainable Development

There are various understandings of sustainability and sustainable development, embodying various viewpoints (Rosen 2018 ; Baleta et al. 2019 ; Hengst et al. 2020 ; Pauliuk 2020 ; Dragicevic 2020 ; Chen et al. 2020a ; Rezaie and Rosen 2020 ). Some of the more significant of these are illustrated in Fig.  1 and examined below (Fig.  2 ):

figure 1

Selected understandings of sustainability and sustainable development, embodying various viewpoints

figure 2

Sustainability viewed as having three principal facets: environmental, economic and societal

figure 3

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (public domain material provided by United Nations at http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/news/communications-material/ )

Multidisciplinary . Sustainability is often viewed as multidimensional with economic, social and environmental facets (see Fig. 2 ). Achieving sustainability is a challenge as these three facets are often opposing, e.g., economic sustainability may necessitate sacrificing environmental sustainability, and vice versa. Jose and Ramakrishna ( 2021 ) point out the multidisciplinary nature of sustainability in their assessment of the comprehensiveness of research in the field.

Carrying capacity . Sustainability can be considered in terms of carrying capacity, i.e., the maximum population supportable, given the ability of the environment to provide resources and receive wastes. This involves an environmental perspective, but is focused more on limitations. The demand and supply of resources affects carrying capacity significantly. For example, Park et al. ( 2020 ) have evaluated the carrying capacity as a measure of sustainability, for Jeju Island, South Korea.

Temporal . Sustainability is usually understood as temporally lasting. The temporal scale to be considered is subjective, although a period of 50–100 years is fairly often viewed as reasonable for many sustainability considerations (Graedel and Allenby 2010 ). Yet, this time frame can be disputed, especially for energy issues that can straddle centuries or more. For example, the lifetimes in terms of reserve base for fossil fuels have been estimated to be 51 years for oil, 53 years for natural gas and 114 years for coal, based on annual consumption rates (BP 2016 ). Thus coal-burning could be viewed as sustainable for the next 100 years or so based on the available resources, but then they would be practically exhausted clearly making them coal use not sustainable (and that is not considering the pollution and climate change effects from coal combustion). This contrasts with solar and wind energy, which have no date to exhaustion (until the sun ‘dies’ through running out of hydrogen, in about 5 billion years). Clearly, too short a period for evaluating sustainability is not helpful since most activities are sustainable for years, but too long a period is intractable.

Goals . Sustainability can be described in terms of aims or goals. Notable advances have been made in this approach (Rosen 2017c ) with the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2015–2030, which encompass 17 broad goals (see Fig. 3 ) (United Nations 2015 ). Adopted at the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, the UN Sustainable Development Goals form part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is noted that work by the United Nations on sustainability has a lengthy history, extending back to the World Commission on Environment and Development ( 1987 ) and its 1987 report ‘Our Common Future,’ which defined sustainable development as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’

4 Sustainability and Energy

Based on the present author’s definition of energy sustainability cited earlier (the provision of energy services for all people now and in the future in a manner that is adequate to meet basic necessities, not unduly environmentally detrimental, affordable by all, and acceptable to people and their communities), it is evident that various issues impact how energy resources can be sustainable. Many of these issues are illustrated in Fig.  4 . Through these issues, key needs for energy sustainability can be developed. These are listed in Table 6 along with interpretations of them.

figure 4

Principal issues for achieving or shifting towards energy sustainability

The key needs for energy sustainability are examined in the remainder of this section.

4.1 Low Environmental and Ecological Impacts

Numerous environmental and ecological impacts are associated with energy systems over their lifetimes, ranging from local to national and international. Energy-related environmental and ecological impacts must be adequately addressed to attain energy sustainability, as their mitigation supports energy sustainability (Rosen 2012 , 2018 ; Sciubba 2019 ; Veiga and Romanelli 2020 ).

Some of the more notable environmental and ecological impacts linked to energy are as follows:

Global climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions (Almazroui et al. 2019 ; Scott 2007 ).

Abiotic resource depletion, due to the excessive use of non-biological and non-renewable raw materials (Graedel and Allenby 2010 ).

Acid precipitation and acidification due to emissions of substances such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides (Rosen 2012 ).

Stratospheric ozone depletion, which allows increased levels of ultraviolet radiation to reach the surface of the earth, causing adverse health effects (Razmjoo et al. 2020 ).

Ecotoxicity and radiological exposures, and the health problems they can cause, such as those due to radioactivity in building materials (Pillai et al. 2017 ).

Climate change, as a consequence of global warming, is caused mainly by emissions of greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide), and is particularly concerning due to its potentially severe consequences (loss of land fertility in near equatorial regions, rising ocean levels and flooding of many cities, more frequent and stronger storms, etc.). These effects and others have recently been quantitatively assessed (Chen et al. 2020b ). By disrupting the earth–sun–space energy balance, these emissions lead to increases in mean global temperatures and consequential changes in climates. Low-carbon and carbon-free energy options are needed for climate change mitigation, as they can significantly lower emissions of the primary greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, which is emitted through carbon fuel combustion.

Many effects of climate change have been studied, such as its impacts on hydro-meteorological variables and water resources (Almazroui and Şen 2020 ) and on water engineering structures (Almazroui et al. 2019 ). In addition, responses to climate change in the form of mitigation efforts have been examined, including carbon sequestration (Were et al. 2019 ) and carbon emission reduction (Khalil et al. 2019 ). Many of the effects and responses mentioned here relate to energy use, directly or indirectly.

For comprehensive and meaningful assessments of environmental and ecological impact, the overall life cycle of an energy system or activity needs to be considered, starting with the harvesting and processing of energy and other resources, and on to their utilization and ultimate disposal. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an effective methodology for analyses (Graedel and Allenby 2010 ). LCA has been applied extensively to a broad range of activities (Ben-Alon et al. 2019 ; Lodato et al. 2020 ; Lu and Halog 2020 ), including energy processes (Sadeghi et al. 2020 ; Mendecka et al. 2020 ) and communities (Karunathilake et al. 2019 ).

4.2 Sustainable Energy Resources and Complementary Energy Carriers

Sustainable energy resources are crucial to energy sustainability, as are complementary energy carriers that allow those energy resources to be exploited or facilitate sustainable energy options. On the one hand, fossil fuels (see Table 3 ), the most common non-renewable energy resources, are finite in nature. On the other hand, renewable energy sources, including solar, hydraulic, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy (see Table 2 ), can be sustained for extremely long. Renewable energy resources also mitigate greatly or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, among other advantages. Some special cases are worth noting:

Uranium (nuclear energy fuel) is a non-renewable energy resource but it does not contribute significantly to climate change, and the lifetimes of nuclear fuel assuming their use in advanced breeder reactors is thought to exceed 1000 years, so it is often viewed as a sustainable energy option (Al-Zareer et al. 2020a ). For example, Fetter ( 2009 ) estimated the extraction of uranium from seawater would make available 4.5 billion metric tons of uranium, representing a 60,000-year supply at present usage rates, while fuel-recycling fast-breeder reactors could match today’s nuclear output for 30,000 years, based on data of the Nuclear Energy Association (NEA). But this is contentious, as these very long nuclear fuel lifetimes remain hypothetical, while current actual nuclear power plants consume uranium at a much faster rate relative to reserves, in the process generating significant amounts of waste with half-lives that are significantly longer than 1000 years. The supply was estimated at 230 years in 2009 (Fetter 2009 ), based on identified uranium resources of total 5.5 million metric tons and an additional 10.5 million metric tons still undiscovered and the consumption rate at that time. Moreover, only very few nuclear plants are “fast breeder reactors”.

Biomass may or may not be considered a renewable energy option, depending on its rates of utilization and replenishment. Regardless of the classification, decisions on using various types of biomass depend on both their costs (in terms of energy use quantity and rate, net quantity of carbon used, economics), and their benefits (net quantity of carbon emissions avoided, financial savings, etc.). The potential for biomass use to be sustainable often includes energy return on investment (EROI), which is the ratio of the amount of usable energy delivered from a particular energy resource to the amount of energy used to obtain that energy resource (Hall et al. 2014 ; Wang et al. 2021 ). This value has ranged from 0.64 (below the breakeven value of 1) for early biomass uses for producing ethanol to as high as 48 for some particular processes involving molasses, and typical values today are 4–5. Biomass is generally not sustainable when EROI values are near or below 1. In addition, it is noted that biomass typically has a low-energy conversion efficiency (relative to values for fossil fuels) and its production sometimes displaces food production, reducing in those cases its prospects as a sustainable energy resource.

