The Role Of Renewable Energy In David Klein's This Changes Everything

Although it is clear that global warming and climate change are an enormous problem that we face today, there are, in fact, several methods in which the people of our generation and the next generation to come, are able to change our current path from a un- inhabitable world, to a more environmentally friendly world, where the environment and the people of this world are able to co-exist together at the same time, while both benefit from each other’s existence. In the novel, This Changes Everything, Klein discuss how, if we are going to change our ways to save the fate of humanity, we must do so now, in the next decade, before we have hit the point in which we will no longer be able to save our earth from all of the destruction we have caused. In order to do so, Klein suggests, the highly likely solution of renewables. She says, “Renewables are, in fact, much more reliable than power based on extraction, since those energy models require continuous new inputs to avoid a crash, whereas once the initial investment has been made in renewable energy infrastructure, nature provides the raw materials for free” (Klein, 228). Renewable energy is a reasonable solution as it improves energy security as non-renewable energy sources such as crude oil and gas become more and more difficult and expensive to purchase and find. Over the past 3 three years, the world has used, roughly 86 million barrels of crude oil per day. out of the estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of crude oil resources that

are said to be left on this earth. (Leach, 2014). According to this number, in 55 years, the world will no longer have any crude oil left, forcing the world to change entirely in less than a century, if we choose not to make drastic changes gradually over the next decade. Renewable sources include geothermal energy, where heat from the earth’s core is used to produce hot water and electricity. This method can already be seen being used in Iceland where 26.2 % of the country’s energy is renewable (Runyon, 2013). Besides geothermal, solar, and wind are also very reasonable responses to this critical worldwide issue, as they too and infinite and harmless to our planet.

Another highly respected solution for global warming is, stopping all coal powered generation.

Lynas explains in his novel, Six Degrees, that Coal creates and adds, smog, acid rain and pollution into the environment. Along with harming the ecosystems, the infectious air that is being breathed in, containing smog, leads to cardiovascular affects, proving, that humans are indeed, killing themselves and the environment without even noticing. (Lynas, 365). The ultimate removal of coal

will,

Along with renewable resources, and terminating coal usage, reforestation acts as a final rejuvenating step toward helping earth replenish its animal, plant and natural resource basins (Leach,2014). Reforestation is a solution, as a more diverse ecosystem is in direct correlation with a better environment. With reforestation under progress, diversity will return worldwide with cleaner air, made possible by the growing of more trees. Trees clean and filter the air by removing the carbon dioxide from the air and replacing it with, clean breathable oxygen for humans, and animals alike. As this happens, and wildlife returns, habitats will go back to normal creating more mature ecosystems and a better array of life on earth (Klein, 249).