Renewable Energy and Reducing Plastic Waste

What Is Renewable Energy?

  An energy source is classed as renewable if what is used can be naturally restocked on a human timescale. Renewable energy sources include solar, tidal, geothermal (using heat from underneath the earth's surface), wind and waves.

  These energy sources also don't emit dangerous gases into the Earth's atmosphere.

How Is It Different From Fossil Fuels?

  Although both renewable energy and fossil fuels are formed by natural processes, fossil fuels — coal, petroleum, natural gas and oil — all take millions of years to form. This is because they are formed from dead marine animals that have been fossilised, and therefore do not restock on a human timescale. 😨

Why Are Fossil Fuels Harmful to the Planet?

  When fossil fuels are burned to convert them into energy, they release dangerous gases into the Earth's atmosphere which can create problems like air pollution and acid rain.

  These gases that stay in the Earth's atmosphere create a greenhouse gas effect by trapping the sun's heat and making our planet warmer, which can have a detrimental effect on temperatures and weather systems. For example, our weather can become more extreme — wetter (flooding), windier (hurricanes and cyclones), hotter (droughts and fires).

Plastic Pollution

  We have all become more aware recently of the 'global emergency' of plastic pollution. Since the Second World War, our reliance on plastic products has led to a throw-away culture, and presently single-use plastics make up 40% (National Geographic 2019) of all plastic produced annually.

  Most plastics have a very short time that they are useful to us before they are thrown away, but last in the environment for a very long time — some estimated at 400 years! (National Geographic 2019)

  It is a problem that has dangers for human health — microplastics (tiny particles of plastic) have been found in drinking water systems and fish that people eat. As nothing like this has happened in history, it is impossible to tell how damaging this may be to our health at the moment.

  It is also extremely damaging to our wildlife, with millions of animals being killed by plastic every year through ingestion or entanglement. Marine animals mistake plastic floating in the ocean as food and then starve to death, and get caught in huge fishing nets or six-pack rings from drinking can packs. But it's not just marine animals that are affected — plastic is also eaten by land-dwelling species too, like tigers and elephants. Scientific tests have shown that eating plastic can damage animals' livers and reproductive systems, threatening the next generation too.

We Want to Help! 🆘

Source

National Geographic 2019 – Plastic Pollution Overview