If you were to imagine a perfect world, what would it look like? Would it have driverless cars that transform into planes with the touch of a button? Perhaps it would have meals that appear out of thin air merely upon thinking of them. Many scientists would argue that a perfect world could never exist, but the closest thing to a utopia that we could possibly achieve is a world that runs entirely on renewable energy, and according to a European study this is completely attainable by the year 2050.
While we currently have a multitude of fossil fuels, which are great energy sources such as oil, coal and natural gas, they are not considered renewable sources of energy.
The benefits of living in a world that runs on renewable energy are numerous, and here are just a mere few of them:
Significantly Slow Down Global Warming
As per a study published in the journal Joule, the Globe can witness a reduction of about 1.5 degrees Celsius, and they provide quite an aggressive road map to reaching that ambitious goal. The essence of the road map they propose is electrically powering energy sectors in their entirety and providing the electricity through wind, water and solar power (WWS). The concept may seem simple, yet the true challenge lies in the implementation.
A Generally Healthier Population
Each and every one of us is a culprit when it comes to contributing to the pollution that we witness on our beloved planet, but the demise of our ecosystem can mostly be blamed on the emissions produced by coal and natural gas plants. One Harvard University study concluded that a staggering $74.6 billion annually is the estimated life cycle cost of coal emissions.
A Rise in Employment Rates and Job Opportunities
The fossil fuel industry is quite notorious for being capital intensive and for being almost completely mechanized, and that is in stark contrast to the renewable energy industry which is more labor intensive. Two simple examples that are readily available include solar panels which require laborers to install, and wind farms which need to be maintained by technicians. The study mentioned earlier from the journal Joule also estimates that around 24.3 million long-term jobs will be created as a result of transitioning renewable energy sources. So if you are in the market for a job (in approximately 30 years from now) that contributes to a better future for the human race, you might want to consider going into the renewable energy sector and getting a head start over your competition.
One of the more exciting and incredible predictions related to the future of renewable energy was given through a study done in 2009 by the European Environment Agency, which claimed that if Europe were to build all of its onshore and offshore wind farms that the continent in its entirety would be powered 20 times over. This study was only rivaled in magnitude by a newer one which concluded that maximizing the potential of onshore winds could result in powering the European peninsula 100 times over.
There have been many positive indicators pointing towards a brighter future, and many countries have taken significant steps towards playing a role in achieving the vision of a world fueled by renewable energy. The United Arab Emirates, for instance, has taken quite a massive stance by opening its doors to one of the world’s largest solar farms, and this is the first step in their long-term process of transitioning from oil to solar.
While countries definitely have a huge part to play in turning this vision into a reality, every one of us plays a role with even the smallest actions we take every single day.
We started this article with a question, and we will conclude with another: What are you actively doing to contribute to the semi-perfect world that is renewable energy reliant in which we hope to live in the very near future?
Sources:
https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/100-percent-renewable-energy?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2
https://www.projectsolaruk.com/blog/happen-whole-world-went-solar/
https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/benefits-renewable-energy-use
