Environment Issues
Week 11: Project Part 4
Tamara Taylor
November 30, 2013

Energy: Renewable Energy
In the Midwest the average annual temperatures increased over the past several decades. The Midwest includes around 66 million Americans in the following cities of Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Kansas city (which is the area I live in), Cleveland, Minneapolis, and St. Paul to name a few. Snow and ice are arriving later in the fall and melting earlier in the spring. It is said that heavier downpours now occur twice as much as they did a century ago. While conducting my research for this paper I found an organization that was very interesting. The Asia-Pacific Partnership or know as APP, “is a non-treaty partnership established by Australia, India, Japan, China, South Korea and the United States in July 2005” (World Nuclear Association, 2011). By 2007, Canada joined the APP. The partnership objectives would include working together with the aid of other private companies to expand markets for the use of more cleaner efficient energy technologies. These technologies would include renewable energy and to provide a lower cost clean power to areas without access to modern energy services.
The short term and long term focus of UNFCCC negotiations is the ultimate objective of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. It focuses on the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrated in the atmosphere that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interferences with the climate system. However, their attention has been on a relatively short term emissions, “namely the first commitment period between 2008 and 2012. This gave governments 10-15 years to put into place policies that would reach their set targets. This investment does not have a long term infrastructure for change in energy, transportation and buildings to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. After reading this article I could see that these counties had no clue as what they need to be doing or that they focus more on greed then what is going to happen to the world if they continue to do nothing. This organization was a go start, however, they never followed through with what they had sat out to do, and that was to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
The way I see it, and this is just my option, there is no money or a way to control in helping the environment. If we were to substitute natural energy like electric car instead of using gasoline for vehicles, there would be no control over the natural energy. It’s too easy to make natural energy, unlike gasoline for vehicles. The greed for power and money will be the most challenging when it comes to implementing policies to help the environment. But eventually we will run out of fossil fuels to consume and when that happens we will have no choice but to convert to natural energy. By that time it will be too late to turn the clocks back on what we have already done to the environment.
The problem in today’s world is the decline of availability of fossil fuels and because of the need for these energy-fossil fuels the environment is paying the cost. It was said that “global warming will eliminate at least 20 to 30% of plant life by the end of this century” (Environmental Issues Net, 2013). Global warming is a product of the consumption of our primary source of energy-fossil fuels. As the population grows, so does the demand for these fossil fuels. If we do nothing the consequences would be devastating, not only to use as humans but to our environment as well. Once the resources have been depleted there is no replenishing them back. We have to invest in new ways to consume energy. There are other ways to create energy from natural resources like from wind, sunlight, and even water. Having windmills to produce a source of energy, is one of the oldest way that humans use renewable energy. In 2008 statistics showed that “renewable energy accounted for 19% of the energy consumed all over the world” (Environmental Issues Net, 2013). Windmills are up 30% each year and produce around 158 GW of electricity each year. Scientists have been urging for new sources of energy over fossil fuels. The criteria for the solution would be to use more renewable energy starting today and on into the future. This would cut back on the effects of the environment and the demand would be plentiful in renewable energy. One could always have more than one source of energy to consume. Between wind and sunlight you can’t go wrong. Both are natural and when there is a shortage of wind than the sunlight can take over. There is always an alternative for the use of fossil fuels. In conclusion the Midwest is having warmer winters and heavier downpours over the last few decades because of the climate changes, the main difficulty with fixing these climate changes by utilizing natural energy is greed, countries and governments are too greedy not to use natural energy. In my option there is no money or capital in using natural energy instead of using fossil fuels, it’s too easy to produce on your own and there is no way they government can control it. By the use of wind mill farms, by sunlight or even the use of water to produce natural energy the world would be a better place. It would be cheaper, more efficient, and just better for the environment over all. When one is not available the other is. Even scientists have been urging to use new sources of energy over fossil fuels. We need to pull together and change the way we use energy, because one day they earth will no longer produce these fuels and it will be up to us to figure it out on what the next step will be. Why wait, I say act now and change the way we use this earth and take the steps that need to be done to put us in the right direction on persevering what we have before it’s too late!

Works Cited
Environmental Issues Net. (2013). Renewable Energy. Retrieved from EnvironmentalIssues.net: http://www.environmentalissues.net/renewable-energy.php
World Nuclear Association. (2011, June). Policy Responses to Climate Change. Retrieved from World Nuclear Association: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Energy-and-Environment/Policy-Responses-to-Climate-Change/