Wastes, which can include some forms of biomass, are sometimes viewed as a renewable energy resource and sometimes are not, given people can modify behaviors to reduce wastes greatly.

Much research on energy resources has been reported, including electricity generation from food waste through anaerobic digestion (Ali et al. 2019 ; Rezaie and Rosen 2020 ) and hydroelectric generation (Udayakumara and Gunawardena 2018 ), and solar energy applications (Hachem-Vermette et al. 2019 ; Sun et al. 2019 ). These studies collectively demonstrate the importance of energy sources in discussions of sustainability, and illustrate the feasibility of such technologies in practical applications.

Energy carriers, which include electricity, thermal energy and secondary fuels (see Tables 4 , 5 ), play an important although less prominent role in energy sustainability. Before they can be utilized, energy resources often require conversion to other energy forms or carriers, e.g., solar photovoltaic panels to produce electricity for renewable energy resources, petroleum refineries for non-renewable energy resources, and hydrogen production from both types of energy resources. The latter example supports the idea of a hydrogen economy, in which hydrogen and electricity are the two main energy carriers (Scott 2007 ; Rosen 2017b ; Gnanapragasam and Rosen 2017 ; Moharamian et al. 2019 ; Abe et al. 2019 ; Endo et al. 2019 ; Fonseca et al. 2019 ; Chapman et al. 2020 ; Al-Zareer et al. 2020a ; Mehrjerdi et al. 2019 ) . Energy sustainability is supported well by this combination of energy carriers since most chemical energy needs can be satisfied by hydrogen (and select hydrogen-derived fuels) and non-chemical energy needs by electricity.

4.3 High Efficiencies

High efficiency in a holistic sense is broad, covering:

high device and system efficiencies,

energy conservation,

energy management and matching of energy demands and supplies,

appropriate utilization of energy quality, and

advantageous fuel substitution.

This holistic sense is adopted here. High efficiency supports energy sustainability by expanding the benefits of energy technologies, whether renewable or not, although the benefits are more pronounced for non-renewable energy resources. High efficiency elongates the lives of finite-energy resources and lowers the capacities needed for energy devices. High efficiencies often can improve societal metrics such as standard of living, quality of life, and satisfaction. For instance, the US and Sweden have similar gross domestic products (per capita), but the latter exceeds the US in most social indicators and utilizes 40% less energy (per capita) through more efficient buildings, smaller automobiles and better public transit, and higher gasoline taxes (Rosen 2018 ). Advanced methods are available to help attain high efficiencies, e.g., exergy analysis provides insights not available via conventional energy methods (Rosen 2012 ; Dincer and Rosen 2021b , 2015 ) and has been applied widely (Morosuk and Tsatsaronis 2019 ; Sciubba 2019 ; Veiga and Romanelli 2020 ; Kumar et al. 2020 ).

4.4 Economic Sustainability and Affordability

Energy sustainability necessitates that the energy services required for basic needs be economically affordable by most if not all people and societies (Rosen 2011 ). However, the economics of energy sustainability measures usually need to be reasonably competitive with conventional approaches to find acceptance and adoption, although it is noted that some efficiency measures, like some environmental impact mitigation measures, can over time sometimes pay for themselves or save money. Government incentives also can enhance affordability.

Of course, many other factors affect economic sustainability and affordability. First, the economic “externalities” associated with fossil fuel combustion, i.e., the environmental costs that are not accounted for in the cost of production, are normally not counted. When externalities are properly accounted for, the economics improve for non-polluting energy forms such as wind and solar, and can become more favorable than the economics for fossil fuels. For example, Bielecki et al. ( 2020 ) show that the costs of externalities for fossil fuels and peat are typically 10–100 times greater than those for sustainable energy forms such as hydraulic, solar, wind, biomass and nuclear. Furthermore, economies of scale are an important factor in lowering economic costs, thereby making energy sources more sustainable. In addition, the economics of energy often fluctuates in response to energy resource scarcity or abundance, political instability for the case of finite-energy resources such as oil, natural gas, and uranium. Finally, the intermittency of some renewable energy forms such as wind and solar can raise their costs.

Other needs exist for energy sustainability and need to be addressed, and a great number of these are non-technical. Selected needs are shown in Fig.  5 and discussed below:

figure 5

Selected non-technical aspects of energy sustainability

Geographic and intergenerational equity. For energy sustainability, equity is needed among present and future generations and among developed and developing countries in terms of energy access. Being concerned about future generations is important to the temporal aspect of sustainability, and involves considering the responsibility of people to consider the effects of their actions today, and their motivations, on any harm that may be brought to future generations. This involves trade offs. Concerns about energy access developed and developing countries raises issues of fairness and other trade offs, e.g., is it reasonable for countries that became wealthy in large part through extensive use of fossil fuels to ask developing and poorer nations to forego the use of fossil fuels and to use more sustainable energy forms, even if the costs are higher.

Increasing population, energy demands and living standards. Increasing global population must be accounted for in energy sustainability measures and strategies, as it places stresses on the carrying capacity of the planet and the environment. Furthermore, the rising demand and desire for energy resources with increasing wealth, especially as developing countries attain higher living standards, also makes energy sustainability more challenging. Energy sustainability can be assisted by measures involving transformations in lifestyles and reductions in energy demands, although this is usually very challenging in general and especially for policy makers. Behavioral modification requires recognition that present development trends are unsustainable over time. Many of these issues have been studied previously, such as the vulnerability of livelihoods in regions and countries (Qaisrani et al. 2018 ).

Resource and land use. Balances are often necessary to preserve resources and land for the uses for which they are most needed. For instance, land uses for growing biomass for biofuels needs to be appropriately weighed against agriculture needs, flooding large tracts of land needs to be balanced against hydroelectric generation requirements, and ecosystem preservation needs to be balanced against long-distance electrical transmission corridors.

Societal acceptability and involvement. For acceptance of energy sustainability measures, societies and their populations must be informed, involved in decisions, and supportive of them. This normally necessitates thorough consultation, and is particularly important when special or disadvantaged communities are involved, such as some indigenous communities.

Aesthetics and cleanliness. Energy sustainability measures should not degrade unduly the aesthetic appeal and cleanliness of the environment, for societal and other reasons. Even renewable energy resources can be aesthetically problematic, e.g., large solar PV installations and wind farms. Of course, aesthetics are a personal matter and vary from one person to another, sometimes considerably, often making it challenging to find the appropriate trade off.

Health and safety. In strategies and plans for energy sustainability, energy options must be healthy and safe, as evidenced by concerns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2019. This issue has spawned much research, e.g., an investigation of the impact of daily weather on the temporal pattern of COVID-19 outbreaks (Gupta et al. 2020 ).

Note that these non-technical factors of energy sustainability are at times interconnected, related and overlapping. Note also that many of the non-technical factors are often addressed if the technical factors discussed previously are addressed suitably. An example: factors such as public acceptability, economics, and equity need to be accounted for when choosing among sustainable energy options. Examining these issues makes it apparent that energy sustainability is politically sensitive, due to the political nature of many of the issues raised in the above points. Even though these points may be recognized already, they are included here for completeness, especially in light of their importance.

5 Methods for Enhancing Energy Sustainability

A selection of energy methods that can help enhance energy sustainability directly or indirectly, shown in Fig.  6 , are now described.

figure 6

Selected methods for enhancing energy sustainability

Efficiency, loss prevention and waste recovery can all help enhance energy sustainability. Appropriately high-efficiency devices and systems facilitate and contribute to energy sustainability, e.g., heaters, chillers and air conditioners, pumps and compressors, motors and fans, and lighting have higher efficiencies today than in the past, the latter due to more efficient bulbs, lower lighting intensities, task lighting, and lighting occupancy sensors. Efficiency can also be improved by preventing losses, e.g., with better insulation, and by recovering energy wastes, e.g., by waste heat recovery.

Exergy analysis and other advanced tools can support energy sustainability. Thermodynamic performance can be better assessed, improved and optimized with exergy analysis rather than energy analysis, since the former evaluates more meaningful efficiencies and better pinpoints inefficiencies. Based on exergy, a measure of energy usefulness or quality or value (Dincer and Rosen 2021b ), exergy methods have been applied increasingly in recent years (Dincer et al. 2017 ; Moharamian et al. 2019 ). In addition, quality matching of energy supply and demand can also support energy efficiency. It is usually more efficient to supply an energy quality better matched to energy demand instead of supplying an exceedingly high-quality energy form, and thus having a quality mismatch, a result well illustrated with exergy analysis. For example, supplying heating for aquaculture at 20 °C with a natural gas combustor capable of heating to 1000 °C is mismatched compared to using simple solar thermal collectors operating at 40 °C.

