The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Nuclear Energy is a book that presents a definitively anti-fossil fuels stance on renewable energy written by Lester Brown, a lauded environmental scientist with more than 50 years of experience in the field of renewable energy who is certainly qualified to write about the topic. In the first half of the book, he discusses why society should phase out usage of fossil fuels, especially coal, as quickly as possible in order to prevent environmental and public health harms. In the second half, he focuses on the benefits of renewable forms of energy, such as solar and hydropower, while also discussing their drawbacks, especially in regard to hydropower. Overall, Brown’s arguments in
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Brown relentlessly attacks the United States’ continued high usage of coal, which provides approximately 40% of energy generation in the United States. One of the strongest arguments against coal that Brown makes is the negative health impacts attributed to burning coal; Brown cites statistics that attribute more 13,000 premature deaths in the United States every year to coal, as a result of heart attacks and asthma attacks. The resulting cost of to the United States economy totals $345 billion per year, according to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School cited by Brown. Due to these public health impacts and the negative environmental impacts of burning coal, Brown argues that the United States should work to entirely eliminate its usage of coal. Independent studies agree with Brown’s conclusions about the harmful effects of coal on human health. A 2013 study published in Health & Place concluded that a variety of public health problems are closely correlated with coal mining, including decreased water quality and numerous medical harms, which occur especially in instances of incidents in the mining process. The study discussed a 2000 incident in Kentucky that released 300 million gallons of coal slurry into the water supply, contaminating it for more than 27,000 homes. In addition, this …show more content…
When utilized correctly in areas with an abundance of rivers, Brown finds that hydropower can be extremely effective, such as in Paraguay, where it provides more than 99% of the country’s electricity generation. However, the construction of the dams can be extremely harmful to the environment, due to the greenhouse gases released by the construction of the dams, and to society, since the flooding that results from the dam’s construction can displace thousands of people. As a result of these harms of hydropower, Brown concludes that solar and wind power are superior sources of energy than hydropower, although hydropower can be beneficial with the presence of optimal factors. Despite the harms of hydropower that Brown voices, studies have found that there has been a global boom in the construction of hydropower plants in recent years. A study published in Aquatic Sciences estimated that there will be nearly 4,000 new hydropower dams built worldwide by the year 2025. The study believes that one reason why countries are expanding usage of hydropower is due to the Rio+20 Conference, which requires countries to meet their energy needs through Kyoto-compliant, sustainable sources, one of which is hydropower. As a result, many countries in water-abundant regions, especially South America, Southeast Asia, and the Balkan Peninsula, are choosing to
Brown relentlessly attacks the United States’ continued high usage of coal, which provides approximately 40% of energy generation in the United States. One of the strongest arguments against coal that Brown makes is the negative health impacts attributed to burning coal; Brown cites statistics that attribute more 13,000 premature deaths in the United States every year to coal, as a result of heart attacks and asthma attacks. The resulting cost of to the United States economy totals $345 billion per year, according to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School cited by Brown. Due to these public health impacts and the negative environmental impacts of burning coal, Brown argues that the United States should work to entirely eliminate its usage of coal. Independent studies agree with Brown’s conclusions about the harmful effects of coal on human health. A 2013 study published in Health & Place concluded that a variety of public health problems are closely correlated with coal mining, including decreased water quality and numerous medical harms, which occur especially in instances of incidents in the mining process. The study discussed a 2000 incident in Kentucky that released 300 million gallons of coal slurry into the water supply, contaminating it for more than 27,000 homes. In addition, this …show more content…
When utilized correctly in areas with an abundance of rivers, Brown finds that hydropower can be extremely effective, such as in Paraguay, where it provides more than 99% of the country’s electricity generation. However, the construction of the dams can be extremely harmful to the environment, due to the greenhouse gases released by the construction of the dams, and to society, since the flooding that results from the dam’s construction can displace thousands of people. As a result of these harms of hydropower, Brown concludes that solar and wind power are superior sources of energy than hydropower, although hydropower can be beneficial with the presence of optimal factors. Despite the harms of hydropower that Brown voices, studies have found that there has been a global boom in the construction of hydropower plants in recent years. A study published in Aquatic Sciences estimated that there will be nearly 4,000 new hydropower dams built worldwide by the year 2025. The study believes that one reason why countries are expanding usage of hydropower is due to the Rio+20 Conference, which requires countries to meet their energy needs through Kyoto-compliant, sustainable sources, one of which is hydropower. As a result, many countries in water-abundant regions, especially South America, Southeast Asia, and the Balkan Peninsula, are choosing to