Net Zero Emissions for Our Future Generations through Renewables: A Brief Review

Abstract

Energy is the core of human civilization's development and progress. Global population increase and fast industrialization have led to the imbalanced exploitation of fossil fuels without taking into account their environmental effects. The continuous combustion of fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes has resulted in deterioration of climate. Harmful Greenhouse Gases (GHG) traps the heat leading to an overall rise of earth’s temperature, change in precipitation, and weather events. Climate change poses risk to economies, human societies, and the natural environment. A well-defined urgent measure including the policy changes are needed to be adopted to mitigate its effects. To address this issue, 196 countries agreed to sign the Paris Agreement in 2015, which aims to limit the global reduction in GHG emissions to limit the warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. However unique challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic and slow action of countries is hindering the goals to allow maximum temperature to rise of 1.5 °C by this century (i.e., year 2100). The threat of climate change is real and there is growing recognition among international communities. However, the level of commitment varies across nations and is influenced by a number of variables, including domestic conditions, economic priorities, and political will. Providing accessible and clean energy is a challenge for governments which can be addressed by prioritizing renewable energy investments. Affordable clean energy is crucial for upholding fundamental human rights such as a healthy environment, suitable housing, and access to information. The paper discusses the challenges posed by climate change, role of renewable energy and technological advancements, and necessary actions that are necessary to accomplish the objectives of NZE for our future generations.

A Review on Phase Change Materials for Sustainability Applications by Leveraging Machine Learning

“…The global population increase has escalated energy demands, largely fueled by economic and technological advancements. Traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear energy, while crucial, are finite and contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, posing a threat to the environment [56,57]. Hence, there is an imperative shift toward renewable and sustainable energy sources like solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy to minimize environmental impact.…”