Governments can also apply incentives (technically and/or societally directed) and enforcement activities to support energy measures. These can be mandatory or voluntary, depending on circumstances and needs. Modifications to lifestyles and societal structures can also reduce energy use, e.g., shifting North America’s transportation preference to mass transit from automotive, in part by changing energy taxation and environmental restrictions.

6 Technologies for Enhancing Energy Sustainability

Sample energy technologies that can help enhance energy sustainability directly or indirectly, shown in Fig.  7 , are now described. Note that the methods discussed in the prior section are intended to include techniques and approaches for improving energy sustainability, while the technologies covered in this section focus on specific technologies that can be employed to improve energy sustainability. Of course the methods can be applied to technologies, but the focus of the prior section was on methods and techniques.

figure 7

Selected technologies for enhancing energy sustainability

Utilizing renewable energy sources (e.g., hydraulic, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, wave, tidal and ocean thermal energy) can contribute to energy sustainability, as they can be sustained for long time periods and have low environmental emissions and impacts. These sources have been extensively investigated, e.g., the amplitudes and phases of tides near power stations (Madah 2020 ) as well as the impacts of potential sea-level rise on tides (Lafta et al. 2020 ). Energy storage can also support energy sustainability, in part by offsetting the intermittency of some renewable energy resources (Krishan and Suhag 2019 ). Energy storage can also store energy until it is economic to deploy, and enhance efficiency and energy management (Al-Zareer et al. 2020b ). There are various types of energy storage (Koohi-Fayegh and Rosen 2020 ), including thermal energy storage (Dincer and Rosen 2021a ), underground storage using borehole heat exchangers (Sliwa et al. 2019 ) and batteries (Al-Zareer et al. 2020b ). Energy storage is increasingly being employed in building and HVAC systems (Dincer and Rosen 2015 ), and in renewable energy systems involving hybrid energy schemes (Rekioua 2020 ) and microgrids (Al-Ghussain et al. 2020 ).

Integrated energy systems, based on renewable and/or non-renewable energy technologies, can enhance energy sustainability and efficiency, e.g., polygeneration systems (Rosen and Koohi-Fayegh 2016 ; Calise et al. 2019 ; Rokni 2020 ; Mendecka et al. 2020 ; Kasaeian et al. 2020 ), and linking separate systems advantageously such as in cascading energy systems (Campana et al. 2019 ; Liu et al. 2020 ; Rokni 2020 ).

Building energy systems can be modified to enhance energy sustainability, e.g., using active systems such as renewable energy resources and passive technologies such as Trombe walls, multiple glazing windows and selective window coatings, daylight harvesting, insulation, weatherstripping and caulking. Note that behavior, culture and lifestyle also can affect the success of energy efficiency measures in buildings, as was illustrated for China (Zhang and Wang 2013 ). Energy sustainability can also be enhanced via district energy systems, in which thermal energy can be generated in heating or cooling facilities, using renewable energy or conventional resources, and transported to users. District energy systems are used in many cities and traverse a wide range of distances (Rosen and Koohi-Fayegh 2016 ). Buildings in many cities are connected through district energy systems that provide space and water heating and space cooling.

7 Illustration

In this illustration, we consider net-positive energy buildings. A net-positive energy building over an average year generates more energy from renewable energy sources than it uses, as shown in Fig.  8 , and can support energy sustainability (Rosen 2015 ; Endo et al. 2019 ; Delavar and Sahebi 2020 ; Tumminia et al. 2020 ; Singh and Das 2020 ). A net-positive energy building uses energy for a variety of tasks and generates energy from various renewable energy resources, and achieves net-positive energy status through advanced design and exploitation of technologies such as advanced automation, controls, component integration, energy storage, lighting and HVAC. One of the main upcoming “other energy uses” for electricity in Fig.  8 will likely be for vehicle energy (e.g., for electric automobiles). Such utilization of energy is likely to prove both cost effective and environmentally friendly. A net-positive energy building generates more electrical plus thermal energy from renewable energy sources than it uses over an average year, as shown in Fig.  9 . Such buildings are net energy generators, rather than net energy users, like most buildings today. Research on net-zero and net-positive energy buildings has been reported (Athienitis and O’Brien 2015 ; Mehrjerdi et al. 2019 ; Sun et al. 2019 ), while the International Energy Agency included an annex on “Towards Net-zero Energy Solar Building” and Canada launched in 2011 the Smart Net-zero Energy Buildings Strategic Research Network ( http://www.solarbuildings.ca ). The net-zero and net-positive energy building concepts can be expanded to include transportation devices that are part of the building (Garmsiri et al. 2016 ; Sun et al. 2019 ) and to net-zero and net-positive energy communities (Rad et al. 2017 ; Hachem-Vermette et al. 2019 ; Karunathilake et al. 2019 ; Nematchoua et al. 2021 ).

figure 8

Net-positive energy building, in which energy generation from renewable energy resources exceeds energy use over a typical year

figure 9

Imbalance of a net-positive energy building, highlighting how energy use over a typical year is less than energy generation from renewable energy resources

As a numerical example that correlates with the qualitative presentation in Fig.  8 , a performance assessment by Zomer et al. ( 2020 ) of PV systems installed at a positive energy building is considered here. The building is the Fotovoltaica/UFSC solar energy laboratory ( http://www.fotovoltaica.ufsc.br ) in Florianópolis, Brazil (27° S, 48° W). Although originally designed as a zero-energy building with PV systems on rooftops and façades, additional PV systems were installed on the same location on a carport and an electric bus (eBus) shelter and charging station, and ground-mount PV systems with single-axis solar tracking installed. The system then had a peak PV generation capacity of 111 kW. Energy generation and consumption were analyzed on monthly bases, and the key results are listed in Table 7 . The total PV generation in the period could supply 97% of the building (including eBus) energy consumption, accounting for actual performance and downtime for R&D activities. In that case, the building was almost a net-zero energy building (for which the energy supply would meet 100% of the consumption). However, when the systems operate all the time at their optimal performance, the PV system can supply 134% of the building (including eBus) energy consumption, making it a positive energy building.

8 Conclusions

Energy sustainability is described, with a focus on environmental perspectives, as are methods and technologies to enhance it. In essence being a key component of sustainability, the significance and importance of energy sustainability becomes clear. Requirements to increase energy sustainability are discussed, including low environmental and ecological impacts, sustainable energy resources and complementary energy carriers, high efficiencies, low environmental impacts, and various other predominantly non-technical factors. The latter include living standards, societal acceptability and equity. Interrelations among these are examined. Examples and illustrations are described that help to indicate the benefits of enhancing energy sustainability. The illustrations also indicate the complexity of energy sustainability and the factors that contribute to it, showing how challenging it can be to enhance energy sustainability. Net-positive energy buildings in particular illustrate the benefits and challenges. The outcomes and results serve to inform and educate about energy sustainability, to provide an impetus to move people in particular and civilization in general towards it.

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  • Introduction
  • Poems on Energy
  • Fuelled by Static: Greening Rand in Atlas Shrugged
  • In the Shadow of the Mine: Life and Death in Julio Llamazares' Escenas de cine mudo
  • Mining in Contemporary Indigenous Literature
  • The First Nations' Way: Indigenous People's Literary and Political Resistance to Big Oil
  • The Nature of Miners and Oilers: Ecological Representations of the Resource Curse in Spanish American Literature
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  • Fossil Love, Carbon Footprint: The Poetry of Gary Snyder
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  • The Chernobyl Nuclear Catastrophe: The Energy Source for Literary Texts within the Post-Soviet Society
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  • New American Georgic: The Marcellus Shale in Contemporary American Literature
  • Power to the People: Renewable Energy in Brenda Vale's Albion
  • The Freedom of the Solar Cell: Energies of the Sun across the long Twentieth Century
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Essay on Environment for Students and Children

500+ words essay on environment.

Essay on Environment – All living things that live on this earth comes under the environment. Whether they live on land or water they are part of the environment. The environment also includes air, water, sunlight, plants, animals, etc.

Moreover, the earth is considered the only planet in the universe that supports life. The environment can be understood as a blanket that keeps life on the planet sage and sound.

Essay on Environment

Importance of Environment

We truly cannot understand the real worth of the environment. But we can estimate some of its importance that can help us understand its importance. It plays a vital role in keeping living things healthy in the environment.

Likewise, it maintains the ecological balance that will keep check of life on earth. It provides food, shelter, air, and fulfills all the human needs whether big or small.

Moreover, the entire life support of humans depends wholly on the environmental factors. In addition, it also helps in maintaining various life cycles on earth.

