Climate Change Is Recognized By The World 's International Agencies

Background Climate change is recognized by the world’s international agencies as a threat to well-being and human health and has been partially attributed to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Woodward, 2014). Resultantly, global leaders and health professionals have been challenged to find means to cut GHG emissions at the local level to improve overall global, environmental and human health (Woodward, 2014). One means to reduce GHG emissions is through the development of renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources consist of solar, wind, geothermal, water, and bioenergy. As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Department of Interior was directed to ensure an appropriate number of permits were granted to sustain 6 million homes with renewable energy and set a goal to double the amount of solar and wind energy by 2020 (Executive Office of the President, 2013). US wind technology harnesses existing wind energy through the strategic placement of wind turbines and “provides a domestic, sustainable, and essentially zero-carbon, zero-pollution, and zero-water US electricity resource” (Department of Energy, 2015). Wind power provides the solution to the simultaneous challenge of providing environmental and public health benefits, and due to these benefits, wind power was the fastest growing renewable energy source in 2012 (Wiser & Bolinger, 2014). As of 2013, wind power provided 4.5% of US electrical power through more than 61 gigawatts of turbines across…