Sustainability and Climate crisis

Climate change has become one of the biggest challenges for the sustainable development of civilization. It is causing unpredictable climate events in the form of extreme floods, droughts, and heat shocks. Sustainability and resilience goals can be in serious conflict if not previously met align carefully. They need to harmonize the goals of sustainability and resilience.

Our thoughts need to be aimed at conserving energy, as we consider the various energy services. Also, we need to examine how can we spent as little energy as possible. That way, we can help with the energy and the climate crisis without losses. Optimal use of renewables energy sources has a crucial role here. There are more activities like this.

Energy conservation measures must always be taken carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. And remember, one saved unit of energy is much better than the newly produced one. If you save energy in your home, thereby also helping to reduce losses in the energy production and distribution system. Finally, thereby reducing the negative impact of the production process energy on the environment.

Consequences of the climate crisis

The Climate crisis has been taken lightly. Although it covers the whole world and its consequences are visible on a daily basis, there is almost no effort to solve it. Currently, people around the world are facing increasing heat, food, and water shortages and changing patterns of spread of infectious diseases. And no country, rich or poor, is immune to the impact of climate change on health.

Climate change is affecting the increase in mortality rates among people who are sensitive to high temperatures in all parts of the world. There was a study from a few years ago that showed more than 300,000 deaths were recorded. The data also shows an increase of more than fifty percent of deaths related to high temperatures in the last two decades.

The industry pollutes the air with toxic gases released into the air. People breathe that air and the number of people that die from air pollution are increasing. However, according to the World Health Organization, the situation in Europe has improved. The number of deaths from air pollution with PM2.5 particles has dropped. Also, if we look at the global level, the number of deaths caused by air pollution by PM2.5 particles that are exclusively related to coal is increasing more and more in the world.

It is the same case with water. There are parts of the world that still don’t have drinking water.

Image by Rilsonav from Pixabay

Organizing the whole society and our life sustainably

Our way of life in modern society must evolve by energy laws. Energetic efficiency, recycling of various materials, public transport, and other measures that contribute to a sustainable lifestyle should benefit society. Looking at different ways of conserving energy, we will see that there are huge possibilities. It is possible to preserve energy with the use of many various measures. Some of these measures can be applied by all of us, right now.

Those are measures that depend on individual awareness and personal participation of each individual. Many of them do not require any investment and depend solely on our behavior.

Take the example of your family buying a new refrigerator. Two refrigerator models that look the same and provide the same features can be very different. If you choose an energy-efficient refrigerator, you will save energy every year, every time while your refrigerator is in operation.

Other measures will require some small investment, in order to adapt or improve the already existing technologies we use. For example, we can switch to eco-friendly cars, public transport, etc. Investing in renewable energy sources is always a good investment because it is environmentally friendly. It is best to invest in awakening people about the climate crisis.

New companies need to be sustainable

Sustainability requires a desire for change. We must not be afraid to reshape existing things into a new form. It means we need a change in every aspect of our lives. Also, we need new business models. Furthermore, we need to change the way we think about the design of products and resource consumption. In my opinion, there are three main things:

  • We must have the determination to rethink common and tried things.
  • To do that, our workers need framework conditions, which enable innovations.
  • And finally, have to courage to act on new things.

People haven’t been around long enough dealt with the consequences of their actions. We have to change that in the years that come. I am assured, only companies that will operate in a sustainable way will be future economically successful. In order to do that, every company, old or new, needs a plan. The plan is the name of new strategy sustainability that applies to all types of companies all around the globe.

Three main themed areas are the focus of the green plan strategy:

  • Earth/ climate protection
  • economy
  • people

These areas are equally important and strongly tied up together. If we only miss one of these three, the world can not function. There is no civilization without people, a place to live, and a resource to live.

Renewable energy sources as a solution

Switching to more economical and more affordable renewable energy sources could be the answer to the climate crisis. Renewable energy sources are today in many parts of the world the cheapest source of electricity from new places. Given the constant decline in the costs of solar and wind energy technology, this would be more and more usable.

The costs of electricity production from renewable energy sources – bioenergy, hydropower, geothermal energy, and wind energy on land and sea – were at the level of costs of electricity production from fossil fuels.

In the last few years, the global (weighted average) price of electricity produced in solar photovoltaic power plants has also decreased to the level of the cost of electricity production from fossil fuels. It is expected that the development of electrification, thanks to price-competitive renewable energy sources, will contribute to electricity covering almost 50% of final energy.

