Dickinson to Durban » Entries tagged with "renewable energy"
Top to Bottom: Inspiring Bottom-up using the Top
Sam Parker ’12 Climate change governance and mitigation thus far have taken a very “top-down” approach. One of the best examples of this is the Conference of the Parties (COP) that occur yearly, bringing together government officials from all across the world to discuss climate change and its different aspects. Though, these top-down approaches to global problems often overlook the need for more “bottom-up” or community based approaches to issue that the world faces. As I … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Conservation, Consumption, Environmental Politics, Key COP17 Issues
Politics and Time
By: Anna McGinn ’14 Janet L. Sawin and William R. Moomaw’s report, “Renewable Revolution: Low Carbon Energy by2030,”offers quite a positive and uplifting assessment of the world’s situation as it pertains to climate change in the next twenty years. Actually, the tone was so encouraging that I started to question the legitimacy of some of the statements they make. But the difference between this article and most other research we have assessed on this topic is that the focus of this report is on what the world is doing well in regards to renewable energy, and not so much the degree to which it is failing. Yet, it makes the transition to renewable resources sound too easy. This report acknowledges the fact that policies are pivotal for their emission projections to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Carbon Markets, Climate Change
Synergy
Esther Babson Class 2013 According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary synergy is “a mutually advantageous conjunction or compatibility of distinct elements”. Synergy is clearly a very positive term and used as such in relation to everything from the relationship between humans and computers to fitness programs. This idea of two elements working in sync is very helpful and appealing when looking at how to deal with climate change; especially with all of the negative reports climate change tends to give. In a World Watch article by Janet Sawin and William Moomaw called Renewable Revoltuion: Low-Carbon Energy by 2030, the authors, say that renewable energy and energy efficiency need to be used together. Their most powerful argument of the paper is explaining how this “synergy” between renewable energy and energy efficiency occurs in four ways. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Renewable Responsibility
by Emily Bowie ’14 The World Watch Report, “Renewable Revolution: Low-Carbon Energy by 2030,” develops important aspects of a transition to a low-carbon economy as well as illustrates potential scenarios for this transition. Carbon efficiency and renewable energy are the celebrated strategies for this transition. Explanations of the potential for certain renewable energy sources are provided and analyzed, as well as useful strategies for increasing current and future efficiencies (1). First, I found it interesting how often the report praised the accomplishments and potential of energy intensive renewables, mainly solar power. Graphs are presented that show solar as the fastest emerging renewable as well as the renewable with the most potential (see below). The facts that solar power does not require transmission and is well suited for distribution are repeated several times (1). … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues, Summer Reading Responses
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