There’s a lot of buzzwords flying around the climate change conversation; you’ve probably heard of renewable energy, but what is its role in the climate conversation? Greenhouse gases have negative effects on community health as well as environmental wellbeing. These non-renewable sources contribute to global warming by trapping heat in. Additionally, the emission of these gases produce smog and pollution which cause respiratory issues.
In order to combat this, we should focus our efforts on alternate solutions in the areas that are contributing the most to greenhouse gas emissions. There are many contributing factors to greenhouse gases in the global economy including, but not limited to transportation, agriculture, and power production – with transportation and electricity doing the bulk of the damage. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 90% of the fuel used in transportation is petroleum based and about 63% of electricity is produced from burning fossil fuels, mainly natural gas and coal. We’ll take a look at energy solutions below.
Investing in renewable energy is one of the most important steps to facilitate the global transition to clean energy. Renewable energy is energy harnessed from sources that are constantly being replenished, like sun, wind and water. Corporations can lead the charge in adapting renewable energy by evaluating their operations and identifying opportunities for alternate solutions.
Not only does the investment in renewable energy help to reduce the prevalence of greenhouse emissions along with air pollutants, but the investment also helps to reduce the dependence on a sole source of energy – effectively diversifying the energy supply. Additionally, the development of the renewable energy sites can have economic impacts by providing jobs in manufacturing, installation and maintenance to the local community.
How Brands Can Get In on the Solution
IMPACT COLLECTIVE empowers brands to offset their energy consumption by investing in Renewable Energy sources like Solar and Wind projects in North America and across the world. Located southwest of Garden City, Kansas, the Buffalo Dunes Wind Project consists of 135 wind turbines and produces enough energy to power 75,000 homes and is built on tilled land, reducing environmental impact. Projects like this are helping to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and consequently combating the current global climate crisis.