Most importantly, our environment is the source of natural beauty and is necessary for maintaining physical and mental health.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Benefits of the Environment

The environment gives us countless benefits that we can’t repay our entire life. As they are connected with the forest, trees, animals, water, and air. The forest and trees filter the air and absorb harmful gases. Plants purify water, reduce the chances of flood maintain natural balance and many others.

Moreover, the environment keeps a close check on the environment and its functioning, It regulates the vital systems that are essential for the ecosystem. Besides, it maintains the culture and quality of life on earth.

The environment regulates various natural cycles that happen daily. These cycles help in maintaining the natural balance between living things and the environment. Disturbance of these things can ultimately affect the life cycle of humans and other living beings.

The environment has helped us and other living beings to flourish and grow from thousands of years. The environment provides us fertile land, water, air, livestock and many essential things for survival.

Cause of Environmental Degradation

Human activities are the major cause of environmental degradation because most of the activities humans do harm the environment in some way. The activities of humans that causes environmental degradation is pollution, defective environmental policies, chemicals, greenhouse gases, global warming, ozone depletion, etc.

All these affect the environment badly. Besides, these the overuse of natural resources will create a situation in the future there will be no resources for consumption. And the most basic necessity of living air will get so polluted that humans have to use bottled oxygen for breathing.

essay on energy and environment

Above all, increasing human activity is exerting more pressure on the surface of the earth which is causing many disasters in an unnatural form. Also, we are using the natural resources at a pace that within a few years they will vanish from the earth. To conclude, we can say that it is the environment that is keeping us alive. Without the blanket of environment, we won’t be able to survive.

Moreover, the environment’s contribution to life cannot be repaid. Besides, still what the environment has done for us, in return we only have damaged and degraded it.

FAQs about Essay on Environment

Q.1 What is the true meaning of the environment?

A.1 The ecosystem that includes all the plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, water bodies, fishes, human beings, trees, microorganisms and many more are part of the environment. Besides, all these constitute the environment.

Q.2 What is the three types of the environment?

A.2 The three types of environment includes the physical, social, and cultural environment. Besides, various scientists have defined different types and numbers of environment.

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  • ENVIRONMENT

Renewable energy, explained

Solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, and geothermal power can provide energy without the planet-warming effects of fossil fuels.

In any discussion about climate change , renewable energy usually tops the list of changes the world can implement to stave off the worst effects of rising temperatures. That's because renewable energy sources such as solar and wind don't emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming .

Clean energy has far more to recommend it than just being "green." The growing sector creates jobs , makes electric grids more resilient, expands energy access in developing countries, and helps lower energy bills. All of those factors have contributed to a renewable energy renaissance in recent years, with wind and solar setting new records for electricity generation .

For the past 150 years or so, humans have relied heavily on coal, oil, and other fossil fuels to power everything from light bulbs to cars to factories. Fossil fuels are embedded in nearly everything we do, and as a result, the greenhouse gases released from the burning of those fuels have reached historically high levels .

As greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere that would otherwise escape into space, average temperatures on the surface are rising . Global warming is one symptom of climate change, the term scientists now prefer to describe the complex shifts affecting our planet’s weather and climate systems. Climate change encompasses not only rising average temperatures but also extreme weather events, shifting wildlife populations and habitats, rising seas , and a range of other impacts .

Of course, renewables—like any source of energy—have their own trade-offs and associated debates. One of them centers on the definition of renewable energy. Strictly speaking, renewable energy is just what you might think: perpetually available, or as the U.S. Energy Information Administration puts it, " virtually inexhaustible ." But "renewable" doesn't necessarily mean sustainable, as opponents of corn-based ethanol or large hydropower dams often argue. It also doesn't encompass other low- or zero-emissions resources that have their own advocates, including energy efficiency and nuclear power.

Types of renewable energy sources

Hydropower: For centuries, people have harnessed the energy of river currents, using dams to control water flow. Hydropower is the world's biggest source of renewable energy by far, with China, Brazil, Canada, the U.S., and Russia the leading hydropower producers . While hydropower is theoretically a clean energy source replenished by rain and snow, it also has several drawbacks.

Large dams can disrupt river ecosystems and surrounding communities , harming wildlife and displacing residents. Hydropower generation is vulnerable to silt buildup, which can compromise capacity and harm equipment. Drought can also cause problems. In the western U.S., carbon dioxide emissions over a 15-year period were 100 megatons higher than they normally would have been, according to a 2018 study , as utilities turned to coal and gas to replace hydropower lost to drought. Even hydropower at full capacity bears its own emissions problems, as decaying organic material in reservoirs releases methane.

Dams aren't the only way to use water for power: Tidal and wave energy projects around the world aim to capture the ocean's natural rhythms. Marine energy projects currently generate an estimated 500 megawatts of power —less than one percent of all renewables—but the potential is far greater. Programs like Scotland’s Saltire Prize have encouraged innovation in this area.

Wind: Harnessing the wind as a source of energy started more than 7,000 years ago . Now, electricity-generating wind turbines are proliferating around the globe, and China, the U.S., and Germany are the leading wind energy producers. From 2001 to 2017 , cumulative wind capacity around the world increased to more than 539,000 megawatts from 23,900 mw—more than 22 fold.

Some people may object to how wind turbines look on the horizon and to how they sound, but wind energy, whose prices are declining , is proving too valuable a resource to deny. While most wind power comes from onshore turbines, offshore projects are appearing too, with the most in the U.K. and Germany. The first U.S. offshore wind farm opened in 2016 in Rhode Island, and other offshore projects are gaining momentum . Another problem with wind turbines is that they’re a danger for birds and bats, killing hundreds of thousands annually , not as many as from glass collisions and other threats like habitat loss and invasive species, but enough that engineers are working on solutions to make them safer for flying wildlife.

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Solar: From home rooftops to utility-scale farms, solar power is reshaping energy markets around the world. In the decade from 2007 and 2017 the world's total installed energy capacity from photovoltaic panels increased a whopping 4,300 percent .

In addition to solar panels, which convert the sun's light to electricity, concentrating solar power (CSP) plants use mirrors to concentrate the sun's heat, deriving thermal energy instead. China, Japan, and the U.S. are leading the solar transformation, but solar still has a long way to go, accounting for around two percent of the total electricity generated in the U.S. in 2017. Solar thermal energy is also being used worldwide for hot water, heating, and cooling.

Biomass: Biomass energy includes biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel , wood and wood waste, biogas from landfills, and municipal solid waste. Like solar power, biomass is a flexible energy source, able to fuel vehicles, heat buildings, and produce electricity. But biomass can raise thorny issues.

Critics of corn-based ethanol , for example, say it competes with the food market for corn and supports the same harmful agricultural practices that have led to toxic algae blooms and other environmental hazards. Similarly, debates have erupted over whether it's a good idea to ship wood pellets from U.S. forests over to Europe so that it can be burned for electricity. Meanwhile, scientists and companies are working on ways to more efficiently convert corn stover , wastewater sludge , and other biomass sources into energy, aiming to extract value from material that would otherwise go to waste.

Geothermal: Used for thousands of years in some countries for cooking and heating, geothermal energy is derived from the Earth’s internal heat . On a large scale, underground reservoirs of steam and hot water can be tapped through wells that can go a mile deep or more to generate electricity. On a smaller scale, some buildings have geothermal heat pumps that use temperature differences several feet below ground for heating and cooling. Unlike solar and wind energy, geothermal energy is always available, but it has side effects that need to be managed, such as the rotten egg smell that can accompany released hydrogen sulfide.

Ways to boost renewable energy

Cities, states, and federal governments around the world are instituting policies aimed at increasing renewable energy. At least 29 U.S. states have set renewable portfolio standards —policies that mandate a certain percentage of energy from renewable sources, More than 100 cities worldwide now boast at least 70 percent renewable energy, and still others are making commitments to reach 100 percent . Other policies that could encourage renewable energy growth include carbon pricing, fuel economy standards, and building efficiency standards. Corporations are making a difference too, purchasing record amounts of renewable power in 2018.

Wonder whether your state could ever be powered by 100 percent renewables? No matter where you live, scientist Mark Jacobson believes it's possible. That vision is laid out here , and while his analysis is not without critics , it punctuates a reality with which the world must now reckon. Even without climate change, fossil fuels are a finite resource, and if we want our lease on the planet to be renewed, our energy will have to be renewable.

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essay on energy and environment

This Is the Future: Essay on Renewable Energy

essay on energy and environment

Today the world population depends on nonrenewable energy resources. With the constantly growing demand for energy, natural gas, coal, and oil get used up and cannot replenish themselves. 

