I. Introduction Over the years, it has been observed that the temperature of the earth has been getting warmer and warmer. Many would simply shrug this off as fluctuations in the weather, but this has been proven to not be the case. This increase in temperature has been determined to be caused by excess amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps sunlight in the atmosphere which makes the earth warmer. The excess amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is a serious issue that causes global warming. Three solutions have been brought up to solve this problem and they include, decreasing human dependence of fossil fuels, using more renewable resources, and utilizing the process of carbon sequestration.
II. …show more content…
Preventing the initial release of carbon dioxide is the most obvious solution to decrease carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but it is impossible because of human are too dependent on fossil fuels. However, Carbon dioxide emissions can be regulated. The most basic way to regulate carbon dioxide emission would be to apply a carbon tax or fossil fuel tax (Gerlagh and Zwaan). These taxes would force humans to reduce the use of fossil fuels or pay a fine. This solution is advantageous because it easy to implement. The government simply sets strict regulations and taxes when they are not followed. The money collected can then be used for other methods of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. In a study by Gerlagh and Zwaan that used a program to determine the best methods of reducing carbon dioxide emissions this tax regulation was determined to be the most cost effective (37). However, this solution is not perfect and has one disadvantage. If fossil fuel usage is decreased, then economic output decreases as well (Periera and Periera 220). Which is no good for …show more content…
However, only one of those solutions solves the problem of increased carbon dioxide emissions effectively. This solution is, the switch from fossil fuels to renewable resources. Renewable resources are much better because, as stated before, they can be used an infinite amount of times. A study done by Guenhee lee et al that aimed to see how effective renewable resources were on roads in Korea concludes that, “solar light energy and small wind power energy appear to be most apt for application to roads” (765). If this small scale study on roads leads to favorable results, there is no reason for it to not work when applied on a larger scale. Also, in the same program used by Gerlagh and Zwaan similar results were found when looking at the plausibility of renewable resources. According to Gerlagh and Zwaan, “at least half of global energy supply needs to be generated by renewable energy resources by the end of the century to reach a 450 ppmv climate stabilization target” (46). Individuals against the idea of switching to renewable resources argue that the switch would be too costly and jobs would be lost. It is true that renewable resources have a high initial cost, but renewable resources will pay for themselves in time because some aspects of the resource is free. For example, utilizing the sun and wind does not cost any money. It will simply cost money to get the equipment needed to harvest this
II. …show more content…
Preventing the initial release of carbon dioxide is the most obvious solution to decrease carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but it is impossible because of human are too dependent on fossil fuels. However, Carbon dioxide emissions can be regulated. The most basic way to regulate carbon dioxide emission would be to apply a carbon tax or fossil fuel tax (Gerlagh and Zwaan). These taxes would force humans to reduce the use of fossil fuels or pay a fine. This solution is advantageous because it easy to implement. The government simply sets strict regulations and taxes when they are not followed. The money collected can then be used for other methods of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. In a study by Gerlagh and Zwaan that used a program to determine the best methods of reducing carbon dioxide emissions this tax regulation was determined to be the most cost effective (37). However, this solution is not perfect and has one disadvantage. If fossil fuel usage is decreased, then economic output decreases as well (Periera and Periera 220). Which is no good for …show more content…
However, only one of those solutions solves the problem of increased carbon dioxide emissions effectively. This solution is, the switch from fossil fuels to renewable resources. Renewable resources are much better because, as stated before, they can be used an infinite amount of times. A study done by Guenhee lee et al that aimed to see how effective renewable resources were on roads in Korea concludes that, “solar light energy and small wind power energy appear to be most apt for application to roads” (765). If this small scale study on roads leads to favorable results, there is no reason for it to not work when applied on a larger scale. Also, in the same program used by Gerlagh and Zwaan similar results were found when looking at the plausibility of renewable resources. According to Gerlagh and Zwaan, “at least half of global energy supply needs to be generated by renewable energy resources by the end of the century to reach a 450 ppmv climate stabilization target” (46). Individuals against the idea of switching to renewable resources argue that the switch would be too costly and jobs would be lost. It is true that renewable resources have a high initial cost, but renewable resources will pay for themselves in time because some aspects of the resource is free. For example, utilizing the sun and wind does not cost any money. It will simply cost money to get the equipment needed to harvest this