Energy conservation, simply put – energy saving is, using energy in a more efficient way is likely and the simplest way to reduce animal pollution middle. Large amounts of energy can be saved with appropriate efforts in both the public and private sectors. There are some examples of how to use more clean energy to save money:

  • Main solar panels,
  • Measurement panel
  • Luminaires and Led lights


Solar panels combined with LED lighting are a winning combination for an average home. However, if you can afford to buy, then there is no other reason why you shouldn’t switch to electric vehicles. Not just that, you will help with the reduction of gas emissions, but you also save your gas money. The best combination is solar panels and electric cars. That way, you are not paying for electricity nor gas. Most of the developed countries are helping their citizens with subvention and favorable bank loans.

Solar panels, electric cars, hydroelectric power plants are not releasing pollutants into the air. They very often substitute the generation from fossil fuels, thus reducing acid rain and smog. Since air is one of the preconditions for life, then this benefit is the most important. People who live in Beijing, for example, know how difficult it is to live with gas masks and without clean air. Let’s not let us all be Beijing one day.

Image from Only green tech

Summary

The consequences of climate change require broader systemic action, which takes years to fully implement. That is why it is challenging to impose the need for fast and at the same time efficient action.

Although climate change also affects the daily increase in mortality, in this case, it is challenging for a man to link death itself with emissions of harmful gases and the consequences of their excessive accumulation in the atmosphere.

However, we should be aware that climate change and other environmental problems endanger human health daily, and an increasingly intense negative impact is predicted. Therefore, it is necessary to learn the lessons from the current crisis as soon as possible and take action.

18 thoughts on “Sustainability and Climate crisis”

  1. The problem with solar panels is that they still have to store energy in a battery and batteries don’t break down. So if you have thousands or millions of batteries (many of which have acid), and they eventually wear out, it’s just shifting pollution and not cutting down on it. Solar farms themselves take up so much land that they destroy habitats. Hopefully we can make batteries more efficient and just use mini panels for each building instead of these solar farms that keep popping up.

    Wind technology also has issues. We saw turbines freeze in Texas and cause some issues, but they also mess up bird migration patterns and cause all sorts of problems for pollinators (our lovely bee friends especially) when set in fields.

    Hydroelectric power seems to be a much better go, but desert areas cannot benefit from this. What we truly need is to cut down entirely. Stop running the AC below 80 degrees in the house, don’t turn the heat above 60 degrees. Dress for the weather and get used to being a little uncomfortable sometimes. Stop eating cheap discount food from fast food joints and shopping at big box stores like walmart and target because the emissions from shipping alone cost a ton.

    Growing backyard farms, having mini solar panels for homes, cutting back on electricity entirely, and buying from local family farms and small businesses makes a HUGE individual impact.

    Of course the U.S. (where I live) barely produces 1% of the world’s carbon emissions. China is the largest polluter with about 17% and so long as we keep buying cheap junk manufactured in pollutive factories based in China, not much is going to change.

    Reply
    • Thank you Jessica for great feedback. It is true that both Solar panels and wind turbines have issues. However, they can be reduced in the future. The problem is not only in China, but in the mindset of all of us.

      For me, the biggest problem is averness. There are a lot of people who this that climate crisis is just a conspiracy theory.

      Reply
    • I found your analysis of the renewable energy options to be quite beneficial. Wind turbines do cause the death of many birds as well. However, I’m not sure if we Americans account for around one percent of global annual emissions. According the Union of Concerned Scientists, America’s carbon emissions made up 15 percent of the world’s total in 2018. Additionally, United States had the highest carbon emissions per capita in 2017 according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Finally, the United States has contributed the most to the total historical emissions.

      Have America’s annual carbon emissions come down to one percent?

      (https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/each-countrys-share-co2-emissions)
      (https://www.c2es.org/content/international-emissions/)
      (https://ourworldindata.org/contributed-most-global-co2)

      Reply
      • I am not sure about US, but EU and Europe (where I am from) have a strategy and sustainability plan how to reduce carbon emissions. For example, EU helps people to buy electric cars.

  2. My beef with electric cars is that they seem healthy, but in most areas coal power is the main source of energy, which does nothing to cut down on emissions. It just looks better haha But if we can invest in improving clean energy then we’ll be on the right track to fixing that 🙂

    Reply

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