Aside from limited supply, heavy reliance on fossil fuels causes planetary-scale damage. Sea levels are rising. Heat-trapping carbon dioxide increased the warming effect by 45% from 1990 to 2019. The only way to tackle the crisis is to start the transition to renewable energy now. 

What is renewable energy? It is energy that comes from replenishable natural resources like sunlight, wind, thermal energy, moving water, and organic materials. Renewable resources do not run out. They are cost-efficient and renew faster than they are consumed. How does renewable energy save money? It creates new jobs, supports economic growth, and decreases inequitable fossil fuel subsidies. 

At the current rates of production, some fossil fuels will not even last another century. This is why the future depends on reliable and eco-friendly resources. This renewable energy essay examines the types and benefits of renewable energy and its role in creating a sustainable future.

Top 5 Types of Renewable Energy: The Apollo Alliance Rankings

There are many natural resources that can provide people with clean energy. To make a list of the five most booming types of renewable energy on the market today, this energy essay uses data gathered by the Apollo Alliance. It is a project that aims to revolutionize the energy sector of the US with a focus on clean energy. 

The Apollo Alliance unites businesses, community leaders, and environmental experts to support the transition to more sustainable and efficient living. Their expert opinion helped to compile information about the most common and cost-competitive sources of renewable energy. However, if you want to get some more in-depth research, you can entrust it to an essay writer . Here’s a quick overview of renewable energy resources that have a huge potential to substitute fossil fuels. 

Solar Renewable Energy

The most abundant and practically endless resource is solar energy. It can be turned into electricity by photovoltaic systems that convert radiant energy captured from sunlight. Solar farms could generate enough energy for thousands of homes.

An endless supply is the main benefit of solar energy. The rate at which the Earth receives it is 10,000 times greater than people can consume it, as a paper writer points out based on their analysis of research findings. It can substitute fossil fuels and deliver people electricity, hot water, cooling, heat, etc. 

The upfront investment in solar systems is rather expensive. This is one of the primary limitations that prevent businesses and households from switching to this energy source at once. However, the conclusion of solar energy is still favorable. In the long run, it can significantly decrease energy costs. Besides, solar panels are gradually becoming more affordable to manufacture and adopt, even at an individual level. 

Wind Renewable Energy

Another clean energy source is wind. Wind farms use the kinetic energy of wind flow to convert it into electricity. The Appolo Alliance notes that, unlike solar farms, they can’t be placed in any location. To stay cost-competitive, wind farms should operate in windy areas. Although not all countries have the right conditions to use them on a large scale, wind farms might be introduced for some energy diversity. The technical potential for it is still tremendous. 

Wind energy is clean and safe for the environment. It does not pollute the atmosphere with any harmful products compared to nonrenewable energy resources. 

The investment in wind energy is also economically wise. If you examine the cost of this energy resource in an essay on renewable resources, you’ll see that wind farms can deliver electricity at a price lower than nonrenewable resources. Besides, since wind isn’t limited, its cost won’t be influenced by the imbalance of supply and demand.

Geothermal Renewable Energy

Natural renewable resources are all around us, even beneath the ground. Geothermal energy can be produced from the thermal energy from the Earth’s interior. Sometimes heat reaches the surface naturally, for example, in the form of geysers. But it can also be used by geothermal power plants. The Earth’s heat gets captured and converted to steam that turns a turbine. As a result, we get geothermal energy.

This source provides a significant energy supply while having low emissions and no significant footprint on land. A factsheet and essay on renewable resources state that geothermal plants will increase electricity production from 17 billion kWh in 2020 to 49.8 billion kWh in 2050.

However, this method is not without limitations. While writing a renewable resources essay, consider that geothermal energy can be accessed only in certain regions. Geological hotspots are off-limits as they are vulnerable to earthquakes. Yet, the quantity of geothermal resources is likely to grow as technology advances. 

Ocean Renewable Energy

The kinetic and thermal energy of the ocean is a robust resource. Ocean power systems rely on:

  • Changes in sea level;
  • Wave energy;
  • Water surface temperatures;
  • The energy released from seawater and freshwater mixing.

Ocean energy is more predictable compared to other resources. As estimated by EPRI, it has the potential to produce 2640 TWh/yr. However, an important point to consider in a renewable energy essay is that the kinetic energy of the ocean varies. Yet, since it is ruled by the moon’s gravity, the resource is plentiful and continues to be attractive for the energy industry. 

Wave energy systems are still developing. The Apollo energy corporation explores many prototypes. It is looking for the most reliable and robust solution that can function in the harsh ocean environment. 

Another limitation of ocean renewable energy is that it may cause disruptions to marine life. Although its emissions are minimal, the system requires large equipment to be installed in the ocean. 

Biomass Renewable Energy

Organic materials like wood and charcoal have been used for heating and lighting for centuries. There are a lot more types of biomass: from trees, cereal straws, and grass to processed waste. All of them can produce bioenergy. 

Biomass can be converted into energy through burning or using methane produced during the natural process of decomposition. In an essay on renewable sources of energy, the opponents of the method point out that biomass energy is associated with carbon dioxide emissions. Yet, the amount of released greenhouse gases is much lower compared to nonrenewable energy use. 

While biomass is a reliable source of energy, it is only suitable for limited applications. If used too extensively, it might lead to disruptions in biodiversity, a negative impact on land use, and deforestation. Still, Apollo energy includes biomass resources that become waste and decompose quickly anyway. These are organic materials like sawdust, chips from sawmills, stems, nut shells, etc. 

What Is the Apollo Alliance?

The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of business leaders, environmental organizations, labor unions, and foundations. They all unite their efforts in a single project to harness clean energy in new, innovative ways. 

Why Apollo? Similarly to President John F. Kennedy’s Apollo Project, Apollo energy is a strong visionary initiative. It is a dare, a challenge. The alliance calls for the integrity of science, research, technology, and the public to revolutionize the energy industry.

The project has a profound message. Apollo energy solutions are not only about the environment or energy. They are about building a new economy. The alliance gives hope to building a secure future for Americans. 

What is the mission of the Apollo Alliance? 

  • Achieve energy independence with efficient and limitless resources of renewable energy.
  • Pioneer innovation in the energy sector.
  • Build education campaigns and communication to inspire new perceptions of energy. 
  • Create new jobs.
  • Reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. 
  • Build healthier and happier communities. 

The transformation of the industry will lead to planet-scale changes. The Apollo energy corporation can respond to the global environmental crisis and prevent climate change. 

Apollo renewable energy also has the potential to become a catalyst for social change. With more affordable energy and new jobs in the industry, people can bridge the inequality divide and build stronger communities. 

Why Renewable Energy Is Important for the Future

Renewable energy resources have an enormous potential to cover people’s energy needs on a global scale. Unlike fossil fuels, they are available in abundance and generate minimal to no emissions. 

The burning of fossil fuels caused a lot of environmental problems—from carbon dioxide emissions to ocean acidification. Research this issue in more detail with academic assistance from essay writer online . You can use it to write an essay on renewable sources of energy to explain the importance of change and its global impact. 

Despite all the damage people caused to the planet, there’s still hope to mitigate further repercussions. Every renewable energy essay adds to the existing body of knowledge we have today and advances research in the field. Here are the key advantages and disadvantages of alternative energy resources people should keep in mind. 

Advantage of Green Energy

The use of renewable energy resources has a number of benefits for the climate, human well-being, and economy:

  • Renewable energy resources have little to no greenhouse gas emissions. Even if we take into account the manufacturing and recycling of the technologies involved, their impact on the environment is significantly lower compared to fossil fuels. 
  • Renewable energy promotes self-sufficiency and reduces a country’s dependence on foreign fuel. According to a study, a 1% increase in the use of renewable energy increases economic growth by 0.21%. This gives socio-economic stability.
  • Due to a lack of supply of fossil fuels and quick depletion of natural resources, prices for nonrenewable energy keep increasing. In contrast, green energy is limitless and can be produced locally. In the long run, this allows decreasing the cost of energy. 
  • Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy doesn’t emit air pollutants. This positively influences health and quality of life. 
  • The emergence of green energy plants creates new jobs. Thus, Apollo energy solutions support the growth of local communities. By 2030, the transition to renewable energy is expected to generate 10.3 million new jobs. 
  • Renewable energy allows decentralization of the industry. Communities get their independent sources of energy that are more flexible in terms of distribution. 
  • Renewable energy supports equality. It has the potential to make energy more affordable to low-income countries and expand access to energy even in remote and less fortunate neighborhoods. 

