How does renewable energy reduce climate change and what are the environmental issues of renewable energy?

Renewable energy sources mitigate climate change by circumventing greenhouse gas emissions inherent in fossil fuels. Solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal power generate energy sans combustion, reducing CO2 emissions. Consequently, these alternatives curtail air pollution, vital for ameliorating respiratory health, and limit deforestation linked to conventional biomass energy. Notably, renewable expansion requires astute land use to avert habitat disruption.

Yet, renewable energy confronts intricate environmental quandaries. Large projects encroach on ecosystems, necessitating meticulous siting to mollify habitat upheaval. Extracting resources for solar panels and wind turbines can exacerbate habitat degradation. Intermittency in solar and wind energy prompts energy storage, while water-intensive technologies like hydropower mandate careful implementation in arid areas. Balancing aesthetics and energy demands amid sprawling installations also warrants consideration.

On my view, the main issues with the existing renewable energies sources is again the sustainability and lifecycle of the sources itself.

Dr Bibek Khanal thank you for your contribution to the discussion

The production of some photovoltaic (PV) cells, for instance, generates toxic substances that may contaminate water resources. Renewable energy installations can also disrupt land use and wildlife habitat, and some technologies consume significant quantities of water. The environmental problems directly related to energy production and consumption includes air pollution, climate change, water pollution, thermal pollution, and solid waste disposal. The emission of air pollutants from fossil fuel combustion is the major cause of urban air pollution. Non-renewable energy resources release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, creating the greenhouse effect which causes global warming. Non-renewable energy sources are also harmful pollutants and lead to habitat destruction. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, emit little to no greenhouse gases, are readily available and in most cases cheaper than coal, oil or gas. Generating renewable energy creates far lower emissions than burning fossil fuels. Transitioning from fossil fuels, which currently account for the lion's share of emissions, to renewable energy is key to addressing the climate crisis. Solar produces less life-cycle GHG emissions than conventional fossil fuel energy sources. While there may be some GHG emissions produced during the manufacturing and recycling of the solar system, the generation of energy results in zero GHG emissions and zero environmental impact. Environmental and economic benefits of using renewable energy include: Generating energy that produces no greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and reduces some types of air pollution. Diversifying energy supply and reducing dependence on imported fuels. Solar power produces no emissions during generation itself, and life-cycle assessments clearly demonstrate that it has a smaller carbon footprint from "cradle-to-grave" than fossil fuels. The production of some photovoltaic (PV) cells, for instance, generates toxic substances that may contaminate water resources. Renewable energy installations can also disrupt land use and wildlife habitat, and some technologies consume significant quantities of water.

Renewable energy is energy that is generated from natural sources that are replenished over time, such as sunlight, wind, water, and geothermal heat. Renewable energy does not produce greenhouse gases, which are the primary cause of climate change.

Here are some of the ways that renewable energy can reduce climate change:

However, there are also some environmental issues associated with renewable energy. For example:

Overall, the environmental benefits of renewable energy outweigh the environmental costs. Renewable energy is a key part of the solution to climate change, and it can also help to improve air quality and create jobs.

Here are some of the ways to reduce the environmental impact of renewable energy:

Dr Murtadha Shukur thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Generating renewable energy creates far lower emissions than burning fossil fuels. Transitioning from fossil fuels, which currently account for the lion's share of emissions, to renewable energy is key to addressing the climate crisis. We should use energy efficiency technologies (less energy use), use greening transportation means more efficient mass transportation systems, promote the use of renewable means natural source of energy (solar, wind, geothermal, etc) and reduces our use of fossil fuels especially carbon-intensive coals to reduce climate effects. .Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, emit little to no greenhouse gases, are readily available and in most cases cheaper than coal, oil or gas. Solar produces less life-cycle GHG emissions than conventional fossil fuel energy sources. While there may be some GHG emissions produced during the manufacturing and recycling of the solar system, the generation of energy results in zero GHG emissions and zero environmental impact. Environmental and economic benefits of using renewable energy include: Generating energy that produces no greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and reduces some types of air pollution. Diversifying energy supply and reducing dependence on imported fuels. In it renewable energy surpasses fossil fuels for electricity generation shortly after 2030. Renewable energy then dominates electricity generation by the 2050s, but even with an outlook that stretches to the end of the century, electricity doesn't pass 60% of “final energy” use.The production of some photovoltaic (PV) cells, for instance, generates toxic substances that may contaminate water resources. Renewable energy installations can also disrupt land use and wildlife habitat, and some technologies consume significant quantities of water. Renewable energy is good for both humans and the environment. Non-renewable energy like fossil fuels causes pollution and environmental hazards like acid rain, global warming, etc. The amount of carbon emissions from renewable energy is much low than those of non-renewable energy. Fossil fuels coal, oil and gas – are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions. As greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth, they trap the sun's heat.The environmental problems directly related to energy production and consumption includes air pollution, climate change, water pollution, thermal pollution, and solid waste disposal. The emission of air pollutants from fossil fuel combustion is the major cause of urban air pollution.

