Climate Change and Green Energy: Can Clean Energy Save the Planet?
Climate change has long ceased to be a theoretical threat - it is a reality that humanity is experiencing here and now. Rising global temperatures, melting glaciers, abnormal weather events, droughts, floods, forest fires - all these are the consequences of excessive greenhouse gas emissions, most of which are caused by traditional energy. That is why green energy is now considered a key tool in the fight against climate change.
Causes of climate change
The main cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect, which is exacerbated by emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and other greenhouse gases.
The largest sources of these emissions are:
Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) for electricity, transport and heating.
Industry and agriculture, especially livestock farming.
Deforestation, which reduces the planet's natural ability to absorb CO₂.
Consequences of climate change
- Increase in average temperature on the planet
- Rising sea levels due to melting glaciers
- Abnormal climatic phenomena (hurricanes, downpours, droughts)
- Reduced yields, water supply problems
- Extinction of species, disruption of ecosystems
Green energy as a countermeasure to climate change
Renewable energy — solar, wind, biogas — allows for the production of electricity without or with minimal CO₂ emissions. This is critical to achieving the climate goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to +1.5°C.
The main advantages of green energy:
- Zero emissions during generation
- Inexhaustible renewable sources
- Less harm to human health and nature
- Possibility of decentralized energy supply (e.g. solar panels on roofs)
Situation in Ukraine
Ukraine has great potential for the development of green energy, especially in the field of solar and bioenergy. Already, more than 10% of electricity is generated from renewable sources. The country's post-war reconstruction is a chance not only to restore the destroyed infrastructure, but also to build a climate-neutral energy system of the future.
Climate change is a challenge that humanity must respond to quickly, on a large scale, and together. Green energy is not just a technological alternative, but one of the key tools for saving the planet. A future without dangerous warming is possible only when clean energy becomes the norm, not the exception.