Disadvantages of Non-Conventional Energy Sources

No technology is perfect. Renewable energy resources have certain drawbacks too: 

  • The production of renewable energy depends on weather conditions. For example, wind farms could be effective only in certain locations where the weather conditions allow it. The weather also makes it so that renewable energy cannot be generated around the clock. 
  • The initial cost of renewable energy technology is expensive. Both manufacturing and installation require significant investment. This is another disadvantage of renewable resources. It makes them unaffordable to a lot of businesses and unavailable for widespread individual use. In addition, the return on investment might not be immediate.
  • Renewable energy technology takes up a lot of space. It may affect life in the communities where these clean energy farms are installed. They may also cause disruptions to wildlife in the areas. 
  • One more limitation a renewable resources essay should consider is the current state of technology. While the potential of renewable energy resources is tremendous, the technology is still in its development phase. Therefore, renewable energy might not substitute fossil fuels overnight. There’s a need for more research, investment, and time to transition to renewable energy completely. Yet, some diversity of energy resources should be introduced as soon as possible. 
  • Renewable energy resources have limited emissions, but they are not entirely pollution-free. The manufacturing process of equipment is associated with greenhouse gas emissions while, for example, the lifespan of a wind turbine is only 20 years. 

For high school seniors eyeing a future rich with innovative endeavors in renewable energy or other fields, it's crucial to seek financial support early on. Explore the top 10 scholarships for high school seniors to find the right fit that can propel you into a future where you can contribute to the renewable energy movement and beyond. Through such financial support, the road to making meaningful contributions to a sustainable future becomes a tangible reality.

Renewable energy unlocks the potential for humanity to have clean energy that is available in abundance. It leads us to economic growth, independence, and stability. With green energy, we can also reduce the impact of human activity on the environment and stop climate change before it’s too late. 

So what’s the conclusion of renewable energy? Transitioning to renewable energy resources might be challenging and expensive. However, most experts agree that the advantages of green energy outweigh any drawbacks. Besides, since technology is continuously evolving, we’ll be able to overcome most limitations in no time.

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113 Renewable Energy Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best renewable energy topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on renewable energy, 💡 interesting topics to write about renewable energy, ❓ questions about renewable energy.