Dr Mohamed A Saber thank you for your contribution to the discussion

"Examination of 420,000 years old ice cores shows a close relation between temperature increase and CO2-concentration increase. During the industrial era a new energy component appears, Anthropogenic Heat Flux, and a part of that energy will accumulate in Earth climate system and become an essential part of global warming;" One could suppose that this idea, expressed in this simplicity, would be common sense! However, it is, neither more nor less than the abstract of the article "Anthropogenic Heat Flux Will Affect Global Warming" by Mats Lindgren, from the KTH "Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm", published in "Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Vol .11 No.3, July 2021"

Article Anthropogenic Heat Flux Will Affect Global Warming

Dr Jamel Chahed thank you for your contribution to the discussion

The emission of air pollutants from fossil fuel combustion is the major cause of urban air pollution. Burning fossil fuels is also the main contributor to the emission of greenhouse gases. Diverse water pollution problems are associated with energy usage. One problem is oil spills. Non-renewable energy resources release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, creating the greenhouse effect which causes global warming. Non-renewable energy sources are also harmful pollutants and lead to habitat destruction. The production of some photovoltaic (PV) cells, for instance, generates toxic substances that may contaminate water resources. Renewable energy installations can also disrupt land use and wildlife habitat, and some technologies consume significant quantities of water. Despite the negative impact on wildlife, renewable energy still positively impacts the climate and the air. It fosters a stronger ecosystem because it is clean. The production of this electricity also has no impact on the environment. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy creation doesn't harm the ecosystem. Renewable resources are jeopardized by unregulated industrial expansion and growth. They must be carefully controlled to safeguard them beyond the capacity of the natural world to replenish them. A life cycle evaluation is a strategy for methodically analysing renewability. Using renewable energy can lead to several social impacts, including poverty elimination, climate change mitigation, and improving health by reducing pollution associated with gas emissions. The costs include: infrastructure investment, day-to-day operations, market costs of supply and the environmental costs of the different energy sources. The International Renewable Energy Agency's 2021 Renewable Energy and Jobs annual review projects that global renewable energy jobs will increase from 12 million in 2020 to 38 million by 2030 and 43 million by 2050. Although India has made progress in developing its renewable energy sector, it still faces obstacles. Off-taker risk, lack of infrastructure, lack of financial intermediaries, and lack of investor understanding are the top four challenges to overcome. One of the main environmental risks of renewable energy is the impact on land use and habitat loss. Wind and solar farms require large areas of land to generate enough electricity, which can displace wildlife, reduce biodiversity, and affect ecosystem services. The environmental impacts related to energy production include climate change, acidification, impacts on waterways, and waste production. Some common environmental and energy efficiency issues include global warming, air pollution, waste disposal, water pollution, climate change, deforestation, over population and a lot more . The direct environmental impacts of resource use include the degradation of fertile land, water shortages, waste generation, toxic pollution, and biodiversity loss in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. 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. The effects of climate change are quickly escalating due to excess greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere that are trapping in excess heat from the sun. A way to reduce emissions and save our planet would be to would be to change our energy sources and switch to renewable energy sources. Solar produces less life-cycle GHG emissions than conventional fossil fuel energy sources. While there may be some GHG emissions produced during the manufacturing and recycling of the solar system, the generation of energy results in zero GHG emissions and zero environmental impact.

Two remarks when speaking of Energy Costs or National Energy Security: 1. LCOE does not have universal values, as is it a national variable, that depends on the socioeconomic, industrial, and environmental policies of the countries as well as on their natural and human resources and their Sovereign National Security Concerns. So no universal comparison can hold water. 2. Entering the environmental impacts and risk costs into the LCOE equation from various energy sources will lead to energy price configuration, for each country, within a sustainable environmental integration that include National Security Concerns.

Moral. Without explicitly considering the costs of environmental and National Security Concerns into the intrinsic prices of all energy sources, comparing the LCOEs is only a "False Equivalency" which only serves to maintain the different interested interpretations

The environmental impacts associated with solar power can include land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing, though the types of impacts vary greatly depending on the scale of the system and the technology used photovoltaic (PV) solar cells or concentrating solar thermal. 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. The production of some photovoltaic (PV) cells, for instance, generates toxic substances that may contaminate water resources. Renewable energy installations can also disrupt land use and wildlife habitat, and some technologies consume significant quantities of water. There is no path to protecting the climate without dramatically changing how we produce and use electricity: nearly 40% of US CO2 pollution comes from power plants burning fossil fuels. But we can turn things around. Renewable energy minimizes carbon pollution and has a much lower impact on our environment. The energy sector is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. In turn, changes in climate can disrupt energy networks themselves, stress infrastructure, and pose safety risks to people.For instance, when compared to coal-fired power plants, electricity from renewable energy sources emits between 90 and 99% less greenhouse gases (GHGs) and produces 70 to 90% less pollutants. These technologies also create jobs and stimulate economic growth, which is essential for sustainable development. Generating electricity and heat by burning fossil fuels – coal, oil, or gas – causes a large chunk of the greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide that blanket the Earth and trap the sun's heat. Renewable and energy efficiency, boosted by substantial electrification, can provide over 90% of the necessary reductions in energy-related carbon emissions.