The Need to Switch to Alternative Energy Sources, and Why Some are Reluctant

 The Need to Switch to Alternative Energy Sources, and Why Some are Reluctant

The Daily Take, The Thom Hartmann Program published an article Monday April 16 (2013) on the website Truth-out.org questioning why we (as a planet) aren’t taking the issue of global warming seriously. The Daily Take explains that the Antarctic sea ice is melting at never before seen levels. Summer ice melting in one Antarctic Peninsula region has increased ten-fold, most of the increase coming form the mid twentieth century.  Researchers are able to obtain information like periods of freezing or thawing by examining ice cores; similar to the way that dendrologist (people who study tree’s) can obtain information about a tree from the rings of a tree core. The core used in this particular study is 1,000 feet long and tells us that ice is melting now faster than any other period of time in the past 1,000 years. This study makes it obvious that global warming and climate change are affecting the planet. The Daily Take suggests that we can curb climate change by relying more on solar power than non-renewable energy sources.

Solar power is better for the earth than oil, gas and coal because solar power does not generate greenhouse gases. Germany is the worlds top consumer of solar power, solar power accounted for about three percent of the country’s total electricity in 2011. This may seem insignificant but by 2020 Germany plans to produce 35% of their total energy from solar power and 50% by 2050.  In Portugal the nation’s electricity network operator reported that seventy percent of total energy consumption came from renewable energy sources (such as solar power) in the first quarter of 2013! Portugal and Germany are wealthy nations but even poorer nations such as India are making the switch to renewable energy sources. The United States has not come close to Portugal or Germanys renewable energy production and The Daily Take spectates that this is because American utility companies are hostile to the idea of renewable energy. If homes are self-sufficient energy providers then there will be no income for utility companies. There is an obvious need for a change in energy resources but lack of funding and loss of profits are preventing change in many places including the U.S.

Caroline Schenck

SOC 202-01

6:10 April 16, 2013

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/15754-global-warming-why-arent-we-using-more-alternative-energy