  • Solar Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy It is of essence to note that, with the depletion of fossil fuels, more emphasis is now being put on the use of solar energy as an alternate energy source.
  • Solar Energy Installation Project Management 0 Pilot solar energy project Managers will run a pilot project to determine the feasibility of the project. A number of resources will be required to complete the project.
  • The Benefits of Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy This research paper seeks to describe renewable and non renewable energy sources, their effects on the environment and economic benefits.”Fossils fuels are one of the most widely used sources of energy”.
  • Renewable Energy: Comparison Between Biogas and Solar Energies Again, the research finds that the cost of installation is higher compared to solar energy sources. However, the paper is going to compare solar and biogas energy sources.
  • Wind Energy as Forms of Sustainable Energy Sources T he only costs to be met in producing wind energy is the cost of equipment for harnessing wind, wind turbines for converting the energy and photovoltaic panels for storing energy.
  • Using Solar (PV) Energy to Generate Hydrogen Gas for Fuel Cells With the current technologies, an electrolyzer working at 100% efficiency needs 39 kWh of electricity to liberate 1 kg of hydrogen.
  • Carbon Footprint and Renewable Energy The consumption of fossil fuels by the energy infrastructure is one of the greatest sources of greenhouse gases which are responsible for recent global warming and climate change concern. This is the increase in the […]
  • Climate Change and Renewable Energy Options The existence of various classes of world economies in the rural setting and the rise of the middle class economies has put more pressure on environmental services that are highly demanded and the use of […]
  • Investment in Renewable Energy Sources Thus, it is possible to say that climate crisis can prove to be a catastrophe that can profoundly influence people living in various regions of the world; more importantly, the existing policies are not sufficient […]
  • How Solar Energy Can Save the Environment? Over the past few decades, the level of greenhouse gasses in the environment has been on the rise. The only cost in the production of solar energy is making the solar panels.
  • Renewable Energy: Geothermal Energy Of all these forms of renewables, geothermal energy is perceived as one of the renowned forms of renewable energy which is generated from the crust of the earth.
  • Renewable Energy Ethical Question Despite the fact that the power of wind, sun, and water can be transformed into energy the great majority of people argue the importance of the renewable energy system implementation proving that the disadvantages should […]
  • Solar Energy in the United Arab Emirates The success of the solar power initiatives in the UAE is largely attributed to the wide range of financial incentives that the UAE government has offered to the companies that are prepared to advance the […]
  • Renewable Energy Sources Thus, the establishment that the use of fossil fuels adversely affects the environment is important in explaining the shift to the use of renewable energy sources.
  • Adopting Renewable Energies Proponents of fossil fuels assert that while alternative energy sources purport to be the solution to the problems that fossil fuels have caused, alternative energy sources can simply not cater for the huge energy needs […]
  • The Sun’s Light and Heat: Solar Energy Issue The figure below provides an overview of the major parts of the solar system, which include the solar core, the radiative zone, the convective zone, the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona among others.
  • Science and the Use of Non-Renewable Energy Resources It is scientific knowledge that the use of fossil fuels such as oil leads to the pollution of the environment. This is the reason why science can be used to explain the lethal effects of […]
  • Climate Change: Renewable Energy Sources Climate change is the biggest threat to humanity, and deforestation and “oil dependency” only exacerbate the situation and rapidly kill people. Therefore it is important to invest in the development of renewable energy sources.
  • The Role of Renewable Energy in Addressing Electricity Demand in Zambia In this regard, ZESCO Limited, the Zambian power utility company, has an obligation to generate and supply the electricity in the country.
  • Barriers to Deploying Renewable Energy in Hotels The main benefit of renewable energy is environmental protection, improving the environmental and social performance of the industry, and reducing utility costs.
  • Renewable Energy: An International Profile To illustrate the severity of some of the outlined consequences and challenges presented to the national environment, the following graph is presented, illustrating the growth rate of the US fracking industry.
  • “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”: Developing Renewable Energy The focus of this bill on the technological aspect of environmental protection is seen in the allocation of funds on loan guarantees, grants for researchers, and the manufacturing of advanced systems.
  • Technology and Wind Energy Efforts by the elite members of the society enlightened the global countries about the benefits of renewable energy sources in conserving the environment prompting the need to consider wind energy.
  • Efficient Solar Refrigeration: A Technology Platform for Clean Energy and Water Refrigeration cycle capable to be driven by low grade energy, substituting gas-phase ejector used in conventional mechanical compressor.
  • Non-Renewable Energy and Gross Domestic Product of China The use of non-renewable energy in China has the negative impact on the GDP, as indicated by the negative values of DOLS and CCR coefficients. The generation of renewable energy has a negligible negative impact […]
  • Making Solar Energy Affordable Solar energy is a type of energy that is obtained through tapping the sun’s rays radiant and converting it into other energy forms such as heat and electricity.
  • Government Subsidies for Solar Energy This approach has enabled solar companies and developers to penetrate the energy market despite the high costs involved in developing solar power.
  • Electrical Engineering Building Uses Wind Energy The purpose of this fact-finding mission was to determine an appropriate type and rating of the wind turbine based on three factors: the average wind data at UNSW; the peak power demand for the EE […]
  • Solar Energy: Review and Analysis Available literature shows that most commercial CSP plants in Spain and the United States using synthetic oil as the transfer fluid and molten salt as the thermal energy storage technology are able to achieve a […]
  • Solar and Wind Energy in the Empty Quarter Desert However, the main bulk of the report focuses on the proposal to build a stand alone renewable energy source, a combination of a solar power wind turbine system that will provide a stable energy source […]
  • Wind Energy for the Citizens of Shikalabuna, Sri Lanka The citizens of Shikalabuna are shot of the possibility to implement the required wind turbines and get a chance to pay less using the natural source available.
  • Renewable Energy and Transport Fuel Use Patterns The base data is as follows: Table 1 The first segment of this analysis tests for differences between consumption of natural gas and ethanol.
  • Renewable Energy Technologies As for the construction decision and the way of harnessing the wave power, a variety of solutions has been proposed. Cheap and reliable desalinization technology such as one described in the Economist article could be […]
  • Solar Energy Selling Framework The list of actions to complete the required activity goes in the following sequence: planning actions, sales pitch itself, and reflection. The actions, aimed at doing are the four stages of a sales pitch, that […]
  • Renewable Energy Resources in Qatar The topicality of the problem is evidenced by current trends favoring the use of renewable energy resources and the necessity to avoid further deterioration of the situation in this sphere.
  • The Solar Energy and Photovoltaic Effect The key difference factor of the solar cells is the material and technology that is used. Photon behavior in a solar cell is defined by the materials used and the construction of the cell itself.
  • Solar Energy: Commercial and Industrial Power Source This is made further possible by the inspirational circulars related to the application of more solar energy in the state. This is one of the major participations that came in to the notice.
  • Conceptual Chemistry. Wind Turbine vs. Coal Energy The current paper is aimed at considering and comparing traditional coal energy and the newly popular wind turbine energy in the context of their costs and environmental benefits.
  • Solar Energy and Its Impact on Society He believed that the wheel was the extension of our feet, the hammer was an extension of our hands, and technology is the extension of our mind and mentality.
  • Bismuth Vanadate Photocatalyst for Solar Energy 20 In the scheelite BiVO4, it is possible to find out a hybridized band structure with Bi 6s and O 2p orbitals.
  • Renewable Energy and Politics Relationships The global regimes concerned with energy use and distribution call on states to stick to commerce when dealing with energy matters instead of mixing it with politics, but it seems the pleas are ignored given […]
  • Solar Energy Power Plant & Utility Supply Contract The first assumption from the case above is that the advisement by SEPP to the US not to provide EEC certificates was made orally and was came after the contract had been signed.
  • Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE Adoption of solar power technologies would be extremely beneficial to Gulf countries, and it will help to address most of the issues related to resource shortages.
  • Solar Energy Industry in the UAE The UAE International Investors Council insists that the sustainable use of the available financial resources, particularly, FDI, should be viewed as the foundation for enhancing the development of the state industries, especially as far as […]
  • Biofuel: Renewable Energy Type The purpose of this essay is to discuss this statement and evaluate its accuracy in accordance to the latest studies, as well as the pros and cons of biofuel in general.
  • Wind Energy Feasibility in Russia In Russia, feasibility studies have been conducted to establish the viability of wind turbine projects. In conjunction with the problem statement above, the following aims have been formulated: To use the available and relevant data […]
  • Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. at Canada’s Market The company’s mission is to expand the renewable energy production through the development and operation of their high-quality facilities, considering the need to preserve the environment and the necessity to balance the interests of the […]
  • Google’s Driverless Cars and Renewable Energy Some of the firms are testing the technology with the application of low-powered green energy. The violations of the road regulations are not the only issue with the driverless car technology.
  • Solar Energy: Definition and Ways of Usage Observers believe that the energy from the sun has the potential to satisfy the world’s energy requirements. Energy from the solar is free, and we can never deplete solar energy.
  • Solar Energy Panels in UAE This report will examine the future of solar energy and the incentive schemes that can be put in place to develop the United Arab Emirates solar energy industry.
  • Wind Power as an Alternative Energy Source Wind energy is a renewable source of energy that is an alternative to fossil fuel use, which is necessary for the conservation of the environment.
  • Environmental Issues for Managers: UK’s Current Strategy on Renewable Energy & Technologies The renewable energy strategy of the UK entails escalating the utilization of micro-generation and lessening energy wastage. Barriers to Adoption of Renewable Energy and Technologies The main barriers to adoption of renewable technology in the […]
  • Solar & Wind Sources: Hybrid Energy System Of the Australian capital cities, Darwin, Australia is the smallest and is located in the north-most part of the country. The following is the analysis of the factors to be considered.
  • The Cost Efficiency of Renewable Energy The mentioned benefits as well as other objectives are the reasons why departments of energy around the globe highlight on the generation of electricity from the renewable sources.
  • Legal and Political Factors of Renewable Energy Development To overcome these barriers the government has put in place various regulations and policies to facilitate the development of renewable energy.
  • Environment and Renewable Energy A greater focus on renewable energy development is necessary in this day and age due to the various problems brought about by the use of fossil fueled power plants, which have caused not only an […]
  • Technological Factors of Renewable Energy Development There are three reasons behind this: Renewable energy resources from a commercial energy standpoint are as of yet an unproven method of reliable energy production The means by which renewable energy is produced requires a […]
  • Social Background of Renewable Energy Development According to Craddock, although some people believe that the development of renewable sources of energy is driven by the economic needs, the social force also plays an important role in increasing popularity of this form […]
  • Economic Factors of Renewable Energy Development There has been a consistent increase in the price of a barrel of oil in the world market over the last fifty years.
  • Producing and Transmitting Renewable Energy Complexity in producing and transmitting renewable energy is multifaceted and may be related to many factors, which hinder production and transmission of renewable energy to users.
  • Renewable Energy Policies in Thailand Craddock defines renewable energy policies as “Regulations or incentives that are created to encourage the use of renewable energy, and the main purpose of these policies is to increase the production of renewable energy”.
  • Solar Energy Houses’ Benefits In the same breadth, another advantage of the solar energy houses is that they reduce the emission of carbon dioxide through other processes.
  • Is Renewable Energy a Viable Option? One of the most critical questions that majorities ask and the main hurdle to renewable energy is whether renewable energy can ever efficiently become a viable energy option relative to the traditional, ready available sources […]
  • Economics of Renewable Energy This form of renewable energy has proven to be the best in the industrial sector. This means that the society has to look beyond the use of non renewable energy.
  • Renewable Energy: Wind Generating Plant for the Local Community The financial department will deal with all the financial aspects of the project, while marketing department will handle the marketing of the energy source in the society.
  • Usage of Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia Energy system stability for the year 2010 In the Table, the Potential for adopting CSP in the Kingdom for the year 2010 rated 124,560 TWh and has a capacity credit of 90%.
  • Wind-Based Energy Market The energy department in the U.S.has been able to discover and point a number of challenges and problems in the development of wind energy.
  • Solar Energy in the UAE It is important to note that the nature of the solar field is modular, and that it has a number of parallel solar collector rows.
  • Solar Energy Business Model Based in Melbourne Competitiveness The concentration of solar energy consultancy industry Industry concentration is a term used to define the measure of the number of organizations as well as the size of the organizations, which are considered predominant […]
  • Abu Dhabi Wind Energy The report covers energy crisis in Abu Dhabi, wind energy as a potential source of renewable energy for Abu Dhabi, and recommendations.
  • Wind Energy for Environmental Sustainability Production of this energy is important to the survival and enhancement of lives of people in a society. It refers to the role of that business or a corporate towards the society.
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy Another advantage is the fact that most of the turbines that are used in the generation of wind power are located in ranches, and on farms.
  • Making Solar Energy More Affordable The use of solar energy can be critical for environmental and economic sustainability of many communities that can be located in different regions of the world.
  • Renewable Energy Sources Summary Solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy and geothermal energy are the main renewable sources of energy. In an analysis of 2005 energy sources, it is evident that nuclear energy was the dominant energy source followed […]
  • Wind Energy, Its Advantages and Disadvantages Reliable sources of energy need to be renewable; they include wind energy, solar energy and hydro-energy; wind energy is a dependable source of energy although it remains the least used among the available renewable sources […]
  • Renewable Energy Co: Engineering Economics and TOP Perspectives of Renewable Energy in Canada The beginning of the twenty-first century reflects the concerns of people about the sources of energy, lack of power supply, and importance of reconsidering values and sources of energy that have been established in the […]
  • Solving the Climate Change Crisis Through Development of Renewable Energy Thus, the threats of the climate change can be overcome with references to resolving the economic crisis with the help of orientation to the new sources of renewable energy, which can be discussed as beneficial […]
  • Can a Switch to Renewable Energy Sources Help Combat Global Warming? This paper will argue that since fossil fuels have been the primary contributors to the global warming problem, a switch to renewable energy sources will help to mitigate global warming and possibly even reverse the […]
  • Wind and Solar Energy as a Sources of Alternative Energy Fthenakis, Mason and Zweibel also examined the economical, geographical and technical viability of solar power to supplement the energy requirements of the U.S.and concluded that it was possible to substitute the current fossil fuel energy […]
  • Wind Energy: The Use of Wind Turbines One of the most promising is wind energy, specifically the use of wind turbines to produce clean and renewable energy. The only problem is that it is more expensive to build large wind turbines.
  • New Techniques for Harnessing Solar Energy Due to the scarcity of fossil fuels and the expenses incurred in the mining of fossil fuels, it is important that we find a new source of energy to fulfill the energy needs of the […]
  • Is Solar Energy Good for the State of New Jersey? The state of the New Jersey is second to California in terms of the use of solar energy. As people are waking up to the reality that the limited world’s resources are increasingly being depleted, […]
  • The Use of Solar Energy Should be Adopted in All States in the U.S. The emphasis on renewable sources of energy has been enhanced by the fact that the limited world’s resources are increasingly being depleted; thus, the states have adopted the use of solar energy so as to […]
  • What Energy Is Renewable?
  • What Is the Cleanest Renewable Energy Source?
  • How Does Renewable Energy Work?
  • What Are the Types of Renewable Resources?
  • Is Renewable Energy Healthy?
  • What Are the Benefits of Renewable Energy?
  • What Are the Cons of Renewable Energy?
  • What Is the Most Powerful Renewable Energy?
  • What Affects the Development of Renewable Energy Power Generation Projects in China?
  • Can the World Be Powered Fully by Renewable Energy?
  • How Safe Is Renewable Energy?
  • Why Is Renewable Energy Not Popular?
  • What Are the Most Renewable Energy Sources?
  • How Renewable Energy Can Change the World?
  • What Drives Renewable Energy Development?
  • What Role Can Renewable Energy Play for North Africa and the Middle East?
  • How Does Renewable Energy Impact Carbon Emissions?
  • What Will the Situation for Renewable Energy in Europe Be in 2030?
  • What Is the Main Problem With Renewable Energy?
  • How Efficient Is Renewable Energy?
  • Can Renewable Energy Be Overused?
  • Why 100% Renewable Is Not Possible?
  • Which Country Has Highest Renewable Energy?
  • What Are the Effects of Renewable Energy?
  • What Is the Safest Energy Source?
  • Water Issues Research Ideas
  • Global Warming Essay Titles
  • Ecosystem Essay Topics
  • Biodiversity Research Topics
  • Green Building Questions
  • Electric Vehicle Paper Topics
  • Environmental Protection Titles
  • Greenhouse Gases Research Ideas
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essay on energy and environment

