environmental ethics of renewable energy

Energy can have many forms-kinetic, potential, light, sound, gravitational, elastic, electromagnetic or nuclear. According to the law of conservation of energy, any form of energy can be converted into another form and the total energy will remain the same. For eg: a laborer when pushes the pile of bags, his potential energy stored inside him is converted into the kinetic energy from the movement of matter or when you burn the wood it's chemical energy is converted into the heat energy or when you charge your mobile phone the electrical energy is converted into the chemical energy which gets stored inside the battery's molecules. The many different natural and renewable energy technologies highlighted throughout the website are by no means breakthrough. Many of the renewable energy technologies have been around for years, and as time goes by, are increasing in efficiency. What are the sources of energy? Energy are broadly classifies into two main groups: renewable and Non-renewable. Renewable Energy Renewable energy is energy which is generated from natural sources i.e. sun, wind, rain, tides and can be generated again and again as and when required. They are available in plenty and by far most the cleanest sources of energy available on this planet. For eg: Energy that we receive from the sun can be used to generate electricity. Similarly, energy from wind, geothermal, biomass from plants, tides can be used this form of energy to another form. Non-Renewable Energy A non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be produced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate. These resources often exist in a fixed amount, or are consumed much faster than nature can create them. Fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum and natural gas) and nuclear power (uranium) are examples. In contrast, resources such as timber (when harvested sustainably) or metals (which can be recycled) are considered renewable resources. Why should we conserve energy? Energy needs to be conserved to protect our environment from drastic changes, to save the depleting resources for our future generations. The rate at which the energy is being produced and consumed can damage our world in many ways. In other words, it helps us to save the environment. We can reduce those impacts by consuming less energy. The cost of energy is rising every year. It is important for us to realize how energy is useful to us and how can we avoid it getting wasted. To start saving energy is not a big thing at all. We can start saving the energy from our home itself, just by turning off the lights during day hours, washing clothes in cold water or using public transport instead of using our own vehicle and later can implement these things on much wider scale at society level, then at city level then district level and finally at country level. You might notice a small change in your monthly bills

7-8 days if done completely) Concepts 1. Most of our energy is originally derived from the sun. 2. Environmental impacts differ depending upon the energy source and conversion process. 3. Energy sources can be classified as renewable, nonrenewable or inexhaustible resources. Currently, society is strongly dependent upon nonrenewable energy resources. 4. An energy source can be considered renewable if it is replenished within a short period of time. 5. The world's supply of nonrenewable resources is limited and their use can negatively affect our environment. 6. Different energy sources have different costs. 7. A system is made up of a sequence of conversions. 8. In the conversion of energy a significant fraction of that energy can be "lost" from the system (in the form of heat, sound, vibration, etc). This energy is not really lost, it is just not converted to the desirable or intended form). 9. Systems can be divided into inputs, processes, outputs, and feedback. 10. The components of an energy system must work together to transform energy into a form that can be used in our society. 11. Energy use and supply can be expressed quantitatively. 12. Scientific modeling is an important tool used by scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to explain complex topics.

Throughout the world, fossil fuels are being used in plentiful amounts and are diminishing the Earth's o-zone layer causing harm to the natural environment in which humans live in.

2018

Daedalus, 2013

Today and in the coming decades, the world faces the challenge of meeting the needs of a still-growing human population, and of doing it sustainably – that is, without affecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Energy plays a pivotal role in this challenge, both because of its importance to economic development and because of the myriad interactions and influences it has on other critical sustainability issues. In this essay, we explore some of the direct interactions between energy and other things people need, such as food, water, fuel, and clean air, and also some of its indirect interactions with climate, ecosystems, and the habitability of the planet. We discuss some of the challenges and potential unintended consequences that are associated with a transition to clean, affordable energy as well as opportunities that make sense for energy and other sustainability goals. Pursuing such opportunities is critical not just to meeting the energy needs of nine bil...

The planet Earth is gifted by ample reservoir of energy and this abundant supply of energy allows life to continuously exist. The energy resources of the world are mainly divided into renewable and non-renewable sources. Non-renewable energy came from two sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear power. Fossil fuels include petroleum, natural gas, and coal. On the other hand, renewable energy is mainly derived from solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass. Nowadays, the world is highly dependent on fossil fuels for energy consumption in the residential, agricultural, and industrial sectors. In the process of energy production various materials are released to the atmosphere such as greenhouse gases, particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These chemicals put the environment and the organisms thriving on it in a great peril. These substances could cause acid rain, global warming, spread of the diseases, and reduction of the crop yield. It has been suggested that the best ways to attain sustainable energy and environment are to shift to alternative renewable energy sources, to use the appropriate technologies that can reduce the release of pollutants in the atmosphere in the course of energy generation, and to promote national industries among nations in the world.

2012

The Value of Hawaiʻi 3, 2020

I am sitting on my lanai, listening to the wind rustling in the swaying branches, hearing the birds, observing nature. How did we get here? Where are we going? Age-old questions made more relevant by the COVID-19 pandemic that stripped away the veneer, exposing the social weaknesses of our overdependence on tourism and imports. The pandemic propelled the planting of residential food gardens. I am digging in the dirt, pulling weeds, respecting nature about what to grow where. We must talk about bias. We all have biases. Self-examination is critical. The future needs to focus on sustainable lifestyles with far less inequality. Racial ten sions are less than many other places, but only haoles think racism doesn't exist on the islands. The future needs to be based on aloha, laulima (working together), mālama ʻāina (caring for the land), pono (right, just), and kūlike (equity). I grew up in the 60s. It was a time for questioning, for challenging authority, for looking beyond inaccurate governmental pronouncements. I traveled through out California, door-to-door, talking to people about pesticides, pollution, and oth er environmental issues. For the past quarter-century, I have represented Life of the Land in more than fifty administrative, regulatory, and contested case proceedings before the Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission, where we have been admitted into far more electric and gas proceedings than all other environmental and community groups combined. We encourage others to intervene. Energy is what enables change. In a general sense, we eat food to provide us with energy. We see light energy. We hear noise energy. We smell aromatic energy. The funny thing about energy is it can't be created or destroyed. It exists forever, although it often changes form. The other funny thing is since energy can't be created or destroyed, there is no such thing as renewable energy. We give names to several types of energy to make it easier to grasp. We have clean energy, dirty energy, blue energy, green energy, and renewable energy, with no clear definitions of what is meant by any of them. When we talk about energy, we often mean something useful that we can move from one place to another, like gasoline, kerosene, propane, jet fuel, and elec tricity. We also sometimes mean the infrastructure, such as transmission lines, wind turbines, and power plants.