subject: Green Energy in the Developing World [print this page] In the United States, we are becoming increasingly more aware of the effects of fossil fuels on global warming. The biggest challenge we face is finding a way to incorporate clean, green, renewable energy into the system that is already in place. Many people use to feel that if option X worked, there was no reason to try option Y or option Z. From an evolutionary standpoint this makes sense because option X is a proven method that yields a successful, desirable outcome. The unknown variables of option Y or option Z could yield unsuccessful results or undesirable outcome. In early times these variables were applied to extreme circumstances and survival. This is no longer the case.
EnviroCitizen.org would like to point out that while it is easy to stick with option X (i.e. the use of fossil fuels) because the infrastructure is already set into place, it is not the best choice. Option Y (green, renewable energy like solar or wind) is a bit of a wild card in the sense that we do not know all of the possibilities this option would provide us with. Also, it is difficult to combine the two options, meaning that incorporating clean, renewable energy into an already existing system poses many challenges. However, we must step up to the plate and try for the sake of our Earth!
Countries in the developing world have a unique advantage over the United States and other developed countries. In the developing world, the infrastructure for fossil fuel energy is either non-existent or partially sufficient at best. So, when incorporating green, renewable energy in the developing world, there is no option X to combine option Y with. There is no existing infrastructure to prevent green, renewable energy from being a successful source of energy and the transition will be far less complicated. For example, Kenya is the world leader in the number of solar power systems installed per capita. Kenya boasts more than 30,000 small solar panels sold annually!
Creating green, renewable energy in the developing world makes a lot of sense. Developing countries account for about eighty percent of the global population, but they only consume about thirty percent of global commercial energy. As these countries develop, there will be a greater demand for energy. The United States, in comparison, has only five percent of the world's population but uses about twenty-five percent of global, commercial energy. Imagine if people in the developing world consumed as much energy as Americans! It is critical that both the developed and developing worlds go for option Y or green, renewable energy. Regardless of the challenges we may face or the initial investments we must make, EnviroCitizen.org believes that we have to face this situation as an investment into our future and the future of generations to come. We must do whatever we can to preserve and maintain the health of our home planet, Earth.