Renewable energy – powering a safer future

Energy is at the heart of the climate challenge – and key to the solution.

A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat.

Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, are by far the largest contributor to global climate change , accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

The science is clear: to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, emissions need to be reduced by almost half by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

To achieve this, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable.

Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.

Fossil fuels still account for more than 80 percent of global energy production , but cleaner sources of energy are gaining ground. About 29 percent of electricity currently comes from renewable sources.

Here are five reasons why accelerating the transition to clean energy is the pathway to a healthy, livable planet today and for generations to come.

1. Renewable energy sources are all around us

About 80 percent of the global population lives in countries that are net-importers of fossil fuels -- that’s about 6 billion people who are dependent on fossil fuels from other countries, which makes them vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and crises.

In contrast, renewable energy sources are available in all countries, and their potential is yet to be fully harnessed. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that 90 percent of the world’s electricity can and should come from renewable energy by 2050.

Renewables offer a way out of import dependency, allowing countries to diversify their economies and protect them from the unpredictable price swings of fossil fuels, while driving inclusive economic growth, new jobs, and poverty alleviation.

2. Renewable energy is cheaper

Renewable energy actually is the cheapest power option in most parts of the world today. Prices for renewable energy technologies are dropping rapidly. The cost of electricity from solar power fell by 85 percent between 2010 and 2020. Costs of onshore and offshore wind energy fell by 56 percent and 48 percent respectively.

Falling prices make renewable energy more attractive all around – including to low- and middle-income countries, where most of the additional demand for new electricity will come from. With falling costs, there is a real opportunity for much of the new power supply over the coming years to be provided by low-carbon sources.

Cheap electricity from renewable sources could provide 65 percent of the world’s total electricity supply by 2030. It could decarbonize 90 percent of the power sector by 2050, massively cutting carbon emissions and helping to mitigate climate change.

Although solar and wind power costs are expected to remain higher in 2022 and 2023 then pre-pandemic levels due to general elevated commodity and freight prices, their competitiveness actually improves due to much sharper increases in gas and coal prices, says the International Energy Agency (IEA).

3. Renewable energy is healthier

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 99 percent of people in the world breathe air that exceeds air quality limits and threatens their health, and more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes, including air pollution.

The unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide originate mainly from the burning of fossil fuels. In 2018, air pollution from fossil fuels caused $2.9 trillion in health and economic costs , about $8 billion a day.

Switching to clean sources of energy, such as wind and solar, thus helps address not only climate change but also air pollution and health.

4. Renewable energy creates jobs

Every dollar of investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than in the fossil fuel industry. The IEA estimates that the transition towards net-zero emissions will lead to an overall increase in energy sector jobs : while about 5 million jobs in fossil fuel production could be lost by 2030, an estimated 14 million new jobs would be created in clean energy, resulting in a net gain of 9 million jobs.

In addition, energy-related industries would require a further 16 million workers, for instance to take on new roles in manufacturing of electric vehicles and hyper-efficient appliances or in innovative technologies such as hydrogen. This means that a total of more than 30 million jobs could be created in clean energy, efficiency, and low-emissions technologies by 2030.

Ensuring a just transition , placing the needs and rights of people at the heart of the energy transition, will be paramount to make sure no one is left behind.

5. Renewable energy makes economic sense

About $7 trillion was spent on subsidizing the fossil fuel industry in 2022, including through explicit subsidies, tax breaks, and health and environmental damages that were not priced into the cost of fossil fuels.

In comparison, about $4.5 trillion a year needs to be invested in renewable energy until 2030 – including investments in technology and infrastructure – to allow us to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The upfront cost can be daunting for many countries with limited resources, and many will need financial and technical support to make the transition. But investments in renewable energy will pay off. The reduction of pollution and climate impacts alone could save the world up to $4.2 trillion per year by 2030.

Moreover, efficient, reliable renewable technologies can create a system less prone to market shocks and improve resilience and energy security by diversifying power supply options.

Learn more about how many communities and countries are realizing the economic, societal, and environmental benefits of renewable energy.

Will developing countries benefit from the renewables boom? Learn more here .

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What is renewable energy?

Derived from natural resources that are abundant and continuously replenished, renewable energy is key to a safer, cleaner, and sustainable world. Explore common sources of renewable energy here.

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Why invest in renewable energy?

Learn more about the differences between fossil fuels and renewables, the benefits of renewable energy, and how we can act now.

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Five ways to jump-start the renewable energy transition now

UN Secretary-General outlines five critical actions the world needs to prioritize now to speed up the global shift to renewable energy.

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What is net zero? Why is it important? Our net-zero page explains why we need steep emissions cuts now and what efforts are underway.

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Our climate 101 offers a quick take on the how and why of climate change. Read more.

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How will the world foot the bill? We explain the issues and the value of financing climate action.

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Climate issues

Learn more about how climate change impacts are felt across different sectors and ecosystems.

It’s time to stop burning our planet, and start investing in the abundant renewable energy all around us." ANTÓNIO GUTERRES , United Nations Secretary-General

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Energy and the Environment in Economic History

Both energy and the environment are inputs into production, influencing the economy and the overall welfare of the population. While the economy itself has been a central focus of economic history from its inception, energy and the environment have received more limited attention. On the energy side, the relative lack of attention reflects economic historians' focus on labor, capital, and technology. Two areas that have received attention are the effects of energy on the spatial location of economic activity and the importance of coal for the Industrial Revolution. On the environmental side, the relative lack of attention likely reflects the focus on the positive aspects of industrialization and the difficulty of finding data related to air, water, and land pollution. One environmental area that has received attention is water pollution from human waste, which had large mortality impacts, particularly in cities. This essay reviews long run trends in energy use and water and air pollution and then turns to the energy and environmental literatures in economic history. The conclusion offers some thoughts regarding opportunities for further research in energy and the environment.

I have not received any funding for this research and I do not have any relevant financial relationships. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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Full Mark A-Level Biology essay - How is energy transferred within and between organisms

Full Mark A-Level Biology essay - How is energy transferred within and between organisms

Subject: Biology

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Unit of work

Louisa_Snape

Last updated

26 September 2018

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A full 25 mark A-Level Biology essay addressing the title: How is energy transferred within and between organisms

  • Holistic introduction
  • Photosynthesis
  • Conversion to chemical energy in bonds
  • Food chains - Losses at successive stages
  • Respiration
  • Glucose and ATP
  • Necessity for energy carriers - Gibbs’ free energies
  • Homeostasis and energy loss
  • Nervous communication and electrical impulses
  • Synaptic plasticity
  • Heart regulation
  • Holistic conclusion

Contains information from beyond the syllabus. Examples are structured in a clear and logical format.

Useful for revision for this specific topic and to see a sample structure of a high grade essay.

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A collection of high mark, sample essays for A-Level Biology, providing helpful revision content and examples of logical structuring. New Specification! Includes essays on the titles: - The Importance of movement in living organisms - Explain the importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms - Carbon dioxide may affect organisms directly or indirectly. - How is energy transferred within and between organisms - Explain the importance of shapes fitting together in cells and organisms - Different types of relationships and interactions between organisms - The membranes of different types of cells are involved in many different functions - The importance of DNA in science and technology Save over 70%!

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